The United States came from behind to defeat Finland 3-2 in the final semifinal game, earning a spot in Friday’s gold medal game.
The United States will play Sweden in the title game at 1:30 p.m. ET. It will be the first time the Americans have reached the finals since 2021, and Finland will be aiming for bronze for the first time since the same event in Edmonton.
The Americans held the shot advantage for much of the first period, but the Finns showed strength heading into the first break. At 1:51, Tomi Manisto stole the puck from Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Sam Lindsell and hit the post, but Columbus’ Oiva Keskinen scored on the rebound.
At 12:45, Rasmus Kumplainen, who had missed the previous three games, scored his first goal of the tournament. Artu Karki took a shot from the point, and Kumplainen slipped in to convert the shot to make it 2-0. This was the first time the American team led by two points throughout the tournament.
The second season was all in America. They outscored Finland 14-3, scoring two goals in four minutes to tie the score. First, Jimmy Snageld scored on a power play to cut the lead in half. Then, at 36:16, Will Smith capitalized on a feed from his good buddy Gabe Perreault and beat Niklas Kokko to make it 2-2.
The game remained close, with the teams looking for quality chances. However, at 56 minutes and 47 seconds into the power play, Cutter Gauthier took a shot off a pass from Lane Hutson to make it 3-2, securing a comeback and giving the Americans the victory.
united states of america
#6 Will Smith, C (San Jose Sharks): Smith is one of the hardest-working players in America, and his 2-2 goals are the result of great work in the offensive zone. He chased the Finns down, forcing turnovers, and eventually Smith scored on a feed from Gabe Perreault. The Americans needed their top six to convert when they were behind, but Smith came up big after setting up Snagerd’s 1-0 goal.
#81 jimmy snaggard, RW (St. Louis Blues): As for Snagerd, it was good to score his first goal since his hat-trick against Switzerland a week ago. His power-play goal was one of the hardest shots we’ve seen this tournament, blasting wide past Kokko and giving the Americans some relief.
#26 Seamus Casey, D (New Jersey Devils): I thought Casey was America’s best all-around defenseman today. Rather than take the shot himself, he led Snagerd to a 2-1 goal, which was a wise decision. He fired an aggressive stick in his own zone and almost grabbed his own goal in the second.
#1 Trey Augustin, G (Detroit Red Wings): It was good that Augustin was able to get into the game early. Because that might turn out to be ugly. He still allowed two goals on his first six shots, but had to deal with a number of early five chances, but he didn’t back down. Augustin has played great hockey in limited starts this tournament, so it was good to see him solidify things after Kumplainen’s tip. He was great for the rest of the game, especially his big toe save with a minute left.
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#34 Tomi Manisto, LW (undrafted): Consider this my daily plea to “Please draft this player.” Manitso swings the net and changes things. The Michigan State forward assisted on the first goal of the game, stealing the puck from Sam Lindsell and finding the back of the net before Oiva Keskinen scored. Manisto is a hard worker with boundless energy, and this tournament was a perfect demonstration of that.
#19 Konsta Helenius, C (2024 NHL Draft): Helenius is one of Finland’s best play drivers, forcing the Americans to make quick decisions while having a nose for the net. He is a great playmaker who can use his speed and strength to win fights. Helenius had a slow start to the tournament, but bounced back in the second half and played arguably his best hockey.
#30 Niklas Kokko, G (Seattle Kraken): Kokko was the main reason this game was so close. He didn’t give the Americans much in terms of the quality of his rebounds, he moved well, he was calm, he was focused, considering how good the Americans were.