- The Americans dominated the Swedes on their home ice in Gothenburg 6-2
- It’s the sixth time the USA claimed gold at the world’s top youth tournament
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
The United States’ dominant victory at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships led to some patriotic scenes in Sweden.
After winning the gold medal, the players proudly stood together with their medals around their necks and sang the Star-Spangled Banner on foreign soil.
That attracted the attention of former US women’s national team player Carli Lloyd, who quote tweeted a video of the players singing with the caption ‘Amazing moment to see’.
Isaac Howard scored twice in the second period and the U.S. beat host Sweden 6-2 on Friday to capture gold at the IIHF world junior hockey championships held in Gothenburg.
Boston College’s Gabe Perreault, a 2023 first-round pick of the New York Rangers, had a goal and two assists.
Carli Lloyd praised the Americans at the World Juniors for singing the national anthem
The Americans thrashed the Swedes on their home ice 6-2 to win the gold once again
A fight at the end of the game punctuated the American’s dominance in the tournament
The Americans piled onto the ice at the end of it all – winning their sixth gold medal
BC’s Ryan Leonard, the eighth pick of the Washington Capitals, and Zeev Buium, a top 2024 draft prospect who plays at Denver, each scored a goal and captain Rutger McGroarty had an empty netter.
The Americans secured the under-20 tournament for a sixth time after last winning in 2021.
‘The guys played excellent,’ coach David Carle said. ‘It’s a joy for them. They focused on getting to this game and playing their best for the last game of the tournament and I thought they did that. It’s a great honor to be a part of a winning team.’
BC’s Will Smith, the No. 4 pick of the San Jose Sharks, added two assists. McGroarty, a Winnipeg Jets prospect who plays at Michigan, also had an assist for a two-point performance.
Detroit Red Wings draft pick Trey Augustine – a teammate of Howard’s at Michigan State – picked up the victory in goal for the U.S.
With the gold confirmed towards the end of the game on Friday, a fight broke out to put an exclamation mark on the American’s win over the Swedes in Gothenburg.
The Americans fell 6-4 to Sweden at the under-18 worlds in 2022 despite holding a 51-14 shot advantage. Players from this age group said they remembered that loss like it was yesterday.
The Swedes, who lost to the U.S. in last year’s bronze-medal game, have now finished second 12 times in the tournament.
It’s the sixth title for the United States – their second in four years.
