By WJBC Staff
PLYMOUTH, Mich. – Team USA scored twice in the first 10 minutes of the first period and got a 28-save performance from Dylan St. Cyr to top the Bloomington Thunder, 4-1, on Saturday night at USA Hockey Arena.
Quick starts in each of the first two periods were responsible for all of Team USA’s offense, as the Under-18 team notched a pair of goals in the first three minutes of the second period to extend a 2-1 lead to its final margin of victory.
After the U18s jumped out to the 2-0 lead, Bloomington (10-10-3-0, 23 pts) got some late first-period offense to trim the deficit to one goal. With less than 10 seconds to go in the first, Cameron Burke collected a loose puck in the slot and fired a shot that deflected past St. Cyr to make it a 2-1 game. Burke’s goal was the fifth of his rookie campaign.
Although Bloomington carried momentum to the locker room with the late goal in the first, Team USA struck in the opening stages of the second to reestablish the two-goal edge. Sean Dhooghe fired a shot from the right wing wall that beat Thunder goaltender Logan Halladay at the 1:12 mark of the middle stanza. Evan Barratt tacked on an insurance goal only a minute and 25 seconds later to make it a 4-1 game.
Following Team USA’s fourth tally, Gabe Mollot-Hill came on in relief in goal and fared well the rest of the way. The rookie netminder stopped all 25 shots he faced in the final two periods of play to keep the U18s off the board.
Mollot-Hill’s strong performance to finish off the night improved his save percentage to .936 and lowered his goals-against-average to 1.81. Those two figures now rank second and third in the USHL, respectively.
The Thunder return to the ice next Friday, paying a visit to I-55 rival Chicago. Faceoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. at Fox Valley Ice Arena.
