Jake McCabe World Championship Recap

2011 Wisconsin defense recruit Jake McCabe from Eau Claire has agreed to do a correspondence piece with us while he is in Crimmitschau, Germany representing the United States for the 2011 IIHF U18 World Championships. Jake will be updating us as the red, white, and blue chase their third straight U18 World Championship gold medal.

The Americans just wrapped up play at the World Championships. Jake was kind enough to check in after the American squad played Sweden yesterday for the gold medal. Thanks again Jake.

Jake McCabe, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/25/2011

"We made history last night being the first country to win 3 Gold Medals in a row. It was an awesome game all around. The rink was sold out at a little over 5,000 which made for a great atmosphere. We came out slow in the first period but were lucky enough to go into the locker room with a 1-1 tie. In the second we still didn't quite have it and Sweden took a 3-1 lead on us which wasn't so strange because in November we were down 4-1 in the Championship game in the 4 nation tournament.

Coach's speech in the locker room was pretty special, it was one of those that sent chills down your spine. To sum it up he told us our ups and downs over the past 2 years and what we've been through and to go out there and come back in this locker room and not regret anything. We came out flying in the third and made it a 3-2 game and we all knew we had it in us. We tied it up with about 3 minutes left in the game to send it into overtime.

In overtime we controlled the play after the Swedes took a penalty. After the penalty expired Murph (Connor Murphy) had a shot from the top of the left circle and put it bardown to send us off the bench and to listen to our anthem at the end of the game. It was a feeling you can't describe and after the 2 years with the boys it was a perfect ending. "

Editors Note: I think this goes without saying but we can't thank Jake enough for taking time out of his busy schedule write these recaps for us. I thought he did a fantastic job and came away very impressed. It will be exiting to watch his development the next four years.

Jake McCabe Update #1
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Jake McCabe Update #7

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USA Wins Third Straight U18 GOLD Medal

Congratulations to future Badgers Jake McCabe (2011 recruit) and Nic Kerdiles (2012 recruit) on winning the GOLD for the United States at the IIHF U18 World Championships in Germany. It's Team USA's third straight gold medal at the U18's.

McCabe, USA U18's to play for GOLD

2011 Wisconsin defense recruit Jake McCabe from Eau Claire has agreed to do a correspondence piece with us while he is in Crimmitschau, Germany representing the United States for the 2011 IIHF U18 World Championships. Jake will be updating us as the red, white, and blue chase their third straight U18 World Championship gold medal.

The Americans are on the verge of their third gold in three years after a thirlling OT semi-final. Jake was kind enough to check in after the American squad played Canada yesterday. Thanks again Jake.

Jake McCabe, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/19/2011

"Last night we had our semi-final game against Canada. It definitely was the most nervous I have ever been for a game. We came out a little sloppy in the first and put them on a 5 on 3 early in the game and they scored on it. We tied it up later in the period to go into the locker room with the game at 1-1. We had a much better period in the second and controlled the game to put us up 2-1 going into the third.

We continued to play well in the third as we scored 2 shorthanded goals on the same penalty kill. We got a little complacent and started running around in our own zone. We took too many penalties and they took advantage of it coming back to tie it up. Coach was really calm on the bench telling us to relax and I think that really helped all of us.

Overtime was a bit scary when they had a backdoor pass go through Gibby's (John Gibson) legs and out the otherside and it went back and forth a little bit and then (Tyler) Biggs took it down the right side and put it low blocker post and in to win it for us. It wasn't exactly how we drew it up but it was a great win for us. We have Sweden today for the Gold and were excited for it and ready to go. "

Team USA's Next Game: Gold Medal Game, Sunday 11:30 AM vs Sweden

Editors Note: Remember to check back often for updates from Jake. Also, FastHockey.com will be web casting all of Team USA's games while they are in Germany (for a small fee). Also, remember that McCabe isn't the only future Badger on the squad, 2012 forward recruit Nic Kerdiles is also on the roster.

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Kerdiles talks about match up vs Canada

2012 Wisconsin recruit Nic Kerdiles sits down briefly and talks about Team USA's match up with Canada in the semi-finals at the IIHF U18 World Championships which is coming up on Saturday. PS...how sick does that rink look with the trees in the background? Absolutely beautiful.

