Team USA Defeats Canada West, 4-0, at World Junior A Challenge

By USA Hockey, 12/10/25, 10:30PM EST

U.S. to take on Sweden in semifinals on Friday (Dec. 12)

TROIS-RIVIÈRES, Quebec – Ashton Schultz (Excelsior, Minn./Chicago Steel) and Brent Solomon (Champlin, Minn./Sioux Falls Stampede) recorded two points (1g/1a) each as the U.S. Junior Select Team skated to a 4-0 victory over Canada West at the 2025 World Junior A Challenge here tonight at Colisée Vidéotron.

Team USA will now face Sweden Friday (Dec. 12) at 7:00 p.m. ET inside Colisée Vidéotron for a spot in the championship game. The semifinal game will be streamed live on HNLive.ca.

"It was nice to get the win tonight," said Andy Brandt (Wausau, Wis.) head coach of the U.S. Junior Select Team. "These games can be difficult. We felt like we controlled most of the game start to finish but through two periods we only had one goal to show for it. The players stayed persistent in their effort and the power play scored a big goal for us. The penalty kill did their part killing off both. We found a way to push through. We will need a bigger, more focused effort against Sweden on Friday night."

Team USA was first to strike as Masun Fleece (Rolling Hills, Calif./Dubuque Fighting Saints) found twine for his second goal of the tournament at 8:56 of the opening period. Bode Laylin (St. Michael, Minn./Tri-City Storm) flew into the zone and found Fleece right on the doorstep who tapped home the goal past Canada West’s starting netminder Taye Timmerman.

Prior to the end of the period, a Team USA turnover led to a scoring chance on the other end, but starting U.S. goaltender Caleb Heil (Victoria, Minn./Madison Capitols) turned it aside to preserve the lead to head into the break.

GAME PHOTOS

Despite outshooting Canada West 10-1 in the second period, the U.S. couldn’t convert on any of its chances. Its best look came when Evan Jardine (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Youngstown Phantoms) fired a one-timer that was narrowly turned aside by Timmerman to keep the game at 1–0.

Team USA continued to control the game and added an insurance goal at 14:18 of the third. Solomon collected the puck high in the offensive zone and sent a pass toward the net that deflected to Schultz. Schultz put the puck on goal, collected his own rebound and buried the power-play tally to make it 2–0.

Solomon scored an empty-net goal at 17:48 and David Bosco (Winchester, Mass./Cedar Rapids Roughriders) added a late tally to seal the 4-0 victory for the U.S.

Heil made 12 saves in the shutout victory.

NOTES: Danny Klaers (Wayzata, Minn./Muskegon Lumberjacks) was named U.S. Player of the Game … Team USA went 1-2 on the power play while Canada West went 0-2 … The U.S. outshot Canada West, 39-12.