At a Glance
- Sweden defeats the U.S. 6-3 in the World Junior, with Lucas Pettersson and Eddie Genborg each scoring twice.
- Casper Juustovaara opened the scoring on a deflection, and Sweden led 5-1 in the second period.
- Love Harenstam made 28 saves to help the Swedes finish group play unbeaten.
- Why it matters: Sweden’s victory keeps them unbeaten heading into quarterfinals, setting up a matchup against Latvia.
Sweden overcame the United States in a high-scoring game that finished the Group A final of the World Junior Hockey Championship. With a 6-3 win, the Swedes remain undefeated in group play and move on to face Latvia in the quarterfinals.
Sweden’s Dominant Victory
The Swedes opened the scoring in the first period when Casper Juustovaara netted a goal on a deflection. They extended the lead to 5-1 in the second period, and Ivar Stenberg added a third-period goal to seal the 6-3 win. Love Harenstam stopped 28 shots to preserve the victory.
- Lucas Pettersson – 2 goals
- Eddie Genborg – 2 goals
- Casper Juustovaara – 1 goal
- Love Harenstam – 28 saves
Milton Gastrin said:
> “We knew it would be hard game. They were better at the start, but we kept it together and took over a bit in the second and scored some goals. We played like a team the whole way, and I think we did that better than they did, which is probably why we won.”
USA’s First Loss
The Americans fell 6-3, their first defeat in four games. Chase Reid, Will Zellers and Teddy Stiga each scored, while Brady Knowling stopped 23 shots before handing the net to Nick Kempf.
Chase Reid said:
> “They’re a pretty good team and we didn’t play our best. We’ll see them again, and we’ll get them back. I feel like we can play the same way, but we didn’t bring our best game tonight. We took a lot of undisciplined penalties that we didn’t need to take, but it’s a learning lesson and we’ll come back stronger.”
Upcoming Matchups
In the quarterfinals, Sweden will face Latvia, while the United States will play Finland. Canada will meet Slovakia, and Czechia will take on Switzerland.
- Sweden vs Latvia
- United States vs Finland
- Canada vs Slovakia
- Czechia vs Switzerland
Other Group Highlights
Switzerland edged Slovakia 3-2 to finish third in Group A. Czechia topped Latvia 4-2 in Group B, its third straight win after an opening loss to Canada. In the late game at the University of Minnesota, Cole Beaudoin had two goals and an assist for Canada, and Zayne Parekh added a goal and two assists.
Cole Beaudoin said:
> “You watch this tournament, and you watch this game specifically on New Year’s Eve with your family, so means a lot.”
Key Takeaways
- Sweden stays unbeaten with a 6-3 win over the U.S.
- The U.S. suffers its first loss, dropping to second place.
- Sweden will play Latvia in the quarterfinals; the U.S. will face Finland.
With the Swedes now undefeated, the focus turns to the quarterfinals, where every team will look to capitalize on their momentum.