Team USA cruises into U18 semi-finals

2011 Wisconsin defense recruit Jake McCabe from Eau Claire has agreed to do a correspondence piece with us while he is in Crimmitschau, Germany representing the United States for the 2011 IIHF U18 World Championships. Jake will be updating us as the red, white, and blue chase their third straight U18 World Championship gold medal.

The Americans have now completed pool play going 4-0 and will be playing for a medal of some sort no matter what. Jake was kind enough to check in after the American squad played Germany yesterday. Thanks again Jake.

Editors Note: 2012 Wisconsin recruit Nic Kerdiles had an assist in the Germany game, his second point of the tournament.

Jake McCabe, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/19/2011

"We finished off pool play with a 7-3 win over Germany tonight. The crowd was great, it felt almost more like a soccer game with all the chanting, drums, and flag waving. It was one of the best atmospheres we've played in.

We can spend the day with our families tomorrow which will be nice, a lot of us are heading to Dresden to check it out there. We have 3 days off until the semi's on Saturday. Canada lost to Sweden today so Sweden took first place in that pool which means Canada plays Germany in the Quarterfinals to play us. Our goal over the next few days is to keep our edge and stay focused for our semifinal game. "

Team USA's Next Game: Semi-Finals, Saturday vs TBD

Editors Note: Remember to check back often for updates from Jake. Also, FastHockey.com will be web casting all of Team USA's games while they are in Germany (for a small fee). Also, remember that McCabe isn't the only future Badger on the squad, 2012 forward recruit Nic Kerdiles is also on the roster.

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Team USA 3-0 at U18 World Championships

2011 Wisconsin defense recruit Jake McCabe from Eau Claire has agreed to do a correspondence piece with us while he is in Crimmitschau, Germany representing the United States for the 2011 IIHF U18 World Championships. Jake will be updating us as the red, white, and blue chase their third straight U18 World Championship gold medal.

The Americans are now three games into the tournament and are playing some really good hockey. Jake was kind enough to check in after the American squad played Russia yesterday in an absolute thriller. Thanks again Jake.

Jake McCabe, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/18/2011

"We had a huge win against Russia yesterday. Going into the game we knew it'd be a good match up and we were up 2-0 after the first period. After the second it was 3-1 and we were outplaying them. We took our foot off the gas in the 3rd and let them back into the game and they tied it up with about 5 minutes remaining.

The place was packed so it was a great atmosphere to play in. With about 20 seconds left to play we had a draw in their zone and lined up with a triangle set. Rocco (Grimaldi) won it clean to (Reid) Boucher and he put it bardown to put us up 4-3. The place went nuts and we held them off with the extra attacker and listened to our anthem as the flag was raised. The fans started chanting USA and it was our high point so far in the tournament.

It was by far the best we've played and we need to continue it throughout the tournament. We play Germany tomorrow to go 4-0 in the prelims and to get a bye into the Semi's. "

Team USA's Next Game: Sunday vs Russia 12:30 PM CST

Editors Note: Remember to check back often for updates from Jake. Also, FastHockey.com will be web casting all of Team USA's games while they are in Germany (for a small fee). Also, remember that McCabe isn't the only future Badger on the squad, 2012 forward recruit Nic Kerdiles is also on the roster.

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Monday Morning Link Roundup

-Many of you are already familiar with former Badger and current Chicago Blackhawks forward Jake Dowell's family history. His father John, and brother Lucas both suffer from Huntington’s disease, which results from genetically programmed degeneration of brain cells in certain areas of the brain. Eventually walking, and intellectual ability decline until it eventually costs you your life.

Ken Campbell from The Hockey News sat down with Jake and they did a phenomenal two part interview. Part 1 can be found here. Part 2 can be found here.

Dowell talks about how the disease has affected his father and their relationship. He also talks about the prospects being tested for the disease himself where he has a 50/50 chance. Make sure you check it out.

