In Espoo, Finland, the Americans repeated the semi-final match against Slovakia from last year, and again the match was clearly a matter of favourites. A year ago in Switzerland, Team USA won 7-1.
Forward Max Plante contributed to today’s success with four points for two goals and an assist, but the main star was his teammate James Hagens. The 17-year-old striker extended his tournament balance to 22 points for nine goals and 13 assists, breaking the historical record of the World Cup of 18. The previous maximum was 21 points by Russian Nikita Kučerov in 2011.
Behind the bar: About the raw representation and the embarrassing performance of the 18Video: Sport.cz
Canada also faced Sweden in the semi-finals last year, the Nordics won 7:2 in Basel. This time everything was different. The overseas players stepped forward already in the first period, in which they built up a four-goal lead. However, the Swedes were able to significantly dramatize the match. In the third period, they reduced the score to 4:5, but they were unable to equalize even in the final power play.
Even in the second semi-final match, the historical tables changed. Forward Gavin McKenna scored his seventh goal at the World Cup, in addition to that, he has already collected nine assists and 16 points, a new Canadian record. The previous highs were 15 points by Macklin Celebrini last year and Tyson Jost in 2015.
| Ice Hockey World Championship under 18 in Espoo and Vantaa (Finland): |
|---|
| Semifinal: |
| USA – Slovakia 7:2 (2:1, 3:0, 2:1) |
| Goals: 13. and 41. Eiserman, 23. and 52. Plante, 4. Stiga, 30. Hutson, 45. Skahan – 13. Nemec, 60. Chrenko. |
| Canada – Sweden 5:4 (4:0, 1:2, 0:2) |
| Goals: 3. Greentree, 8. McKenna, 9. Iginla, 19. Ritchie, 28. Mews – 24. and 29. Nordlund, 48. Eklund, 55. Orrsten. |
| Next program – Sunday, May 5: |
| For 3rd place: |
| 13:00 Sweden – Slovakia. |
| Final: |
| 17:00 USA – Canada. |
Tags: USA Slovakia USA Canada meet final World Hockey Championship years age
