At a Glance
- Czechia defeats Canada 6-4, advances to face Sweden.
- Sweden beats Finland 4-3 in shootout, sets up all-European final.
- First all-European world junior final since 2016.
Why it matters: The outcome determines the European champion and sets the stage for a historic final.
In a thrilling weekend of world junior hockey, Czechia edged Canada 6-4 to secure a spot in the first all-European final since 2016, while Sweden overcame Finland 4-3 in a shootout to claim the other finalist berth.
Czechia vs Canada
The Czech team dominated the final period, with Tomas Poletin scoring on a deflection off his skate with 1:14 left. Poletin added a second goal 1:27 after Porter Martone tied the game for 20-time champion Canada. Czech goaltender Michal Orsulak made 20 saves.
- Poletin (2)
- Vojtech Cihar (2)
- Maxmilian Curran, Adam Titlbach, Adam Benak (1 each)
- Jack Ivankovic stopped 31 shots
**Vaclav Nestrasil said:
> “Obviously we wanted this win, because you heard them in the media…”
Gavin McKenna added:
> “Letting your country down sucks.”
Patrik Augusta commented:
> “We were a little more hungry…”
Dale Hunter said:
> “They’re down…”
Michael Hage said:
> “I had an empty net…”
Sweden vs Finland
Sweden’s Anton Frondell scored the decisive shootout goal, giving the Swedes a 4-3 victory over Finland. Frondell fired a wrist shot through Petteri Rimpinen’s pads after two failed attempts. The Swedish team also recorded three regulation goals from Linus Eriksson, Ivar Stenberg and Eddie Genborg. Finland’s goaltender Rimpinen made 29 saves.
- Frondell (shootout)
- Eriksson, Stenberg, Genborg (1 each)
- Love Harenstam stopped 33 shots
Anton Frondell** said:
> “I blacked out…”
Key Takeaways
- Czechia will face Sweden in the first all-European final since 2016.
- Sweden earned its spot by defeating Finland in a shootout.
- Both teams aim for their third world junior title.
As the world junior stage prepares for the final, fans can expect a showdown that could crown a new European champion and revive the continent’s dominance in the sport.