-Future Badgers Jake McCabe and Nic Kerdiles from the United States U18 team who are playing in the World Championships won an intense 4-3 game over Russia on Sunday afternoon. The United States scored the game winner with only :23 seconds remaining to snatch the victory. Chris Peters from the United States of Hockey who is over covering the tournament in Germany has a full recap.

-Speaking of internationally play, the United States is participating in the Women's World Championships. Former Badgers Jessie Vetter, Meghan Duggan, and Molly Engstrom are all on this years squad along with current Badgers Hilary Knight and Brianna Decker. USA won game 1 5-0 over Slovakia. The Badgers represented well Sunday, Knight had a goal and an assist, Duggan had a goal, Engstrom had an assist, and Decker had 2 goals and 1 assist and was named the player of the game.

-Famed goalie coach David Marcoux said that North Dakota goalie Aaron Dell has been offered a two year contract by the Montreal Canadiens. UND is also expected to lose Brett Hextall and possibly Ben Blood and Jason Gregoire. If all four go, UND could be in trouble next season. They better hope Grimaldi is the real deal. UPDATE: Dell has tweeted that he plans to return to UND next season.

-Andy Baggot has a fantastic article up with former Wisconsin goalie Kirk Daubenspeck who was critically injured in a car crash. Daubenspeck sounds like he's doing phenomenal and is appreciative of the outpouring of support. Dauber even mentioned that he could possibly be driving in the next month. That's amazing.

-Baggot also spoke with UW centerman Craig Smith who was recently tabbed by USA hockey for the Mens World Championships, a rare honor for a college player. The biggest info in the article is Smith reiterating plans to return to Wisconsin for his junior season. As a Sophomore Smith was second on the Badgers in points and led the team in goals.

-Wisconsin assistant Gary Shuchuk joined twitter has been tweeting recruiting updates. In the past few weeks he's been in Connecticut for the Tier 1 USA Hockey U18 and U16 Nationals, and recently across the Northern border recruiting in British Columbia.

-The NHL Playoff action has been excellent so far. Many former Badgers have been putting points on the board so far. Monday night you can catch former Badgers Kyle Turris of Phoenix taking on Brian Rafalski and Detroit at 9:30 on Versus. The Coyotes are down 2-0 in the series. Turris has a goal in the series and Rafalski has 2.

-The Wisconsin high school seniors finished 1-2 at the Minnesota NIT over the weekend which was a bit of a disappointment after winning it last season. Ryan Dau (Hudson) led TW in scoring and tied for the tournament lead with 6 points in 3 games. He's visited Princeton and Holy Cross. Wisconsin recruit Brad Navin had 5 points (4 goals). UW forward Jefferson Dahl's brother Alex also had 5 points for Team Wisconsin. Potential UW recruit Eddie Wittchow from Burnsville who played for the Minnesota senior all-stars did not record a point on the weekend.

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McCabe Checks In From Germany

2011 Wisconsin defense recruit Jake McCabe from Eau Claire has agreed to do a correspondence piece with us while he is in Crimmitschau, Germany representing the United States for the 2011 IIHF U18 World Championships. Jake will be updating us as the red, white, and blue chase their third straight U18 World Championship gold medal.

The Americans are just starting to get rolling and are now 2-0 in early round play. Jake was kind enough to check in after the American squad played Slovakia yesterday. Jake picked up a third period assist on a goal by Ryan Haggerty, his first point of the tournament. Thanks again Jake.

Jake McCabe, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/16/2011

"Last night we had a much better effort in our 8-1 win over Slovakia. Our powerplay hasn't been producing lately but we had 6 PP goals last night and we need to continue to produce like that throughout the tournament with all the penalties that are called over here. We had the day off today and a lot of down time. We have the Russians tomorrow night which is a huge game for us. They're a whole new team since the last time we played them in February so it will be a great test for us. "

Team USA's Next Game: Sunday vs Russia 12:30 PM CST

Editors Note: Remember to check back often for updates from Jake. Also, FastHockey.com will be web casting all of Team USA's games while they are in Germany (for a small fee). Also, remember that McCabe isn't the only future Badger on the squad, 2012 forward recruit Nic Kerdiles is also on the roster.

