University of Minnesota Athletics
Johnson Coaches U.S. U-18 to IIHF Gold
1/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
By Tyson Peters, Gopher Athletic Communications Student Intern
MINNEAPOLIS - Gopher women's hockey associate head coach Joel Johnson led the U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team to a gold medal as their head coach at the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women's World Championship.
The U.S. defeated Canada in the gold-medal game in overtime, 3-2. It was the U.S.'s second meeting with Canada in the tournament, after picking up a 2-1 shootout win in the first meeting.
"It's just a privilege to be a part of this group. The players deserve all the credit, as does the support staff and everyone that makes this kind of moment possible," Johnson told USA Hockey. "Having the opportunity to represent USA Hockey is like nothing else, and I know our coaching staff and our players can't be more excited to get a gold medal to hang around our necks. It was a great game, a great tournament, a world class display of women's hockey at the U18 level, and something all of us will take with us for the rest of our lives."
Johnson's U.S. squad also played the Czech Republic twice and Russia once in the tournament. The U.S. outscored their opponents, 20-4, during the five-game championship run. In the two games against the Czech Republic, the U.S. won with scores of 3-0 and 5-0. The U.S. also defeated Russia, 7-1.
Two future Gophers represented their countries as Sarah Potomak (Aldergrove, B.C.) skated for Canada and Sophie Skarzynski (Lake Forest, Ill.) skated for the United States. Potomak shined for Canada throughout the entire tournament as she scored five goals with four assists. Two of her goals and two of her assists came in a 7-1 victory over Czech Republic.
The U.S. gold-medal victory over Canada proved big for Johnson after this U-18 team went 1-2 against Canada in a three-game series this past August. Under Johnson, the U.S. went undefeated throughout the tournament. This is Johnson's first time as a head coach in the IIHF Under-18 World Championship. He is in his 10th season as a member of the Golden Gophers coaching staff.
###
