U.S. Womens National Under-18 Team Upends Russia, 17-0

FUSSEN, Germany – Paced by a six-point outing by Amanda Kessel (Madison, Wis.), the U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team opened 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's U18 Championship play with a 17-0 victory over Russia here tonight at the Fussen Rink II. Seventeen players factored in the scoring, highlighted byKessel's three goals and three assists, Kendall Coyne's (Palos Heights, Ill.) five assists and Taylor Wasylk's (Port Huron, Mich.) three goals and an assist.

"It was a nice way to start the tournament," said Team USA Head Coach Mark Johnson, who is also the head women's ice hockey coach at the University of Wisconsin. "With a short adjustment period in traveling here, they had a lot of energy and everyone made a contribution. As a staff, we're very pleased."

Team USA got off to a convincing start, bounding out to a 9-0 advantage in the opening frame, while putting up 30 shots on net and allowing none from the opposition.

Madison Packer (Birmingham, Mich.) opened the scoring just :39 seconds into the contest, lifting a wrist shot high to Russian netminder Julia Leskina's glove side. With Team USA on the power play 1:32 later, Taylor Wasylk (Port Huron, Mich.) slid a low shot inside the right post to make it 2-0. Brittany Ammerman (River Vale, N.J.) increased the U.S. lead to 3-0 with a power-play tally at 5:10 and Megan Bozek (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) knocked one in during a four-on-four at 9:07 to make it 4-0.

Ammerman tallied her second goal of the game at 10:57 when she skated through the right faceoff circle and wristed the puck to the far side of the net. Lyndsey Fry (Chandler, Ariz.) used a U.S rush at the 13:15 mark to give Team USA a six-goal advantage. Another American tally just :29 later by captain Alev Kelter (Eagle River, Alaska) prompted a goalie change on the Russian side, as Anna Prugova joined the game. Team USA scored twice more before the end of the period, as Wasylk redirected a hard pass from Kessel at 14:05 and then Kessel put one in from the top of the right faceoff circle past a screened Prugova at 17:50 for a 9-0 score.

The second frame saw four more U.S. goals on 21 shots. Russia's lone shot of the period came at 1:40, however Kessel was quick with a U.S. rebuttal, as she grabbed the puck, rushed into the Russian zone and scored at 1:54. Wasylk completed her hat trick :44 later when she slapped in a Kessel rebound from the left doorstep to give the United States an 11-0 lead.

Jamie Kenyon (Sparta, Wis.) tapped in an Amanda Pelkey (Montpelier, Vt.) shot at 8:41 during a U.S. man-advantage opportunity and Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.) closed out second-stanza scoring at 15:16 when she patiently skated around the front of the Russian net and lifted the puck over Prugova inside the right post to put the Americans up 13-0.

Decker scored :35 into the final frame, followed by Kessel's third score of the evening at 15:38. Alex Nelson (Andover, Minn.) and Fry completed the game's scoring at 16:10 and 18:39.

Alex Rigsby (Delafield, Wis.) made three saves in net for Team USA to earn the shutout

victory.

Team USA returns to action tomorrow night (Jan. 6) with an 8 p.m. (12 p.m. EST) match-up against host Germany.

NOTES: Amanda Kessel was named U.S. Player of the Game ... Team USA outshot Russia by a 73-3 margin ... The United States went 4-for-10 on the power play, while holding Russia scoreless on one opportunity ... Joining Mark Johnson on the coaching staff as assistant coaches are Katie King, head women’s ice hockey coach at Boston College, and Jeff Giesen, head women’s ice hockey coach at St. Cloud State University.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Packer (Decker), :39; 2, USA, Wasylk (Kessel, Coyne), 2:11 (pp); 3, USA, Ammerman (Mangene), 5:01 (pp); 4, USA, Bozek (Kessel, Kelter), 9:07 (4x4); 5, USA, Ammerman (unassisted), 10:57; 6, USA, Fry (Young, Brock), 13:15; 7, USA, Kelter (Packer, Mangene), 13:44; 8, USA, Wasylk (Kessel, Bolden), 14:05; 9, USA, Kessel (Wasylk, Coyne), 17:50. Penalties: RUS, Leushina (interference), 1:27; RUS, Leushina (tripping), 4:14; RUS, Sosina (interference), 7:49; USA, Ammerman (slashing), 8:27.

Second Period - Scoring: 10, USA, Kessel (unassisted), 1:54; 11, USA, Wasylk (Kessel, Coyne), 2:38; 12, USA, Kenyon (Pelkey, Nelson), 8:41 (pp); 13, USA, Decker (Packer, Ammerman), 15:16. Penalties: RUS, Skorodumova (high sticking), 7:35; RUS, Spasich (holding), 9:37; RUS, Vershinina (interference), 18:00.

Third Period - Scoring: 14, USA, Decker (Ammerman, Packer), :35; 15, USA, Kessel (Coyne), 15:38; 16, USA, Nelson (Kenyon), 16:10; 17, USA, Fry (Dempsey, Kelter), 18:39 (pp). Penalties: RUS, Mishlanova (charging), 1:27; RUS, Vershinina (charging), 6:28; RUS, Pechnikova (interference), 18:31; RUS, Sosina (slashing), 19:51.