Team USA aimed to uphold their unbeaten record in the IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship when facing off against Team Switzerland. Currently, Team USA stands as a dominant force in the tournament, boasting impressive statistics such as a penalty-killing rate of 92.86%, a scoring percentage of 18.88%, and leading on the power play with a 47.62% success rate. At stake, is moving on to the Semi-Finals this weekend, one step closer to playing for gold.
Goaltenders:
TEAM USA – Nicholas Kempf
TEAM SUI – Christian Kirsch
Period 1
In the initial period, both teams faced consecutive penalties, starting with Team Switzerland’s Mischa Geiser being penalized for interference, leading to Team USA’s first power play. Shortly after, the Swiss were penalized for delay of game, resulting in a 5-on-3 advantage for the top-rated Americans.
Despite being at a 5-on-3 disadvantage against the formidable American power play, the Swiss team displayed remarkable resilience, holding off without conceding a goal for 36 seconds. A 4-on-4 situation arose at 6:44 after Trevor Connelly (USA) and Paul Mottard (SUI) were both penalized for roughing following a minor altercation. No goals were scored by either team, and the game returned to full strength. However, the balance shifted when Luca Vliet was penalized for tripping, sending Team Switzerland to the power play.
The Americans started to gain momentum and applied pressure in the offensive zone toward the end of the first period but were unable to score. The Swiss team displayed strong defensive efforts with effective stick work and positioning, limiting the U.S. team’s chances in the early stages of the second period.
We closed the period with no score.
Shots on Goal:
USA -12
SUI – 7
Period 2
The period began much in the way of the first with Gian Meier (SUI) being called for Interference but that penalty is killed off. After that, David Bosson (SUI) serves the penalty time after the Swiss are caught with too many players on the ice. Team USA is the next after Cole Hutson (USA) is called for holding, sending the game tot he a 4-on-4. The game’s intensity heightened when Hagens broke the scoreless deadlock showcasing the U.S. team’s ability to capitalize on opportunities. He was assisted by Brodie Ziemer on that play. We are now 1-0, Team USA (7:11).
Following goals from Christian Humphreys (unassisted) at 15:22 and Ziemer at 18:03 only strengthened the American team’s position. Ziemer’s goal, which also earned an assist from Hagens, contributed to their impressive points lead in the tournament.
We closed out the second period with a score of 3-0, with Team USA in the lead.
Shots on Goal:
USA – 16
SUI – 6
Period 3
The third period would be the deciding factor for Team Switzerland. Team USA would find their fourth and final goal of the game at 10:27 with Hagens getting the tally unassisted who slips the puck past Kirsch and tucks it just under the goaltender to make the goal.
Shots on Goal:
USA – 7
SUI – 4
Summary
Despite what felt like a slow start, Team USA rebounded during the middle frame and delivered a pivotal second-period performance, which shifted the momentum in their favor. The tournament’s top scorer, James Hagens, maintained his scoring spree by netting two goals and providing an assist, leading the U.S. team to a remarkable 4-0 win against a determined Switzerland. Hagens, with a notable total of nine goals and ten assists so far in the tournament (19 pts) is now closing in on Nikita Kucherov’s single-tournament record of 21 points set in 2011, with Jack Hughes (2019) and Will Smith (2023) sharing the U.S. record of 20 points in a single tournament. Team USA currently holds 6 out of 10 positions in the top 10 scoring leaders for the tournament with James Hagens sitting on top of that list. Goaltender Nicholas Kempf secured his second shutout of the tournament.
After securing this latest triumph, the current champion Americans are just two victories shy of securing consecutive titles. As the U.S. team prepares for the semi-finals on Saturday, May 4th against Slovakia, their focus remains on retaining their competitive advantage to find gold once more.
Highlights of the Game:
