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STOPs & STARTS BONUS DIGITAL CONTENT USA Hockey News & UPDATES Sign Of The Times U.S. Teams��� Sweep Of International Events Bodes Well For The Future It wasn���t that long ago that U.S. National Teams entered the international arena just hoping to be competitive. How times have changed. For the first time, a quartet of U.S. squads entered international tournaments and each came home with the championship hardware. The U.S. National Under-18 Team and U-17 Teams, part of the National Team Development Program, and the Women���s National Team each won their respective Four Nations Tournament crowns, while the U.S. Junior Select Team captured the World Junior A Challenge title. On three previous occasions USA Hockey teams won November tournaments, but this is the first time U.S. teams accomplished the clean sweep. ���The days of the U.S. just showing U.S. National U-17 Team John Hayden swoops in on the Swiss goal during competition at the Four Nations Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich. up at a championship to compete are gone,��� said Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of Hockey Operations. ���It continues to show the depth not only that we have across the country at a wide variety of levels, but also show the player development that���s taking place in different leagues and different places.��� The U.S. National Under-17 Team outscored the opposition 17 to 7, including a 6-1 victory over host Switzerland to claim the 2012 U-17 Four Nations Tournament in Monthey, Switzerland. Anders Bjork netted a hat trick and Sonny Milano added two goals and an assist in the title game, which was more than enough for goaltender Edwin Minney, who finished 2-1-0 with a 2.88 GAA and .887 save percentage. In summing up the victory, U.S. coach Danton Cole spoke for all the U.S. teams that look to keep moving forward through the rest of the season. ���It was a successful tournament for the guys, and we���ll look to carry this momentum with us moving forward,��� Cole said. U.S. Women���s National Team CLICK PLAY to see postgame interviews from the 2012 Four Nations Cup Final. Final Score: USA 3, Canada 0 I n the tit-for-tat world of women���s hockey, there are few certainties. One is that the United States will meet up with their Canadian rivals when the gold medal is on the line. Another is that whatever happened the last time the two teams played will have no bearing the next time they drop the puck. After finding themselves on the losing end of a 3-1 preliminary round game, the U.S. righted the ship and shut out the Canadians, 3-0 to capture its fifth Four Nations Cup. Hilary Knight led the way with six goals, and Jessie Vetter surrendered one goal on 36 shots in two starts. ���I���m very happy as to how our team came together this week,��� U.S. head coach Katey Stone said. ���We played tough, we played smart, we made some adjustments, we had great goaltending, and we played strong [defensively].��� 08 January. 2013 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM Photos courtesy of Jonathan Knight (2); Matt Murnaghan; Special to USA Hockey