Cutter Gauthier was the hero as the United States defeated Finland 3-2 in the world junior semifinals Thursday to advance to the gold medal match.
This victory sparked a championship battle between the United States and Sweden. The tournament organizers defeated the Czech Republic in the first semi-final to book their place in the final.
After the game, Gauthier, who scored the winning goal, was already looking forward to being on the ice against Sweden.
“Yeah, they’re our rivals,” Gauthier said. “We lost to those players at the U-18 World Championship two years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. They stripped the gold medal from our necks. I will prepare myself and give them everything I have.”
On a power play with just over three minutes left in the third period, Gauthier broke the deadlock for Finland when forward Kasper Kronunmi hooked inside the box.
Jimmy Snageld and Will Smith also scored for the United States.
Trey Augustin stopped 18 of 20 shots for the win, but Niklas Kokko made 27 saves in the loss.
Augustin found the back of the net in the U-18 World Championship loss to Sweden in 2022, and said he was looking forward to revenge in the final.
“You remember the disappointment of never having a game like that again,” Augustin said. “Honestly, this is one of the biggest regrets of my life, so I see it as an opportunity to make amends.”
Finland lost goals to forwards Oiva Keskinen and Rasmus Kumplainen in the loss.