Day Three of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup delivered another action-packed slate, with Canada keeping their perfect record intact, Sweden overpowering Slovakia in a dominant shutout, Switzerland pulling off an overtime thriller, and Team USA continuing their offensive onslaught. Fans were treated to elite skill, big goals, and standout performances from some of the tournament’s brightest young stars.
Game 1: USA 8 – Germany 1
Team USA wasted no time setting the tone. At just 2:14, Zaide Penner struck shorthanded off a setup from Jaxon Williams and Luke Puchner. Caden Harvey doubled the lead at 3:49 from Nolan Duskocy, and Jack Hextall made it 3–0 less than a minute later off the assist by Blake Zielinski and Noah Davidson.
The Americans kept pushing in the second. Levi Harper buried one at 1:26 from Brooks Rogowski and Joseph Salandra. At 10:56, Nolan Duskocy scored shorthanded again, with Salandra picking up his second assist of the night.
The onslaught continued in the third. Kalder Varga scored at 2:37 from Zielinski and Hextall. Zielinski then converted on the power play at 5:03 from Davidson and Nikita Klepov. Just 23 seconds later, Harvey struck again—his second of the night—assisted by Duskocy. Germany spoiled the shutout with a late goal, but Team USA closed out an 8–1 statement win.
Final: USA 8, Germany 1
USA outshot Germany 41–21 and scored twice shorthanded.
Game 2: Switzerland 4 – Finland 3 (OT)
The opening frame was tight and scoreless, with both teams getting chances but unable to capitalize.
In the second, Switzerland struck first just 28 seconds in when Yanis Lutz scored from Niclas Rentsch and Lou Bachler. Finland tied it at 2:38 on the power play, with Juuso Laitinen converting from Samu Alalauri and Juho Piiparinen.
The third period saw Oiva Hemming put Finland ahead at 10:34, assisted by Olli Wahlroos and Alalauri. Switzerland answered at 16:45 with Lou Bachler’s goal from Lutz, then surged ahead at 17:53 when Thierry Berger scored off Jonathan Neuenschwander and Philip Moser. Finland forced overtime at 19:09 when Rasmus Rinne buried one from Piiparinen.
In overtime, Sol Fueter played hero for Switzerland, scoring at 3:05 from Levin Hirt to secure the 4–3 win.
Final: Switzerland 4, Finland 3 (OT)
Switzerland overcame two third-period deficits to take the extra point.
Game 3: Sweden 7 – Slovakia 0
Sweden struck first midway through the opening period when Malte Gustafsson scored off a feed from Ludvig Andersson and Adam Andersson at 5:31. They doubled their lead at 16:21 when Nils Bartholdsson buried one set up by Marcus Nordmark and Vilgot Liden.
In the second, Sweden’s power play took over. At 4:04, Marcus Nordmark converted from Hampus Zirath and Alex Elofsson. Four minutes later, Elton Hermansson redirected Elofsson’s pass into the net on the man advantage, with Max Isaksson picking up the secondary assist.
The third period saw no let-up. Isak Holtet scored at 3:09 from Adam Andersson and Henry Nicolaysen. Hermansson struck again on the power play at 17:40, assisted by Elofsson and Oscar Holmertz. Just over a minute later, Nordmark capped the night with his second power-play goal, set up by Gustafsson and Bartholdsson at 18:48.
Final: Sweden 7, Slovakia 0
Sweden outshot Slovakia 39–22, went 5-for-7 on the power play, and held Slovakia scoreless with a perfect penalty kill. Nordmark and Hermansson each tallied two goals, while Elofsson collected three assists.
Game 4: Canada 5 – Czechia 0
Canada broke the deadlock late in the first when Liam Ruck buried a sharp-angle shot at 11:59, set up perfectly by Markus Ruck and Mathis Preston. The goal gave Canada the early edge in a physical, back-and-forth opening frame.
The second period saw both teams trade chances, but goaltending and tight defensive play kept the score frozen at 1–0 heading into the final 20 minutes.
That’s when Canada took over. Beckham Edwards doubled the lead at 11:39, then set up Daxon Rudolph just over three minutes later to make it 3–0. Liam Ruck struck again at 16:55 for his second of the night, and Alessandro Di Iorio capped the scoring with a buzzer-beater at 19:29.
Final: Canada 5, Czechia 0
Canada’s offense exploded for four third-period goals while the defense and goaltending locked down a shutout, keeping them undefeated in the tournament.
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