The undefeated Americans faced Finland on Thursday afternoon for a spot in the gold medal spot at the World Junior Championships.
Team USA is firing on all cylinders and their depth is their biggest strength. Finland was really good, but the difference in skill between the two countries was significant. But don’t let that fool you. There is a reason why Finns are in this position.
Trey Augustine was an American stallion, but that didn’t help Jacob Fowler. But at the end of the day, America only needs one more win from him to win the gold medal. Finland will come flying at us, and America will have to overcome that and play the game.
Here are my 24 thoughts on the USA vs. Finland semifinal game.
Within two minutes, Finland had extended their lead to 1-0. Sam Lindsell committed a nasty turnover inches from the front of the goal. Tomi Manisto grabbed the puck and forced Trey Augustin to take a shot, and Oiva Keskinen pounced on the rebound and made no mistake.
Lane Hutson was really on track to start the game, his edges looked a little stronger and his passes were very crisp. So far, there hasn’t been an offensive outburst by his standards. I expect him to hit his stride quickly, the Americans know what kind of talent he has.
Despite being down 9-5, Finland maintained a 1-0 lead as the game approached the midway point. Niklas Kokko has been reported, but the Americans have not yet solved him. Perhaps one of the six players in the Boston College Eagles lineup can crack the score sheet.
Gord Miller said it best: The Finns are used to slowing down the pace of the game, so playing with a lead doesn’t make them uncomfortable. They play very consistently and rarely make mental mistakes. They will continue to come, but they will not sacrifice defense for offensive opportunities.
The Finns took advantage of the large number of bodies in Augustin’s sight and fired a point shot between the wickets. 2-0 Finland and the Americans’ skill did not scare them at all. Rasmus Kumplainen scored his second goal of the period, assisted by Sam Bou and Artu Karki.
Down 2-0 with just over five minutes left, the Finns find themselves in a somewhat surprising position. America has been playing this way for most of that period. But the U.S. is without its two most eligible players, Joakim Kemmel and Aaron Kibiharju.
Hutson danced at the blue line, pushing back Finnish defenders and going for a screen. He also made some great passes, but the Finnish defense kept second chances away from the American. It’s a very strong period for Finland and they should be very proud of their efforts.
1:09 left, still 2-0. There’s a good chance America will go into the break with a two-point lead. It’s not a terrible time to keep track of points, but the Americans are certainly slipping away with momentum. Finn is comfortably in the driver’s seat, pushing hard for his third goal of the period with 20 seconds left.
The first period in Finland was all business and frankly the Americans are shocked at what has unfolded. I have to believe that everyone watching is in some state of shock. I hope the Americans will make a big push after the break.
The feeling is pretty intense for Americans because they’re smelling the salt and the American players are making weird faces. It was all business, with Team USA controlling much of the play and having several scoring chances. Rutger McGroarty tried to score an early penalty, but the referee disallowed it.
Ryan Leonard and Will Smith had one-time chances, but Smith narrowly missed the puck. It was the Americans’ best chance of the game so far. It’s a battle of inches, so expect their first score to be squeaky clean.
Not that I’m biased, but every time Hutson jumps over the boards, he’s making an aggressive puck play. His pursuit of offense never ceased, and he came close to rushing three out of four times. If the U.S. can catch up, Hutson will be a big reason for the turnaround.
The USA leads Finland 6-0 in shots made during the first seven minutes of the second frame. Without Kokko, the Finns might have been one or two goals down instead of still having a two-goal lead. America is also flying, and I feel like America’s goal is just around the corner.
If the frustration hasn’t set in yet, it’s for one of two reasons: The American head coach is very good at communicating with his players. Or maybe America knows something we don’t. In any case, despite Finland being behind for the first 10 minutes, Kokko still had a point.
After dominating most of the period, Jere Lasila headed to the box with 8:33 remaining. On Jimmy Snageld’s way to the net, he tripped in the offensive zone, giving the Americans a golden opportunity to score. Snuggerud flew the puck past Kokko and checked for tears in the mesh. 2-1
With seven minutes remaining, the United States took the lead and had some momentum toward a goal. A big finish could set the stage for a big third period. Gabe Perreault gave a great feed to Will Smith, who got behind the defense and made no mistake. 2-2 game with 3 minutes and 42 seconds left.
Again, I like to balance 8 thoughts per period, but I ran out of slots before the second period ended. In the final two minutes, the Americans mounted their third onslaught of the game. Fortunately, no goals were scored, but the game remained tied at 2-2.
The first two minutes of the period were very back-and-forth, with both clubs exchanging chances. The score remained at 2 points. 2024 draft prospect Konsta Helenius made a great pass to Kaskimäki for the net, which hooked in perfectly to generate the man advantage.
Quinn Finley had a great shorthanded shot, but it hit the post. He then fed Ryan Chesley from the right faceoff circle for another chance. However, Kokko made an easy save with a square. The Finns also failed to register a shot on goal during the power play.
Kokko almost gave the USA the lead after making a good save from Ze’ev Bouium. Finland got away with a few phone calls, but they didn’t yield results and wouldn’t last long. If it gets reduced to nine minutes, the next penalty could be a big one.
It was a battle of goaltenders, but there were no highlight-reel saves. However, this doesn’t accurately tell the real story of the game. Because each save was very important. It was a tense match from the first whistle.
Despite shooting 26-16, it was a very even game. Both teams will be able to stake a claim for a spot in the gold medal match. Finland had a tough start to this tournament, but they came at a good time.
Kasper Kuronunmi went to the sin bin for hooks, but there may have been a few more during this period. Snageld is already doing some crazy things in the game. Cutter Gauthier took a little off pass and fired home a pass from Hutson. 3-2 with 3:13 left in the period.
Perrault took the penalty with a hook, giving Finland a golden chance. Thanks to Augustine, Americans defeated it. Team USA’s player for this game was Cutter Gauthier and the Finnish team’s player was Niklas Kokko.