The United States and Belarus are meeting for the eighth time in IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship history with the U.S. unbeaten in the previous seven meetings. The all-time series is 6-0-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T). The two teams have only met in preliminary-round games with the last game coming in a 7-1 USA win on April 18, 2010. The U.S. has outscored Belarus 54-8 all-time, with the largest margin of victory coming on April 17, 2006, in a 12-1 victory for the U.S.
The U.S. enters the 2017 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship having captured a record 13 consecutive medals, including gold medals in six of the last eight years (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015). Team USA has won nine gold medals all-time, which is the most of any country in tournament history. The event began in 1999. Team USA returns to Slovakia where its first gold medal was captured in 2002 in Trnava and Piestany.
DATE | OPPONENT | TIME (Local/ET)/RESULT | LOCATION | TV |
---|---|---|---|---|
April 7 | Exhibition vs. Belarus | W, 5-2 | Hodonin, Czech Republic | |
April 10 | Exhibition vs. Finland | W, 5-2 | ZS Spisska Nova Ves | |
April 13 | Belarus | W, 7-0 | ZS Spisska Nova Ves | NHL Network |
April 15 | Russia | W, 5-4 | ZS Spisska Nova Ves | NHL Network |
April 17 | Czech Republic | W, 5-2 | ZS Spisska Nova Ves | NHL Network |
April 18 | Sweden | W, 5-1 | ZS Spisska Nova Ves | NHL Network |
April 20 | Switzerland Quarterfinals |
W, 4-2 | ZS Spisska Nova Ves | NHL Network |
April 22 | Sweden Semifinals |
W, 4-3 OT | ZS Poprad | NHL Network |
April 23 | Finland • Gold Medal Game | W, 4-2 | ZS Poprad | NHL Network |