BILOXI, Miss. � Team USA has captured the gold medal at the Junior World Inline Hockey Championships by defeating Team Canada 6-2 in the final for 19 and under players.
Mississippi Sea Wolves Director of Player Development Chuck Thuss was assistant coach of the team, responsible for goaltending. The tournament featured 18 nations in Detroit, Michigan.
Team USA won all seven of its games, outscoring the opposition by a total of 112 to 9.
The scores involving Team USA were as follows:
USA � 26 Israel � 0
USA � 20 Great Britain � 1
USA � 23 Mexico � 1
USA � 14 Brazil � 1
USA � 7 Canada � 4
Semifinal; USA � 16 Brazil � 0
Final; USA � 6 Canada � 2
�It was really an exciting and thrilling experience,� said Thuss. �There is a lot of pride involved when you represent the entire country and I would definitely love to do it again.�
Thuss, 31, remains with the Sea Wolves as Director of Player Development and will be entering his third season in that capacity. The former goaltender played professional ice hockey for seven years, including four seasons with Mississippi. During the 1998-99 campaign, Thuss won the Fan Favorite Award and was a member of the Sea Wolves ECHL Kelly Cup Championship team.
Prior to the championships, Team USA practiced at the Harrison County Skate Park in Gulfport, Mississippi last month.
The Sea Wolves begin their eighth season as a member of the ECHL on October 17 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum against archrival Louisiana.
Season tickets remain on sale and sponsorship packages are available by calling 228-275-WOLF (9653).
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