GAMEDAY: USA Looks to Bounce Back on Second Day of 2021 World Junior Championship

By USA Hockey, 12/26/20, 8:45AM EST

Second Preliminary Round Game Starts at 9:30pm ET on NHL Network

EDMONTON, Canada – After last night’s closely contested game against Russia that ended in a 5-3 loss, the United States will look to bounce back against Austria this evening at 9:30 pm ET on NHL Network.

Team USA and Austria don’t have much IIHF World Junior Championship history, meeting only twice in the preliminary rounds including the most recent matchup in the 2004 tournament. Zach Parise (Minneapolis, Minn.) led the way with a hat trick and an assist, while Al Montoya (Chicago, Ill.) recorded a 15-save shutout for the Americans. It was the first preliminary game of the 2004 World Juniors tournament, a year in which the U.S. went on to win gold, as Parise collected MVP honors.

Defenseman Cam York (Anaheim, Calif.) led the way offensively last night on the American scoresheet, collecting a goal and an assist. The American power play scored in the final two minutes, as Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.) made it a 4-3 game prior to Russia scoring on an empty net. Dustin Wolf (Gilroy, Calif.) stopped all 11 shots he faced, as the returning veteran stepped in halfway through the game. The U.S. will continue to focus on remaining disciplined, as the squad only took one penalty against their rival.

Today’s Opponent: Austria

The U.S. National Junior Team has a 2-0-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) series record against Austria in the IIHF World Junior Championship. The Americans have outscored Austria 15-2 in its two meetings.