Cutter Gauthier scored a power-play goal with three minutes remaining as the United States edged Finland 3-2 on Thursday to advance to Friday's final of the world junior hockey championship in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Team USA edges Finland in semifinal, will face Sweden for world junior hockey title
The Americans overcame a 2-0 deficit and won when Cutter Gauthier scored a power-play goal with three minutes remaining.
January 4, 2024 at 11:49PM
The Americans, who have six Minnesota players, will face Sweden for the championship after the Swedish team downed Czechia 5-2.
Finland led the semifinal 2-0 before the U.S. got a second-period goals from Jimmy Snuggerud and Will Smith.
Oiva Keskinen and Rasmus Kumpulainen scored for Finland, which fired 21 shots at U.S. goalie Trey Augustine. Niklas Kokko had 27 saves for the Finns.
Gauthier, who plays at Boston College, leads the tournament in scoring with 12 points from two goals and 10 assists.
The host Swedes will play for the title after getting a goal and assist each from Noah Ostlund and Axel Sandin Pellikka. Wild 2022 first-round pick Liam Ohgren is the Swedish captain.
Team USA includes Gophers Oliver Moore, Ryan Chesley, Snuggerud and Sam Rinzel; Bemidji State defenseman Eric Pohlkamp; and Maple Grove's Danny Nelson, who plays at Notre Dame.
Friday's championship game is at 12:30 p.m. Central time.
The Timberwolves turned on their defense and turned a deficit into a comfortable winning margin over the course of about five crucial minutes.
