From the start, the United States came out on a tear. When halftime hit, the American squad led Israel 9-2 with a hat trick from Kevin Buchanan pacing the offense.
The second half told much of the same story. Buchanan would add another goal right at the start of the third quarter and finish with a game high five goals. At full time, Team USA would be wearing the bronze, defeated Israel 15-4. Casey Powell, who made his long awaited return to the Carrier Dome, managed one goal and four assists for Team USA. In the post game press conference, he mentioned it was awesome to be back playing at the dome in front of family and friends.
On the other side, Israel was paced by Kyle Bergman and Bryan Hopper, who each had a pair of goals. In the press conference, the team noted they were happy with how the tournament played out for them. They preached that they are hard at work trying to grow the sport in Israel, including trying to raise money for facilities within the country.
Overall, this was a lopsided game. However, I was impressed with how USA was able to finish strong in a tournament they struggled in. For Israel, I knew from the start they would be a dark horse. I was glad to see my prediction was correct and a fresh squad in their first year was able to work to great success.
Thanks/Credits:
wilc2015.com