On Saturday, one of the World Junior Hockey Championship’s semifinal matches will pit the US against Czechia.
Both games will take place at the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa, Ontario, with Sweden playing Finland at 3:30 p.m. ET and the United States playing Czechia at 7:30.
Sunday is the date of the final.
The NHL Network broadcasts Saturday games, and you can watch them live on ESPN+, Fubo TV (add-on, free trial), Sling TV (add-on, free trial), and DirecTV Stream (add-on, free trial, and discount).
After losing 4-3 in overtime to Finland in its third preliminary-round match on Dec. 29, the United States has now outscored Canada and Switzerland by a combined 11-3. For the first time in their history, the Americans are aiming for their second consecutive tournament crown and seventh overall after securing a semifinal berth for the eighth time in ten years.
According to nhl.com, the United States is hitting at a 33.3 power-play efficiency (7-for-21) and a 78.9 penalty-killing effectiveness (15-for-19), yet they are tied for the tournament lead with 29 goals each.
Boston College teammates James Hagens and Ryan Leonard each scored twice in Thursday’s 7-2 victory over Switzerland. Other goals came from Brandon Svoboda of Boston University, Danny Nelson of Notre Dame, and Zeev Buium of Denver. Gabe Perreault of Boston College recorded three assists, while Hampton Slukynsky of Western Michigan recorded seventeen saves.
Second from the right, Ryan Leonard of the United States celebrates with teammates Drew Fortescue (5), Carey Terrance (10) and Oliver Moore (11) following his empty-net goal against Canada during the third period of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, in Ottawa, Ontario. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick via AP)AP
After the game, Denver’s U.S. coach David Carle stated, “I felt we were ready to play overall and did what we needed to do against a good opponent in Switzerland.” We will now prepare for the semifinals and anticipate the struggle that lies ahead.
The top line of Leonard (Washington Capitals; four goals, six points), center Hagens (2025 draft eligible; four goals, eight points), and right-wing Perreault (New York Rangers; two goals, seven points) has scored 21 points for the United States, which features goals from 12 different players.
World Junior Hockey Championship, Game 1
Second Game
Hagens and Capitals defenseman Cole Hutson share the team lead with eight points (two goals, six assists).
After helping the United States win a gold medal the previous year, Augustine (Detroit Red Wings) is anticipated to start in goal.
During the first period of a quarterfinal game at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Ottawa, Ontario, on Thursday, January 2, 2025, USA forward Danny Nelson (17) celebrates his goal while Switzerland forward Kimo Gruber (12) skates by. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick via AP)AP
According to Hagens, it’s simply realizing that we’re in a win-or-go-home scenario. You want to leave this event without any regrets, so you’re making sure to give it your all. Our shared objective is to win gold. We’re all going to prepare for the big game on Saturday. I can’t wait to see what happens, and I’m incredibly eager.
Adam Jecho of the St. Louis Blues scored a power-play goal with 39.4 seconds left in the third period to give Czechia a 4-3 victory and eliminate Canada in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.
The Czechs, who took home silver in 2023 and bronze in 2024, will now aim for a third consecutive World Juniors medal.
They are led offensively by Petr Sikora (Washington Capitals; four goals, three assists) and captain Eduard Sale (Seattle Kraken; five goals, two assists) with seven points each, and Jakub Stancl (St. Louis Blues; five goals, three assists) and Vojtech Hradec (Utah Hockey Club; four goals, four assists) with eight points each.
Goalie Michael Hrabal (Utah) has won three of four games with a 2.52 GAA and.920 save percentage, while defenseman Jakub Fibigr (Kraken) has five assists.
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