PLYMOUTH, Michigan – On his first shift of the USA Hockey All-America Game, Team Blue’s Will Skahan delivered a big, clean, check on Team White’s James Hagens behind the net. 

It was a rare opportunity for Skahan to actually hit Hagens at game speed. 

Skahan and Hagens are teammates on the United States National Team Development Program Under-18 team. Next season they’ll be teammates at Boston College. 

They have and will continue to practice against each other, but no one is blowing someone up with a big hit at an NTDP practice.

“It’s different, because in practice you play the game, but it’s still practice with your friends and teammates,” Skahan said. “In a game, it becomes different, they aren’t your friends out there, they are on the other team. It’s like they are an opponent on any other