By Michael Blasco, The Observer -While most of the Irish were home with family over winter break, one player was skating in the biggest game of his life.

Notre Dame wing Kyle Palmieri was a key member of the U.S. World Junior team’s magical run to the gold in Saskatchewan, defeating Team Canada in a dramatic 6-5 overtime championship game on Jan. 5. The freshman was one of 11 Division I players on the team and the 13th Irish player in team history to be selected to the U.S. World Junior team.

Irish coach Jeff Jackson, who guided the 1997 U.S. World Junior team to a silver medal, expressed his joy for Palmieri’s success.

“It’s a great thrill for all of us to know he was part of a good medal team,” Jackson said. “What a great thrill for the rest of your life. You can win a championship, but when you win one for your country, you know the meaning behind it. It’s the ultimate team.”

The tournament marked Palmieri’s second opportunity to wear the red, white and blue after being a member of the U.S. National Under-18 team prior to coming to Notre Dame.

“It was such a honor to play, and it was incredible to put the U.S. jersey on again,” Palmieri said. “It’s definitely up there as one of the top moments in my life. I was proud to represent my country and, obviously, to win a gold medal for us.”

In seven games for the U.S. team, Palmieri finished third on the team in points with eight assists and a goal as the U.S. rolled to a 6-1-0 record. The team’s only blemish was a loss in the preliminaries against Canada on New Year’s Eve.

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