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Team USA U18 World Championship Update

2011 Wisconsin defense recruit Jake McCabe from Eau Claire has agreed to do a correspondence piece with us while he is in Crimmitschau, Germany representing the United States for the 2011 IIHF U18 World Championships. Jake will be updating us as the red, white, and blue chase their third straight U18 World Championship gold medal.

The Americans just kicked off the tournament yesterday with their first real game after going 1-1 in pre-tournament exhibition play. Jake was kind enough to check in after the American squad played Switzerland in their opener yesterday. Thanks again Jake.

Editors note: Jake actually sent this in yesterday after their game, I apologize for not posting it sooner.

Jake McCabe, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/14/2011

"It wasn't pretty but we snuck by the Swiss with a 2-1 win tonight. We definitely had opening game jitters but we found a way to win. This whole year we've been told that the games here are going to be one goal hockey games and we need to find a way which we did tonight.

Once again we had way too many penalties and we weren't committed to our defensive play. When we showed up to the game and the Russians were playing the Slovaks the place was completely packed which was really cool to see. We didn't get quite the turn out they did but it's still good to see the popularity of hockey in Crimmitschau.

Tomorrow we play the Slovaks in the afternoon game and are looking to be much better. Coach is always preaching how the team that improves the most throughout the tournament is going to be the team to win it so that's our goal."

Team USA's Next Game: Friday vs Slovakia

Editors Note: Remember to check back often for updates from Jake. Also, FastHockey.com will be web casting all of Team USA's games while they are in Germany (for a small fee). Also, remember that McCabe isn't the only future Badger on the squad, 2012 forward recruit Nic Kerdiles is also on the roster.

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McCabe World Championship Update

2011 Wisconsin defense recruit Jake McCabe from Eau Claire has agreed to do a correspondence piece with us while he is in Crimmitschau, Germany representing the United States for the 2011 IIHF U18 World Championships. Jake will be updating us as the red, white, and blue chase their third straight U18 World Championship gold medal.

The Americans just wrapped up their pre-tournament exhibition portion of their schedule on Monday. Jake was kind enough to check in after the American squad played Finland in their final exhibition game. Thanks again Jake.

Jake McCabe, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/12/2011

"Well we finally got that W we needed with a 4-2 win over the Fins last night. We've played them a few times over the past two years and they had some different guys and definitely were the best they've been. They scored their 2nd goal with about a minute left with an extra attacker and we had our 4th with one second left in the game.

We definitely played better today than against Canada but still had way too many penalties. We have an off day today and are going to do some bowling and have dinner in town. Tomorrow we go back to work with practice and getting ready to open up the tournament on Thursday against the Swiss."

Team USA's Next Game: Thursday vs Switzerland 12:30 PM CST

Editors Note: Remember to check back often for updates from Jake. Also, FastHockey.com will be web casting all of Team USA's games while they are in Germany (for a small fee). Also, remember that McCabe isn't the only future Badger on the squad, 2012 forward recruit Nic Kerdiles is also on the roster.

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Jake McCabe checks in from Germany

2011 Wisconsin defensive recruit Jake McCabe has agreed to do a correspondence piece with us daily while he is in Germany for the IIHF U18 World Championships. Jake will be updating us as they go through the tournament when he gets some free time.

Right now the Americans are in the pre-tournament exhibition portion of their schedule. Jake was kind enough to check in after the American squad played Canada in their first exhibition game. Thanks again Jake.

Jake McCabe, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/09/2011

"Hey guys, we got all settled in to Crimmitschau around noon on Thursday and we've been really happy with the accommodations we've gotten. The hotel and food has probably been the best we've had in our 2 years with the program which will make the 2 and a half weeks much easier.

We had our first exhibition match up against Canada today and lost 2-1. It was in Dresden which is about an hour away from where we're staying. It was tied up 1-1 after two and they took the lead in the 3rd with a PP goal. We played good but had too many penalties which ended up costing us.

We have another exhibition game on Monday against the Fins who have given us tough games all year. This loss is our 5th in a row so that's a big game for us to go into the tournament with confidence."

