More details below:
United States Downs Slovenia, 6-0, In Tune-Up For IIHF World Championship
JESENICE, Slovenia – Ryan Malone scored twice to lead the U.S. Men’s National Team to a 6-0 win over Slovenia today in its lone exhibition game prior to the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Riga, Latvia. Team USA opens play in the event Friday (May 5) against Norway.
“We did some good things,†said U.S. Head Coach Mike Eaves, who just a month ago led the University of Wisconsin men’s ice hockey team to the NCAA Division I championship. “We’re just getting to know each other and start to build team chemistry. It was important for us to get a game under our belt before we begin play in the World Championship.â€
After a scoreless first period, Team USA struck for three second-period goals. Malone got things started at 12:46 when he walked out of the left corner and backhanded one to the far side with the United States on the power play. Drew Stafford made it 2-0 at 13:49 when he fired one from the high slot over the glove of netminder Gaber Glavic. Mark Cullen finished the second-period scoring with a power-play marker from the slot off a slick cross-ice feed from Andy Hilbert.
Team USA added three more goals in the third, including two in first 3:19, to account for the final score. Phil Kessel beat a Slovenian defender one-on-one coming off the left wing and went far side to make it 4-0 at 2:41. Malone then put the puck between the legs of goaltender Andrej Hocevar off a goal-mouth feed from Dustin Brown just 38 seconds later. Brown tapped in a rebound off a Kessel shot that hit the crossbar to account for the game’s final tally.
Craig Anderson and Jason Bacashihua split time in the U.S. goal. Anderson made 11 stops in the game’s first 29:50, while Bacashihua finished the contest and had five saves.
Team USA will play the first of three preliminary-round games in the IIHF World Championship Friday at 9:15 a.m. (EDT) against Norway.
USA 0-3-3 -- 6
SLO 0-0-0 -- 0
First Period – Scoring: No Scoring. Penalties: SLV, Kranjc (roughing), 2:29; USA, Orpik (interference), 5:46; SLV, Ciglenecki (interference), 7:19; USA, Greene (boarding), 11:41; SLV, Razingar (high-sticking), 14:38.
Second Period – Scoring: 1, USA, Malone (Gilbert), 12:46 (pp); 2, USA, Stafford (Cullen), 13:49; 3, USA, Cullen (Hilbert, Alberts), 17:57 (pp). Penalties: USA, Malone (interference), 0:57; USA, Alberts (holding), 6:10; USA, Alberts (roughing), 10:18; SLV, Milovanovic (boarding), 11:42; SLV, Milovanovic (holding), 16:16.
Third Period – Scoring: 4, USA, Kessel (Corvo), 2:41; 5, USA, Malone (Brown, Corvo), 3:19; 6, USA, Brown (unassisted), 12:20. Penalties: USA, Kesler (charging), 14:18; SLV, Varl (holding), 18:28.
Shots By Period 1 2 3 Total
USA 6 8 8 22
SLO 7 7 2 16
Goaltending (SH-SV) 1 2 3 Total
USA, Anderson (29:50) 7-7 4-4 - 11-11
USA, Bacashihua (30:10) - 3-3 2-2 5-5
SLO, Kristan (20:00) 6-6 - - 6-6
SLO, Glavic (20:00) - 8-5 - 8-5
SLO, Hocevar (20:00) - - 8-5 8-5
Power Play: USA 2-6; SLO 0-6
Penalties: USA 6-12; SLO 6-12
Officials: Referee-Viki Trilar; Linesmen-Ernest Pozenel, Damir Rakovic
Attendance: 3,500