By Nick Barnowski –
For Team USA, it was a tale of two different games.
After a first period that featured the United States National Junior Team only leading Denmark by a score of 3-2, the team kicked it up a notch, eventually winning 11-3.
Charlie Coyle led the way for Team USA, scoring three goals to help the Red, White, and Blue open 1-0-0-0 in the 2012 edition of the World Junior Hockey Championship.
A pair of power-play goals by Mathias Bau-Hansen helped Denmark get on the board early in the first period, encouraging Canadian fans to boo Team USA in preparation for their New Year’s Eve matchup. That was seemingly all Team USA would give the Danes, as the Americans proceeded to score eight goals in the final 40 minutes in dominating fashion.
As expected, Team USA got offensive contribution from almost every player on the roster. Eighteen of the 20 skaters on Team USA’s roster got on the scoresheet, including Kyle Rau, who posted two goals, and captain Jason Zucker, who tallied a goal and two assists. Plymouth Whalers forward JT Miller also scored for the Americans.
Despite giving up three power-play goals to Denmark, Team USA dominated during even strength play, and chased Danish netminder Sebastian Feuk from the game after scoring four times by the 10:21 mark of the second period. Before the period was over, backup Dennis Jensen surrendered two more, making it 9-2 after the second.
Coyle and Stephen Johns scored in the third to put USA up 11-3. Goaltender Jack Campbell, a Port Huron native, stopped 21 out of 24 Denmark shots in the win.
Team USA plays Finland on Wednesday, the Czech Republic on Friday, and then Canada on New Year’s Eve.
Mitten watch – Campbell is playing in his third World Junior tournament, after winning gold with Team USA in 2010, and bronze last year.
Brighton’s Jon Merrill played in his first competitive game of the season (he has not dressed for the University of Michigan), and recorded an assist and a penalty in the first nine minutes.
Washington native Austin Czarnik had two assists.
Rochester native Jacob Trouba, the youngest player on Team USA, picked up an assist, as did Ann Arbor native Austin Watson.
Kevin Gravel, of Kingsford, was on the receiving end of a checking-to-the-head penalty in the second period. Gravel did not appear to be injured on the play.