USA Defeats Germany, 8-0
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Alex Galchenyuyk had a goal and two assists and was named player of the game for USA as the American team defeated Germany 8-0 in game six of the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championships.
Riley Barber, a Washington Capitals prospect, also added a goal and two assists, and 11 different players on the American roster had at least one point. That includes eight different goal scorers spread across the lineup from defense to forward.
San Jose Sharks prospect Sean Kuraly opened the scoring just 19 seconds into the first period, giving the USA an early lead before Jacob Trouba (Winnipeg) and Alex Galchenyuk (Montreal) scored within 1:24 of each other to make it 3-0 at the end of the first period.
The second period began the same, as Barber’s goal came just 14 seconds into the middle frame. Six minutes later, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Shayne Gostisbehere tallied on the power play, taking advantage of a penalty to Germany’s Alexander Ackermann. Just 1:22 after the fifth goal, ’13 draft-eligible Ryan Hartman added another to make it a six-goal lead.
United States goaltender John Gibson was swapped out for Jon Gillies at the start of the third period, and the American team added a pair of goals near the middle of the period to finish the game off on a strong note. New York Rangers prospect J.T. Miller and future NHL draft pick Seth Jones had the goals, both of which were unassisted.
German goaltender Marvin Cupper allowed eight goals on 46 shots faced. For the US, Gibson stopped 19 shots and was awarded the shutout, with Gillies stopped all seven shots he faced in the third period.
Galchenuyk and Barber each had a goal and two assists, while Kuraly and Jones added a goal and assist each. Jones was also a plus-five for the matchup. Blake Pietila had two assists in the win.
Captain Jake McCabe had no points, but four penalty minutes and was a plus-1. Kuraly won 10 of 14 faceoffs, while Vince Trocheck won 16 of 23 for the USA.
German forward Leonard Pfoderl had seven of the team’s 26 shots, with another five coming from Dominik Kahun.
Three seems to be the magic number for the USA team, at least in Thursday’s game versus Germany. Three of the US goals came from defensemen. Three goals came in the first period, with another three in the second period and a pair in the final frame, and the American team earned three points for the regulation win.
The United States returns to 2013 IIHF World Junior Championships action on December 28 with a 9 a.m. EST matchup against Russia.