The United States national junior team earned its first preliminary-round victory against rival Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 17 years with a 4-2 win Saturday at Helsinki Ice Hall in Finland.
Finland and Sweden also had regulation wins against Belarus and Switzerland, respectively, and Russia survived a scare from the Czech Republic in a shootout on the first day of tournament competition.
The United States received goals from defenseman Louis Belpedio, a third-round selection in the 2014 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild, and Auston Matthews, an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's November players to watch list for the 2016 NHL Draft, late in the third period to snap a 2-2 tie. Colin White (Ottawa Senators), who was named U.S. player of the game, and defenseman Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets) also scored and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina Hurricanes) made 25 saves, including 11 in the third.
"[The win] gives us a feather in our cap because we've beaten Canada but now we have to settle in and take care of the other teams," U.S. coach Ron Wilson told NHL Network. "For me, personally, it's the first game I've won in four years and that means a lot actually."