During the first period of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship quarterfinals in Ottawa on Thursday, January 2, 2025, Latvia's forward Davis Livsics (7) lost control of the puck under heavy pressure from Sweden's defenseman Theo Lindstein (9), forward Felix Nilsson (17), and defenseman Tom Willander (24). (Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby)
The United States delivered an impressive performance on Thursday, cruising to a 7-2 victory over Switzerland to secure their spot in the semifinals of the World Junior Hockey Championship. James Hagens and Ryan Leonard led the charge, each scoring twice for the defending champions. Contributions also came from Brandon Svoboda, Danny Nelson, and Zeev Buium, who each found the back of the net. Gabe Perreault showcased his playmaking skills, assisting on three goals during the game.
The U.S. entered the playoffs as Group A’s top seed, having racked up 10 points from three regulation wins and an overtime loss in the preliminary rounds. Their strong form carried into this match, overpowering a Swiss team that managed goals from Nils Rhyn and Andro Kaderli. American goalie Hampton Slukynsky stopped 17 shots, while Switzerland's duo of Elijah Neuenschwander and Christian Kirsch made 24 saves between them but couldn’t hold back the relentless U.S. attack.
Meanwhile, Finland secured its semifinal berth with a 5-3 victory over Slovakia. Jesse Nurmi shined for Finland, scoring two goals and adding an assist. Teammate Jesse Kiiskinen contributed a goal and an assist, while Kasper Halttunen and Rasmus Kumpulainen added to the tally. Benjamin Rautiainen and Heikki Ruohonen supported the offence with two assists each. Slovakia fought hard, with goals from Dalibor Dvorsky, Juraj Pekarcik, and Robert Fedor, but couldn’t overcome Finland’s well-rounded effort. Finnish goalie Petteri Rimpinen made 33 saves, while Slovak goaltender Alan Lendak was replaced by Samuel Urban after a rocky start.
In another quarterfinal, Sweden edged out Latvia 3-2. Sweden started strong, building a 3-0 lead with goals from David Edstrom, Zeb Forsfjall, and Anton Wahlberg. Edstrom’s power-play goal proved decisive, as Latvia’s Eriks Mateiko scored twice to bring his team close but couldn’t complete the comeback. Latvian goalie Linards Feldbergs had a standout performance with 47 saves, while Sweden’s Melker Thelin stopped 11 shots. Sweden, undefeated in Group B, remains determined to win their first title since 2012.
In the day’s relegation match, Germany staged a thrilling comeback to defeat Kazakhstan 4-3. Trailing 3-1, Germany turned the game around with goals from Julius Sumpf, Maxim Schafer (two), and Edwin Tropmann, who also contributed an assist. Kazakhstan’s scorers included Assanali Ruslanuly, Nikita Sitnikov, and Artur Gross. With the victory, Germany secures a place in the 2026 tournament, while Kazakhstan is relegated to Division I Group A.
Hockey fans now eagerly await the semifinal clashes as the world junior championship nears its exciting conclusion.
