The U.S. took a 1-0 lead after captain Luke Hughes (Canton, Mich.) burst up the middle alone and fired one high up over the glove of Swedish netminder Carl Lindbom off a feed from Red Savage (Scottsdale, Ariz.) at 10:39. Sweden evened the game on the power play as Fabian Lysell was on the receiving end of a cross-ice feed and put it past U.S. netminder Kaidan Mbereko (Aspen, Colo.) at 16:48. Both teams had other good chances to score in the period, including a couple by U.S. forward Logan Cooley (West Mifflin, Penn.), but the game was even at 1-1 after 20 minutes.

Team USA scored three unanswered goals in the middle frame. Gavin Brindley (Estero, Fla.) made a picture-perfect feed from the bottom of the right circle to the opposite side of the net where Kenny Connors (Glen Mills, Penn.) was waiting and put it home at 5:45. With the U.S. shorthanded, Luke Mittelstadt (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Charlie Stramel (Rosemount, Minn.) combined on a two-on-rush which Stramel finished after a nice pass from Mittelstadt at 11:44. Then, at 15:27, Cooley drove down the right side and left the puck for Lane Hutson (Chicago, Ill.) who slid it between the circles to Cutter Gauthier (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and he put it home to give the U.S. a 4-1 lead after two periods.

The U.S. got the game’s final goal on the power play at 2:48 of the third after Jimmy Snuggerud fired one from the left circle that went off LIndbom’s goalie stick and sneaked over the goal line. Jackson Blake (Fargo, N.D.) picked up an assist on the play.
 
Mbereko made 15 saves to earn the win in the U.S. net.

NOTES: The U.S. was 1-4 on the power play, while Sweden was 1-5 … Team USA outshot Sweden by a 34-16 count.