Team USA's Next Game: Monday vs Finland 12:30 PM CST (Exhibition)

Editors Note: Remember to check back for daily updates from Jake. Also, FastHockey.com will be web casting all of Team USA's games while they are in Germany (for a small fee). Also, remember that McCabe isn't the only future Badger on the squad, 2012 forward recruit Nic Kerdiles is also on the roster.

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McCabe to blog for 60 Minutes in Germany

With great pleasure I'm pleased to announce that Wisconsin recruit Jake McCabe, who Wednesday afternoon was named to the United States Under 18 team that will participate in the U18 World Championships in Germany April 14-24th has agreed to blog for us while he's overseas.

McCabe will be giving us a brief daily update on how the team is doing, what they are doing, and some different insights that you can't get from simply following the box score from the IIHF website.

The 17 year old defenseman from Eau Claire, Wisconsin will be the third Badger recruit to blog for us while participating in the U18 World Championships. Two seasons ago, current Badger sophomore defenseman John Ramage gave us daily updates on their way to a gold medal in Fargo, North Dakota. Three seasons ago former recruit Nick Pryor did the same from Russia.

After a standout freshman season at Eau Claire Memorial high school, McCabe made the move to Ann Arbor to join the National Team Development Program. Currently a member of the U18 NTDP squad, McCabe has been a top defenseman for that club since returning from injury earlier in the season.

Over the past two years McCabe has been accelerating his studies to graduate high school in three years so he can join the Badgers next fall. Current Wisconsin freshman Michael Mersch, another graduate of the NTDP program in Ann Arbor did the same.

Team USA is expected to go overseas about a week before the tournament is set to begin so Jake may begin giving updates as soon as April 6th so continue to check here often for what's going on with the best under 18 players our great country has to offer.

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Kerdiles, McCabe Named To USA U-18 World Championship Roster

Wednesday afternoon USA Hockey released the official roster that will represent the United States for the 2011 U-18 World Championships that will take place in Germany April 14-24th.

A pair of future Badgers were selected to represent the red, white, and blue overseas as they look to win their third straight gold medal in the event.

Jake McCabe (pictured, far left), a 2011 Wisconsin defense recruit was no surprise to make the roster. McCabe, who has been accelerating his studies to graduate early and enroll at Madison in the fall has been a regular top 4 defenseman for the NTDP U-18 squad since returning from a back injury that kept him out the first month or two of the season. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin native has 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists) this season in 38 games for the NTDP this season.

Nicolas Kerdiles, a 2012 forward recruit was more of a surprise to make the roster. Kerdiles has spent the majority of this season playing with the NTDP U-17 squad where he has 27 points (17 goals, 10 assists) in 40 games. Kerdiles was promoted to the U-18 squad mid-season and continued to score with 8 points in 12 games. But the Irvine, California native was sent back down to the U-17 squad for the past month and his invite to the U-18 World Championships was up in the air. Kerdiles handled the demotion well and played well since returning to the U-17's, well enough to get invited to Germany.

Update: Here is what United States of Hockey writer Chris Peters had to say about Kerdiles being included on the roster-"Kerdiles is an interesting pick for this team. He actually got called up to the U18s in late January and earned a spot at the U18 Five Nations Cup and performed admirably. However, he was sent back to the U17s. Instead of pouting, all Kerdiles did was up his game. In his last four games with the U17s, he posted five points against USHL competition. Sure enough, he was called back for this tournament and will play as one of four under-agers on the U.S. roster. Kerdiles has great size and strength for a kid his age. His offensive talent is there and he can skate. His style of game lends itself well to the U.S. team."

Team USA will play two exhibition games in Dresden, Germany against Canada and Finland before starting the tournament on April 14th in Crimmitschau, Germany vs. Switzerland. All games will be streamed live by FastHockey.com for a fee.

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John Ramage Final Wrap Up From U18's

2009 Wisconsin defensive recruit John Ramage has agreed to do a little correspondence piece with us while he is in Fargo, ND for the IIHF U18 World Championships. John has been updating us as they go through the tournament when he gets some free time. Right now the Americans are on their way home after going 6-1 in the tournament. John was kind enough to check in after the American squad played Russia in the Gold Medal game. Thanks again John!

