December 21, 2013 – Alba di Canazei, Italy – Jon Feavel (North Pole, Alaska/Iowa State University) and Gehrett Sargis (Midlothian, Ill./Robert Morris University) scored and Team USA held a 37-25 advantage in shots on goal, but the U.S. Men’s National University Team fell to Russia, 6-2, in the bronze medal game at the 2013 Winter World University Games today.

“It was a difficult way to end the tournament, but we’re proud of what this team accomplished,” said Scott Balboni, head coach of the 2013 U.S. Men’s National University Team. “We had a strong group of players that worked hard every single time they stepped foot on the ice. It’s a pretty special thing to represent the United States and USA Hockey on the international stage.”

Team Russia built a 3-0 lead before the midway point of the opening period, but Feavel managed to pull the U.S. within two before the end of the first stanza when he scored an unassisted, even-strength goal at 18:43.

The Russians added two more markers in the middle frame to increase the lead to 5-1 after two periods, and then made it 6-1 at 13:39 of the third stanza. Sargis recorded Team USA’s second goal at 15:53 when he found the back of the net on a power play. Brian McGinty (Bethel Park, Pa./Arizona State University) and Jordan Young (Cave Creek, Ariz./Arizona State University) were credited with assists on the play.

U.S. goaltender Matt Cooper (Duluth, Minn./Iowa State University) stopped 19 shots in the contest.

Despite the loss, the fourth-place finish at the 2013 Winter World University Games is the highest U.S. finish ever. Entering the tournament, Team USA’s best mark was a sixth-place finish in 2011.

Notes: Twelve states were represented on the U.S. roster. Michigan led the way with seven players, while Illinois had three and Arizona, Minnesota and New York each had two. Seven other states — Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio and Pennsylvania — all had one … Arizona State University led all schools with five players on the U.S. roster, while Adrian College had three and Iowa State University, Lindenwood University and Stony Brook University all had two representatives … Scott Balboni (State College, Pa.), who served as head coach of the Penn State University men’s ice hockey team from 2006-11, was the head coach of the 2013 U.S. Men’s National University Team after having previously served as an assistant for the 2009 and 2011 teams. Sean Hogan (Tucson, Ariz.), head coach of the men’s ice hockey team at the University of Arizona, and Dan Phelps (Livonia, Mich.), head coach of Adrian College’s men’s ice hockey team, served as assistant coaches. Phelps was an assistant coach with Balboni during the 2011 Games … The United States fielded a men’s ice hockey team in the Winter World University Games for the seventh straight time. Team USA finished sixth in the 2011 Winter World University Games … The U.S. Men’s National University Team trained with The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary software-based cognitive trainer, that develops and enhances hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com.

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