The U.S. team will play its first game in the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships against France at 4:15 p.m. Friday in Helsinki, Finland. The NBC Sports Network will televise the game live.

The only NHL player on the French roster is forward Stephane Da Costa of the Ottawa Senators.

The Americans beat Sweden, co-host of the 16-team tournament, 3-2 on Tuesday before 7,519 in Gavle, Sweden in an exhibition game.

Former Gopher Kyle Okposo scored the winning goal and had one assist. His rebound goal in the middle of the second period made it 3-0 U.S. Johan Larsson, a Wild prospect, had one of Sweden's two goals later in the second period.

All the team rosters are here.

* The Penticton Vees, with a roster which includes eight Minnesotans, will open play in the RBC Cup in Humboldt, Saskatchewan on Saturday. It's a five-team tournament that will determine the national Junior A champion out of 133 teams. A team from the British Columbia Hockey League, which the Vees won this season in runaway fashion, has won this tournament 11 times in 28 years and the Vees are the favorites. For a story on the Vees from the Merritt Herald, click here.

* Defenseman Ryan Collins of Class 2A state champion Benilde-St. Margaret's has decided to play for the under-17 U.s. natiional team based in Ann Arbor, Mich. Collins, of Bloomington, had one goal and four assists for the Red Knights in 29 games and was a plus-11. He joins BSM teammate Jack Glover, also a defenseman, on the under-17 team. Glover committed earlier.

The Gophers have shown interest in Glover.

Collins is 6-3, 175 and was a sophomore last season. Glover is a 6-2, 170 sophomore.

* Three players fro\m Minnesota-based teams were named to the NAHL's all-Central Division team. They are forward Charlie Adams and defenseman Christian Folin of the Austin Bruins and goalie Jacob Meyers of the Alexandria Blizzard.