Dec. 28, 1999

SKELLEFTEA, Sweden – The United States used a late goal by Michigan State sophomore right wing Adam Hall and another strong goaltending performance from Boston University freshman Rich DiPietro to remain unbeaten at the World Junior Hockey Championship, with a 1-0 victory over Slovakia in second-round action Tuesday.

Three Notre Dame players again skated on the U.S. forward lines, with freshman center Connor Dunlop and sophomore left wing David Inman skating on the second line while sophomore Brett Henning centered the fourth line. Dunlop was nearly unbeatable on faceoffs in the victory, winning 15 of his 19 draws in the game while picking up a hooking penalty early in the second period. Inman-who opened at right wing in Sunday’s 2-2 tie with the Czech Republic-had no stats in the Slovakia game while Henning won two of his 10 faceoffs.

The U.S. (1-0-1) all but clinched a spot in the eight-team medal round, which will include the top four finishes from the five-team groups. Tuesday’s win held extra significance for the U.S. players who participated in the 1998-99 World Junior Championship, when the U.S. lost a last-minute game to Slovakia (3-2) to fall to 0-3-0 in the round-robin play and out of medal contention.

Hall-who skated with Dunlop and Inman in Sunday’s action-scored Tuesday’s lone goal with just 5:52 left in regulation, with the assist coming from his Central Collegiate Hockey Association rival Andy Hilbert (a freshman center at Michigan). Hilbert skated behind the net before threading a pass between two defenders, with Hall converting the tap-in goal at the left side of the crease to secure the crucial two points in the Group A standings.

DiPietro-who made 29 saves in the tie with the Czech Republic-registered 27 saves versus Slovakia for just the fifth shutout by the United States in the 22-year history of the tournament. Rastislav Stana made 28 saves in the losing effort, with both teams failing to convert on the power play (the U.S. was 0-for-5 while Slovakia was 0-for-4).

NOTES: The U.S. continues round-robin play on Dec. 29 vs. Finland before a much-anticipated game vs. Canada on New Year’s Eve … the U.S. first forward line on Tuesday included Harvard’s Brett Nowak, Hilbert and Hall … Inman and Dunlop were joined on the second line by late addition Daniel Cavanaugh of Boston University (he took the roster spot of Michigan State freshman D John Michael-Liles) … the third-line forwards included Maine LW Barrett Heisten, Minnesota C Jeff Taffe and Northeastern RW Willie Levesque … Henning was joined on the fourth line by New Hampshire’s Pat Foley and Wisconsin’s Brad Winchester … Tuesday’s defensive pairings included: Boston College’s Brooks Orpik and Michigan’s Jeff Jillson, Maine’s Doug Janik and Colorado College’s Mike Stuart, and Minnesota’s Jordan Leopold and BU’s Pat Aufiero … the team’s last two players included UMass-Lowell defenseman Ron Hainsey and BU forward John Sabo … Tuesday’s other Group A game saw Canada (1-0-1) and the group-leading Czechs (1-0-2) skate to a 1-1 tie, leaving three teams bunched atop the Group A standings … Finland (0-1-1) and Slovakia (0-2-1) round out the group standings, with those teams playing a 1-1 tie on Sunday … the opening 2-2 tie for the U.S. included goals by Heisten (who put back his own rebound at the top of the crease) and Orpik, who scored on a slapshot from outside the left faceoff circle … the U.S. killed off 4:44 worth of penalties in the final nine minutes of that game (no overtime was played) … the U.S. power play is 1-for-11 through the first two games while the penalty-kill unit has stopped 11 of 12 opponent PPs.

First Period – Scoring: None. Penalties: Foley, USA (interference), 6:00, Kolba, SVK (interference), 6:18, Urban, SVK (cross-checking), 7:57, Stuart, USA (hooking),13:42.
Second Period – Scoring: None. Penalties: Kudroc, SVK (high sticking), 4:28, Dunlop, USA (hooking), 7:19, DiPietro, USA (slashing), 7:45, Kolba, SVK (interference), 10:49.
Third Period – Scoring: USA 1. Adam Hall (Andy Hilbert), 14:08. Penalties: Winchester, USA (roughing), 7:16, Cibak, SVK (unsportsmanlike conduct), 7:16, SVK (too many players), 19:52.

Shots: USA 10-11-8/29, SVK 5-13-9/27.
Saves: USA, Rick DiPietro (5-13-9/27), SVK, Rastislav Stana (10-11-7/28).
Power Play: USA 0-for-5, SVK 0-for-4.
Penalties: USA 5 for 10:00, SVK 6 for 12:00.