Plymouth, MI – The Dubuque Fighting Saints (3-6-0-0, 6 pts) fought back from multiple deficits in Saturday's game against the USA NTDP U18s (3-3-0-0, 6 pts), but could not muster a lead in a 7-5 loss.
Late in the second period, following Dubuque's third power-play goal of the game to turn a 4-1 USA lead into a 4-3 game, the U18s appeared to score on their lone power-play chance of the night. The Saints successfully challenged the goal for offside and kept the score at 4-3 USA into the third.
To start the third, the Saints earned another power-play chance. Melvin Ekman converted for the team's fourth power-play goal of the night and tied the game at four with 13:15 to play. Ekman was assisted by Caden Dabrowski and Luke Brierley. Dabrowski tied a career high with four points in the loss, while Olle Därth set a career mark with four points.
After Ekman's game-tying goal, Cannon Thibodeau scored his third goal of the weekend two minutes later to give USA the lead right back.
Därth answered for Dubuque to continue a back-and-forth third period, scoring his second of the game just over two minutes after that to tie the game at five with 9:52 remaining.
The game was tied for 3:31 before Braden Horton's game winner with 6:21 to play in the third period. Despite outshooting the U18s 27-22, the Fighting Saints never fought back to take a lead after early 2-0 and 4-1 deficits.
USA opened the scoring at 1:49 of the first with Gerry DiCunzolo and added to it at 7:29 with a wrister from Benjamin Geiger.
Dabrowski scored with 4:22 left in the first, the first of two power-play goals for him in the contest. All four of his points came on the power play for Dubuque and his first goal brought the Saints within one before Nash Roed put USA back ahead 3-1 with a late first-period tally.
In the second, Finn Sears added to the USA lead at 2:47 before Dabrowski's second goal started a stretch of three unanswered by Dubuque. Dabrowski and Därth scored power-play goals in a span of 3:30 just past the halfway point in regulation, setting up Ekman's tying goal in the third.
The Saints finished the night with four power-play goals on six chances, doubling their best power-play output of the season. Dubuque also killed the lone USA power play, completing the first game this season without allowing an opposing power-play goal.
Roed scored his second of the game with an empty-netter in the final 30 seconds to ice the game and help USA to the 7-5 win.
The Saints dropped both games against the U18s and finish the three-game weekend against the U17s on Sunday afternoon in Michigan.
