LAUSANNE, Switzerland – Isaac Howard (Hudson, Wis.) tallied his tournament-leading seventh goal as the U.S. Youth Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Team defeated Canada, 2-1, to advance to the gold-medal game of the 2020 Youth Olympic Games today at Vaudoise Arena.
The U.S. will face Russia in the gold-medal game Wednesday (Jan. 22). Puck drop is slated for 9 a.m. ET and a live stream of the contest can be found here.
“It was an outstanding win for Team USA,” said head Scott Paluch (Bowling Green, Ohio). “The game was so fast and so skilled out there with both teams going at it, so our team being able do so many things that we wanted to do throughout the game was great. It’s a great way to go into the gold-medal match.”
Despite outshooting Canada, 8-6, the U.S. could not capitalize in the opening frame. Cruz Lucius (Grant, Minn.) nearly gave the U.S. the lead with 7:01 to play in the first after firing a loose rebound from close range, but goaltender Vincent Filion made the save.
Team USA had another quality chance at the 11:02 mark of the first period when Maddox Fleming (Rochester, Minn.) fed Howard a pass from behind the net, but his shot was broken up by a Canadian defender.
The U.S. broke through in the second period when Frank Nazar (Mt. Clemens, Mich.) converted on a penalty shot, beating Filion stick-side to give Team USA a 1-0 lead with 12:01 to play.
Howard added what proved to be the game-winner on the power play less than three minutes later, firing a one-timer off a behind-the-back feed from Lucius to extend the U.S. lead to 2-0.
Canada pulled within a goal early in the third period, but the U.S. withstood a flurry of Canadian chances to hold onto a 2-1 win and advance to the gold-medal game of the Youth Olympic Games for the second-straight tournament.
U.S. goaltender Dylan Silverstein (Calabasas, Calif.) made 22 saves in the victory.
NOTES: Isaac Howard leads the tournament in scoring with seven goals in three games. In addition, his seven goals break the previous goal-scoring record of six tallies at the Youth Olympic Games … The U.S. outshot Canada 25-23 and 14-7 in the second period … The U.S. has tallied a power-play goal in each of its three games at the tournament … Full game statistics can be found here … Follow the U.S. Youth Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team as it competes at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games here.
Photos
Game Footage
Team USA Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (Local/ET)/Result | Stream | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tues., Jan. 14 | Switzerland Pre-Tournament |
W, 4-0 | Stream Here | EZO Romanshorn Romanshorn, Switzerland |
| Sat., Jan. 18 | Finland Preliminary |
W, 7-5 | Stream Here | Vaudoise Arena Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Sun., Jan. 19 | Switzerland Preliminary |
W, 8-2 | Stream Here | Vaudoise Arena Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Tues., Jan. 21 | Canada Semifinal |
W, 2-1 | Stream Here | Vaudoise Arena Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Wed., Jan. 22 | Russia Gold-Medal Game |
L, 0-4 | Stream Here | Vaudoise Arena Lausanne, Switzerland |
More Youth Olympic Games News
U.S. Wins Gold Medal in Youth Olympic Games
- By USA Hockey 01/31/2024, 8:45am EST
U.S. Advances to Gold Medal Game with 6-5 Shootout Victory in Youth Olympics Semifinals
- By USA Hockey 01/30/2024, 8:45am EST
U.S. Falls To Czechia, 6-5 At Youth Olympics
- By USA Hockey 01/29/2024, 2:45am EST