There are only four teams left in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, with the United States and Finland looking to clinch a ticket to the gold medal game in Gothenburg on Thursday. Team USA entered the game as the favorite to advance to the championship game thanks to his average of 7.2 goals per game, and he came back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2.
Related: 2024 World Junior Championship Guide
Here we look at the takeaways from the game by period.
The Finnish team includes the American team in the first period.
A turnover led to the goal, and U.S. national team goalie Trey Augustin took a narrow shot, but the shot hit the post and was pushed in by center Oiva Keskinen just 1:51 into the game. The Finnish team was tenacious throughout the tournament and had the ability to capitalize on loose pucks and opportunities presented to them, often converting them into chances.
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Finland consistently tried to keep Team USA on the outside and along the boards, giving nothing to their opponents in the middle of the ice. Both teams traded scoring opportunities and extended pressure in the offensive zone. Finland’s ability to prevent the United States from creating offensive momentum was evident throughout the first 20 minutes of the game.
Finland grabbed their second goal of the game after their teams set up a double screen in front of the net and Artu Kalki took a difficult shot from the goal line, but Rasmus Kumplainen deflected it and it slipped through Augustin’s legs. . So far, Team USA has faced little adversity in this tournament and looked a little more relaxed, while Team Finland is hungry and ready to fight for the gold medal. Ta.
Team USA stands tall in second period
After trailing by less than five minutes the entire tournament, Team USA advanced into the center slot to take advantage of an offensive opportunity. They started the first half with five shots on Finnish netminder Niklas Kokko in the first five minutes. Although he couldn’t find the twine, he found a rhythm and groove, creating odd man rushes and early scoring opportunities. Despite scoring chances, Cocco made save after save to keep his team in the match.
USA forward Jimmy Snageld, a 2022 first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, converted the first penalty of the game on a trip call against Leni Hameyenaho. It took the U.S. less than a minute to find the twine on the man advantage when Snagerd fired a laser shot. Defeat Kokkobar in the team’s 10th shot of the period. Four minutes later, as the Americans kept up the pressure, Will Smith scored the tying goal off a feed from Gabe Perreault’s wide-open backdoor.
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The Finnish team was at a disadvantage from start to finish, with only three shots on goal. The dignity and confidence they built in the first period seemed to disappear from the moment the puck dropped in the second. The chance to put the puck on the net was blocked by the opponent, and the scoring chance was destroyed before it could develop.
Team USA advances to gold medal match with third-period power play game winner
The Finnish team had several big chances early in the third period as they tried to regain the lead. The Finns made Augustin’s first Grade A save since midway through the first period, but the calm netminder stopped the puck.
Finland then got its first power-play opportunity with a strong call on defenseman Ze’ev Bouium. The defender was clearly unhappy with the decision to fight back after being hit in the face with a stick in the corner, but no decision was given. The U.S. team limited Finland’s chances, but they converted two scoring chances of their own while shorthanded. Until the first half of the third, both goalkeepers continued to ensure that the match remained tied at two points each.
There were several controversial no-calls after that, at least two high sticks that Finland avoided and one typical interference play that could have been called against the United States. However, it was his very questionable hooking call on Kasper’s Kuronunmi that gave Team USA their second power play opportunity of the game. With 13 seconds left on the man advantage, Cutter Gauthier made a right faceoff dot to give his team the go-ahead goal with 3:13 remaining.
Less than a minute later, Team USA committed a hooking penalty, giving Finland a late power play and a 6-on-4 situation after pulling Kokko in favor of an additional attacker. Finland was unable to convert many chances as the Americans continued to clog the scoring lanes while Augustin blocked every chance. The USA stopped all of Finland’s final matches, and the final buzzer sounded with the final score 3-2 in favor of the American team.
Hosts Sweden will play in the gold medal match for the first time since 2018 after defeating the Czech Republic 5-2 earlier in the day. The bronze medal match is scheduled for 9 a.m. ET and the gold medal match is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET.