The United States men’s national junior ice hockey team secured their place in the World Junior Championship final with a commanding 4-1 victory over Czechia on Saturday night. Cole Eiserman of Boston University broke a 2-1 tie late in the second period with a powerful one-timer, propelling the defending champions to victory. This win sets up a rematch against Finland, who edged out Sweden 4-3 in overtime in the first semifinal. The Americans will be aiming for their seventh World Junior Championship title and their first back-to-back championship win.
Boston College teammates Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault each contributed a goal and an assist to the American victory. Oliver Moore (Minnesota) also found the back of the net, while Trey Augustine (Michigan State) recorded 26 saves in goal. Coach David Darle praised his team’s performance, highlighting their growth and acknowledging the challenging opponent. “I’m proud of our guys,” Darle stated, “We played an excellent Czech team and it was a very difficult game. We continue to grow as a group and we’ll get set to face another great team in Finland tomorrow.” Perreault, a returning player from last season’s championship team, expressed the team’s determination: “It would mean everything. We definitely have the team to do it. We’ll be ready to go.” Jakub Stancl scored the lone goal for Czechia, with Michael Hrabal making 21 saves.
Finland’s path to the final was a hard-fought overtime battle against Sweden. Benjamin Rautiainen’s power-play goal at 9:22 of overtime proved to be the game-winner, a skillful shot from a sharp angle that surprised the Swedish goalie, Melker Thelin. Finnish coach Lauri Mikkola praised Rautiainen’s talent, noting the unexpected nature of the winning shot. Petteri Rimpinen’s 43 saves were crucial to Finland’s victory, while Emil Hemming (goal and assist), Jesse Kiiskinen, and Arttu Alasiurua also scored for Finland. Sweden’s goals came from Otto Stenberg (two goals) and Wilhelm Hallquisth, with Thelin making 31 saves. The stage is now set for a thrilling final between the United States and Finland on Sunday night.