LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Brandon Halverson (Traverse City, Mich.) made 16 saves and four U.S. players registered multi-point games as the U.S. beat Finland, 6-1, here today in the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York.
With the win, the 2015 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp comes to a close.
Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.) opened the scoring just :53 into the game when he picked up the puck at center ice, skated passed a pair of Finnish defenders, and fired a backhanded shot over the glove of Finland goaltender, Veini Vehvilainen.
The U.S. made it 2-0 at 9:13 with a power play tally from Brock Boeser (Burnsville, Minn.). Stationed on the goal line to the right of goal, Boeser threw a pass from Ryan Hitchcock (Manhasset, N.Y.) on net that redirected in the crease and slid beneath Vehvilainen’s pads.
Back-to-back goals from Anders Bjork three minutes into the middle frame gave the U.S. a 4-0 lead. The first goal came when Bjork tapped in a rebound off a shot from Scott Eansor (Englewood, Colo.). Bjork connected again just 14 seconds later when Brandon Carlo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) found Eansor, sent a pass to Bjork, and fired a wrist shot from the slot that went in high glove side.
Halverson was called upon at the six-minute mark when he stopped a breakaway to keep Finland off the scoreboard.
Th U.S. tallied another goal at 17:22 of the period when Matthew Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo.) scored on a backhand pass from Matthews into an open net. Jack Roslovic (Columbus, Ohio) also collected an assist on the play.
Jeremy Bracco (Freeport, N.Y.) gave the U.S. a 6-0 lead at 4:41 in the final frame when he one-timed a pass from Tkachuk in the slot. Matthews registered his third point of the game on the goal.
Finland’s Frank Gymer spoiled the shutout at 17:41 to account for the 6-1 final.
