The United States upset Canada 2-0 in Edmonton, Alberta, the favorite and unbeaten Canada, to win the gold medal in the first world championship for junior ice hockey played in a bubble.
In a defensive special, Boston College goalie and Florida Panthers prospect Spencer Knight stopped all 34 shots he faced to secure the U.S. first gold since 2017.
Knight recorded his third result of the event, the most for an American goalkeeper in the tournament. Forward Trevor Zegras and Anaheim Ducks led the tournament with 18 points, the second most by an American player in tour history. Zegras also equaled the record for most points by an American in his world junior career with 27 over the past two tournaments.
The U.S. took the lead in the first period through a diversion to the net front of Los Angeles Kings forward Alex Turcotte. This goal was the first 5-on-5 goal that Canada allowed during the Junior World Championships, and the first time it was behind at any point in the tournament.
Zegras extended the Americans’ lead in the second period by 32 seconds as he collected the shot and slipped past Canadian goalkeeper Devon Levi, who leaned incorrectly.
The goal leveled Zegras with former NHL player Jordan Schroeder for American Hockey’s lead at the World Junior Championships, with his 27th point collected in the last two tournaments.
Zegras also finished second on the Americans’ standings for some tournaments and placed 18 points to lead all players in the 2021 tournament. He moves past Jeremy Roenick and falls one shy away from Doug Weight’s record of 19, set in 1991.
Canada outscored opponents 41-4 before Tuesday night’s final in their bid to repeat as junior champions.
The victory gave USA Hockey its fourth consecutive victory over Canada in a World Junior Championship final, after achieving them in 2004, 2010, 2017 and 2021. The U.S. is consistently 4-1 in gold medal matches against Canada, which holds 18 golds in the tournament’s history.