KEARNEY, Neb. – Tri-City Storm forward Austin Poganski and Team USA defeated Russia 4-1 to earn a gold medal in the World Junior A Challenge on Sunday in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

It is the fifth gold medal in the last six years for USA, a team that consists entirely of United States Hockey League talent.

This year’s squad, made up of 22 USHL players, had a perfect 4-0-0 record and outscored their opponents 23-10 en route to the championship.

Poganski was in the lineup during all four wins, and recorded an assist in the final game on a goal by Andrew Oglevie, who plays for Cedar Rapids.

The St. Cloud, Minn. native missed four Storm contests while he was in Canada, but he will rejoin the team this week and is expected to be in the lineup when Tri-City travels for games in Dubuque and Sioux Falls this weekend.

The Storm will take on the Fighting Saints on Friday at the Mystique Community Ice Center at 7:30 p.m. before facing the Stampede at Sioux Falls Arena on Saturday at 7:05.

Both games can be heard on The Breeze 94.5 FM, the official Storm Radio Network.

This is the first of two consecutive road weekends for Tri-City, who will return home for a weekend series with the Omaha Lancers at the Viaero Event Center on Nov. 29-30.