ESPOO, Finland -- Some of the favorites in the 2024 IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship are in action on Sunday in Finland.
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GROUP A
Latvia (1-0-1) vs. United States (2-0-0)
- Time: 11 a.m. ET
- Where: Metro Arena (Espoo, Finland)
- Channel: NHL Network
- Stream: FuboTV (Free Trial), Sling, DirecTV Stream
The U.S. came away with another dominating effort on Saturday. Against Norway, the Americans jumped out to four-goal lead in the opening period. They kept their foot on the gas on their way to an 8-2 victory. Cole Eiserman led the charge with two goals, while James Hagens potted three points in the win.
After a tough loss to Finland, Latvia came back with a rousing effort against Slovakia on Friday. A hectic first period saw the Latvians take a 3-1 lead, and though Czechia stormed back to tie the game in the second, goals from Antons Macijevski and Dimitrijs Dilevka pushed Latvia to a 5-3 win.
Markus Sieradzkis led Latvia with a goal and two assists, while goaltender Mikus Vecvanagas made 31 saves.
Finland (2-0-0) vs. Slovakia (0-0-2)
- Time: 7 a.m. ET
- Where: Metro Arena (Espoo, Finland)
After narrowly coming away with a win over Latvia in its first game, Finland created a more convincing outcome on Friday, hammering Norway, 7-0. The Finns outshot the Norwegian, 54-12, with Emil Hemming and Roope Vesterinen each scoring twice. Hemming and Konsta Helenius each put up three points, while Kim Saarinen posted a shutout.
Slovakia finds itself in a huge hole heading into its meeting with the hosts. After getting pummeled by the Americans last Thursday, the Slovaks fell in stunning fashion to Latvia, 5-3. An early first-period deficit forced Slovakia to play catchup on Friday, but goals from Tobias Tomik, Michal Svrcek and Andreas Straka were not enough.
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GROUP B
Czechia (1-0-1) vs. Sweden (1-0-1)
- Time: 8 a.m. ET
- Where: Vantaa Trio Arena (Vantaa, Finland)
- Channel: NHL Network
- Stream: FuboTV (Free Trial), Sling, DirecTV Stream
Sweden had an inauspicious start to their game against Kazakhstan, falling behind 1-0. However, the Swedes took care of business, reeling off seven unanswered goals on their way to a 7-1 win. Victor Eklund led the charge with a goal and two assists. Lucas Petterson and Melvin Fernstrom each put up a goal and an assist.
Following a solid win over Switzerland to start the tournament, Czechia ran into a really good Canadian team on Friday night. While they kept the shots reasonably close, most notably in the second half of the game, the Czechs failed to get on the board, losing 6-0. Jakub Milota was pulled after allowing four goals on nine shots, while Bretislav Vystrcil made 22 saves on 24 shots in relief.
Switzerland (1-0-1) vs. Canada (2-0-0)
- Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Where: Vantaa Trio Arena (Vantaa, Finland)
Canada came out flying in the first period against Czechia on Friday, with Tij Iginila scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes, part of a four-goal frame. The Canadians cooled off as the game went along, still pulling away for a 6-0 win. Malcom Spencer scored twice as well, as he, Gavin McKenna and Porter Martone each had three points. Carter George pitched a shutout, making 26 saves.
Switzerland is thankful to be coming into Sunday with a win under their belt. Against Kazakhstan on Friday, the Swiss fell behind by two in the opening period. However, the team settled in, scoring five unanswered goals to come away with a 5-2 win.
Defenseman Gian Meier led the team with a goal and two assists, while netminder Christan Kirsch came in relief of Phileas Lachat to pick up the win.