By Shane Frederick
The Free Press
MANKATO — If the Minnesota State men’s hockey team wanted a test after its holiday break and before the start of the second half of the season, it got one on Friday night.
The Mavericks tied the U.S. National Under-18 Team 3-3 in overtime before a Verizon Wirless Center crowd of 2,655 and needed Eriah Hayes’ last-minute goal to knot up the game and force the extra period.
“I think we took for granted that they were young,” Hayes said of the visiting team, “and we found out fast that they know how to play the game.”
The national team, part of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich., is made up of some of the best 17-year-olds in the country. But it’s already beaten one Division I college team, Vermont, and was close in losses to Michigan and Denver earlier this season.
“They’ve got good team speed, and they move the puck well,” MSU coach Troy Jutting said. “Their defensemen do a good job of getting the puck out, so you’ve got to do a good job forechecking.”
The Mavericks outshot Team USA 36-30, including a 6-1 advantage in overtime.
They got to overtime on Hayes’ short-handed goal off the rebound of a Zach Lehrke shot with 51.7 seconds remaining in regulation. The Mavericks pulled goalie Evan Karambelas for an extra attacker in the final minute.
“Coach drew up a play and said, ‘Any shot’s a good shot,’” Hayes said. “Lehrke put one off (goalie Collin Olson’s) chest. It bounced to me, right on my stick, and I put it home.”
The Mavericks, who wore camouflage uniforms in honor of military appreciation night, led 2-1 after two periods, getting goals from Corey Leivermann and Matt Leitner in the second.
But the national team came back, and Miami recruit Ryan Hartman tied the game at 4:54 of the third period with his second goal of the game.
With 2:37 remaining, another Miami prospect, Riley Barber, put Team USA up 3-2, finishing off a nice play from Boston University recruit Matthew Lane.
Both goals came against Karambelas, who played the third period and overtime and finished with eight saves.
Jutting opted to play all three of his goaltenders in the game. Austin Lee, the Mavericks’ No. 1 goalie, started and stopped nine of 10 shots in the first period. Phil Cook, who struggled in his previous two appearances this season, stopped all 10 shots he faced in the second.
MSU was outshot 10-6 in the first period, and Hartman gave Team USA an early 1-0.
“We were rusty in the beginning,” Jutting said. “I thought we got better as we went along. The rust started wearing off a little. Eight days is a long time off for kids at this level.”
The Mavericks will return to regular-season play next Friday and Saturday when they play a nonconference series at St. Lawrence in Canton, N.Y. They will return home Jan. 13-14 for a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series against Wisconsin. Wisconsin will host the Under-18s tonight.
Team USA 1-0-2-0—3
Minnesota State 0-2-1-0—3
First period
Scoring: 1. USA-Hartman (Stoick) 10:45
Penalties: Hartman, USA (elbowing) 8:35; Sieloff, USA (tripping) 13:21; Mueller, MSU (hooking) 15:59; Palmquist, MSU (cross-checking) 17:37
Second period
Scoring: 2. MSU-Leivermann (Jokinen) 11:54; 3. MSU-Leitner (LaFontaine, Lehrke) ppg 15:50
Penalties: Lane, USA (checking from behind) 8:55; Elbrecht, MSU (roughing) 12:54; Wade, USA (tripping) 15:38; Hartman, USA (interference) 16:21
Third period
Scoring: 4. USA-Hartman (Osterberg) 4:54; 5. USA-Barber (Lane) 17:23; 6. MSU-Hayes (Lehrke, Dorr) shg 19:08
Penalties: Osterberg, USA (checking from behind), DiPauli, USA (roughing) 3:56; Zuck, MSU (roughing) 3:56; Knoll, MSU (cross-checking) 7:56; Wade, USA (roughing) 11:40; Mueller, MSU (roughing) 11:40; Hartman, USA (unsportsmanlike conduct) 18:09; Kerdiles, USA (roughing) 18:09; Leitner, MSU (roughing) 18:09; LaFontaine, MSU double-minor (slashing, roughing) 18:09; Sieloff, USA (hooking) 19:46
Overtime
Scoring: None
Penalties: None
Summaries
Shots on goal: USA 10-10-9-1—30, MSU 6-13-11-6—36. Penalties: USA 10 for 20 minutes, MSU 9 for 18 minutes. Power plays: USA 0 for 5; MSU 1 for 7. Goalie saves: USA Olson 6-11-10-6—33 (3 GA); MSU Lee 9-x-x-x—9, (1 GA), Cook x-10-x—10 (0 GA), Karambelas x-x-7-1—8 (2 GA).
MSU called its timeout at 19:01 of the third period
Referees: Jarod Moen, Chris Perrault. Linesmen: Rick Nelson, Neil Missling
Attendance: 2,655