John Ramage, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/20/2009

We won the gold medal. We ended up beating the Russians 5-0. I think our team was confident going into the game because we knew what we had to do to be successful. We beat them earlier in the year at a 5 nations tournament. We came out with a bang and were all over them from the start. The crowd was awesome and really gave our team a lot of energy. We just got back to Ann Arbor and we are all pretty happy to get back after being gone for 2 1/2 weeks.-John Ramage

Ramage finished the tournament with 1 point, an assist to go along with 2 PIM and a plus/minus rating of +6.

Other scores from the tournament Sunday:
Finland 5, Canada 4

John Ramage Day 1

John Ramage Day 2
John Ramage Day 3
John Ramage Day 4
John Ramage Day 5
John Ramage Day 6
John Ramage Day 7

Photo by Melissa Wade (hockeyphotography.com)


Thanks again John!

Ramage, USA Win GOLD at U18 World's

Two years. One Dream. Whatever it takes.

That was the theme for Team USA this season. Besides training to move on to the next level, players at the NTDP have one common goal, win the U18 World Championship. This season, 2009 Badger recruit John Ramage and his teammates accomplished their goal last night when they defeated Russia in convincing 5-0 fashion to win the gold.

Haven't gotten a chance to talk with John since the win but I'm sure he and the rest of his USA teammates are getting some much needed rest after the biggest week of their lives.

Over the past week and a half, Team USA went 6-1 with their lone loss coming to Russia in pool play. John Ramage finished the tournament with 1 assist to go along with 2 penalty minutes and a plus/minus rating of +6.


Photo: Matthew Manor/IIHF-HHOF Images.

USA To Play Ruskies For GOLD Tonight

2009 Wisconsin defensive recruit John Ramage has agreed to do a little correspondence piece with us while he is in Fargo, ND for the IIHF U18 World Championships. John will be updating us as they go through the tournament when he gets some free time. Right now the Americans are 5-1 in the tournament. Late Friday night John was kind enough to check in after the American squad played in a semi final game against Canada. Thanks again John!

John Ramage, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/17/2009

We beat the Canadians tonight. It was a huge win for us the rink was sold out and it was an unbelievable atmosphere. The guys really battled hard and gave it their all to win this game. We were down 1-0 going into the third period and we really dug deep to get this victory. Sunday we play the Russians for the gold medal. This one means a lot to our team and its our turn to get a little revenge from earlier in the tournament.-John Ramage

In case you were wondering, so far in the tournament Ramage has 1 point, an assist to go along with 2 PIM and a plus/minus rating of +5.

Other scores from the tournament Friday:
Finland 0, Russia 4

Check back in for updates, especially on days after games. Thanks again John for doing this. GO USA!

Team USA's next game: Sunday, 7:00 PM vs Russia

John Ramage Day 1

John Ramage Day 2
John Ramage Day 3
John Ramage Day 4
John Ramage Day 5

Photo by Melissa Wade (hockeyphotography.com)

Update: The game tonight will be broadcast live on the internet for FREE by fasthockey.com at 7 PM

Ramage: USA To Face Canada In Semi-Finals Friday

2009 Wisconsin defensive recruit John Ramage has agreed to do a little correspondence piece with us while he is in Fargo, ND for the IIHF U18 World Championships. John will be updating us as they go through the tournament when he gets some free time. Right now the Americans are 4-1 in the tournament. Late last night John was kind enough to check in after the American squad played in a quarter final game against the Czech Republic. Thanks again John!

John Ramage, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/16/2009

We won our quarterfinal game against the Czech Republic tonight. The guys really came out and battled hard. We scored pretty early in the game and kept up the pressure all game. We ended up winning 6-2. Tomorrow we play the Canadians in the semi finals. This should be a huge test for our team but we are definitely ready for the challenge.-John Ramage

In case you were wondering, so far in the tournament Ramage has 1 point, an assist to go along with 2 PIM and a plus/minus rating of +5.

Other scores from the tournament Thursday:
Sweden 1, Russia 4
Canda and Finland, auto byes to the semi-finals

Semi Final match ups Friday:
Russia vs Finland, 4:00 PM
USA vs Canada, 7:30 PM

Check back in for updates, especially on days after games. Thanks again John for doing this. GO USA!

