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Wahlstrom Records Hat Trick; U18s Blank Muskegon, 7-0

By USAHockeyNTDP.com, 10/14/17, 10:00PM EDT

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The U18s open its USHL regular season with a 7-0 win against cross-state rival Muskegon.

USA Hockey National Team Development Program

Photo by Rena Laverty

MUSKEGON, MICH. - Oliver Wahlstrom (Quincy, Mass.) scored three goals and Joel Farabee (Cicero, N.Y.) scored two to lead the U.S. National Under-18 Team to a 7-0 win against the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Saturday night at L.C. Walker Arena.

The U18s improve to 5-3-0-0 (W-L-OTL-SOL). The combined Team USA is now 2-0-0-0 in the USHL.

Jake Pivonka (Naperville, Ill.) (one two and two assists) and Connor Caponi (Brookfield, Wis.) scored the other U18 goals.

NTDP goaltender Drew DeRidder (Fenton, Mich.) stopped all 34 he faced for his first NTDP shutout and his third in USHL play. DeRidder posted two shutouts last season while playing for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

Farabee scored the first two goals of the opening period, snapping a shot from the right circle at 1:56 with Jack DeBoer (Madison, N.J.) and Patrick Giles (Chevy Chase, Md.) assisting, then scoring from the hashmarks at 4:15. Mattias Samuelsson (Voorhees, N.J.) and Pivonka drew assists.

Wahlstrom extended the U18 lead to 4-0 with a pair of goals of his own, scoring a power play goal at 10:21 (Mattias Samuelsson and Pivonka assisting again) and then scored an unassisted goal at 17:16 ripping a shot from the left hashmark, top-shelf.

After a scoreless second period, Wahlstrom registered his hat trick (and team-leading ninth goal of the year) at 3:12 of the third period to give to U18s a 5-0 lead. Pivonka scored at 9:18, ripping a shot from the hashmarks past Lumberjacks goaltender Adam Brizgala to give the U18s a 6-0 lead.

Caponi finished the scoring on a re-direct at 19:53.

Muskegon outshot the U18s, 34-28.

The U18s are on the road next weekend, playing at Dartmouth College on Friday and at Harvard University on Saturday.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team plays at USA Hockey Arena next weekend, hosting the Green Bay Gamblers next Saturday (Oct. 21) at 7 p.m. ET and on Sunday (Oct. 22) at 2 p.m. ET. Tickets are available at USAHockeyNTDP.com/Tix.

1.) USA - Joel Farabee

2.) USA - Drew DeRidder

3.) USA - Oliver Wahlstrom

Under-18 Team News & Features

Photo by Rena Laverty