Blackwell converted from the slot just 2:17 later to double Team USA’s lead. The play started when Eric Robinson (Bellmawr, N.J.) took a pass in the neutral zone from Kevin Labanc (Staten Island, N.Y.), cut through the Slovakian defense, and tried feeding the puck back to Labanc. The puck bounced off his stick and bounced to a trailing Blackwell who wired the puck past Huska for his second goal in the tournament. With just :29 seconds left in the period, Garland extended Team USA’s lead to 3-0 when he fought off a Slovakian stick-check in the neutral zone, skated around a sliding Slovakian defenseman, and tucked a shot inside the near post.
The U.S. and Slovakia traded goals in the middle frame to make it a 4-1 game after 40 minutes of play. Slovakia converted 12:12 into the period when Peter Cehlarik tucked a shot past the shoulder of Petersen from the left dot. Four minutes later, Team USA answered when a tic-tac toe passing play from Robinson and Labanc that ended with a one-timer goal from Blackwell to give the line its second goal of the night.
In the final period, Sasha Chmelevski (Huntington Beach, Calif.) added to the U.S. lead 5:15 into the third period when he finished a three-way passing play with Christian Wolanin (Rochester, Mich.) and Boyle. With 1:15 left in the game, Moore ripped a shot that rebounded off the pad of Huska to Wolanin who found Garland on the left side to net his second goal of the night. With 27 saves, Petersen picked up his fourth win of the tournament.
NOTES: Colin Blackwell (North Andover, Mass.) was named the U.S. Player of the Game for the second time in the tournament… U.S. outshot Slovakia, 33-28 … The U.S. was 0-3 on the power play, while Slovakia was 0-3 … Brian Boyle (Hingham, Mass.) took over as captain of Team USA with Justin Abdelkader (Muskegon, Mich.) out indefinitely due to injury, while Colin Blackwell (North Andover, Mass.) and Matt Roy (Detroit, Mich.) are the squad’s alternate captains.