Team USA's next game: Friday, 7:30 PM vs Canada

John Ramage Day 1

John Ramage Day 2
John Ramage Day 3
John Ramage Day 4

Ramage: USA Against Finland in the Quarter Finals

2009 Wisconsin defensive recruit John Ramage has agreed to do a little correspondence piece with us while he is in Fargo, ND for the IIHF U18 World Championships. John will be updating us as they go through the tournament when he gets some free time. Right now the Americans are 3-1 in the tournament and just finished pool play. Late last night John was kind enough to check in after the American squad lost a hear breaker to Russia. Thanks again John!

John Ramage, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/15/2009

Tonight we played the Russians and lost 6-5. It was a really good game it was tied going into the third period. We got a power play goal to go up 4-3. After that the Russians scored 3 unanswered goals which was a killer. We battled back and scored with little under 2 minutes to go. We ended up finishing second in our pool behind the Fins. Tomorrow we have the day off and then play the Czechs the following day in the quarter finals. That game will be a big game for us cause the lost left a sour taste in our mouths.-John Ramage

In case you were wondering, so far in the tournament Ramage has 1 point, an assist to go along with 2 PIM and a plus/minus rating of +4.

Other scores from the tournament Tuesday:
Switzerland 8, Germany 3
Canada 4, Sweden 2
Slovakia 0, Finland 7
Quarter Final matchups Thursday:
Canada and Finland-Both received byes to the semi finals
Russia vs Sweden, 4:00 PM
USA vs Czech republic, 7:30 PM

Check back in for updates, especially on days after games. Thanks again John for doing this. GO USA!

Team USA's next game: Thursday, 7:30 PM vs Czech Republic

John Ramage Day 1

John Ramage Day 2
John Ramage Day 3

Also, in case anyone was wondering, Ramage has signed a LOI for 2009 so he will be on the roster in the fall. Welcome to Wisconsin John.

Ramage: Team USA Now 3-0, Take On Commies Tonight

2009/2010 Wisconsin defensive recruit John Ramage has agreed to do a little correspondence piece with us while he is in Fargo, ND for the IIHF U18 World Championships. John will be updating us as they go through the tournament when he gets some free time. Right now the Americans are 3-0 in the tournament. Late last night John was kind enough to check in after the American squad destroyed Slovakia. Thanks again John!

John Ramage, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/13/2009

We had another big win against the Slovaks tonight. We won 12-0. They were a really poor team. Tomorrow we have a huge game against the Russians. This game will decide who wins our pool. Hopefully we will come out like we did tonight and take it to the Russians.-John Ramage

In case you were wondering, so far in the tournament Ramage has 1 point, an assist to go along with 4 PIM and a plus/minus rating of +4.

Other scores from the tournament Monday:
Sweden 11, Switzerland 0
Czech Republic 3, Canada 4
Finland 10, Norway 1

Check back in for updates, especially on days after games. Thanks again John for doing this. GO USA!

Team USA's next game: Tuesday, 7:30 PM vs Russia (Beat those commie bastards)

John Ramage Day 1

John Ramage Day 2

John Ramage Checks In Again From Fargo

2009/2010 Wisconsin defensive recruit John Ramage has agreed to do a little correspondence piece with us while he is in Fargo, ND for the IIHF U18 World Championships. John will be updating us as they go through the tournament when he gets some free time. Right now the Americans are 2-0 in the tournament. Late last night John was kind enough to check in after the American squad played against Finland. Thanks again John!

John Ramage, Team USA U18, IIHF U18 World Championships 4/11/2009

Tonight we had a big win against the Fins. The final score was 4-3. The team came out flying again and by the end of the second period we were up 4-0. In the third our team did not play our best period but we battled hard to get the win. Tomorrow we have a relaxing day where we can recharge the batteries. On Mon. we are back at it against the Slovaks who are pretty skilled.-John Ramage

Other scores from the tournament.

Check back in for updates, especially on days after games. Thanks again John for doing this. GO USA!

Team USA's next game: Monday, 7:30 PM vs Slovakia