The 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship is now down to four teams after today’s quarterfinals and three Winnipeg Jets prospects still have a shot at a gold medal.
USA 7, Latvia 2
The United States remained unbeaten at the tournament with a lopsided win over Latvia. Rutger McGroarty (Winnipeg, 2022 1st round) scored his fourth goal of the tournament to make it 4-2 USA in the second period on the power play. McGroarty finished the game with five shots on goal and played 18:04, he was on the top line with Cutter Gauthier and Oliver Moore.
The Americans move onto the semifinals and will face Finland at 12:30 pm CT on Thursday.
Sweden 3, Switzerland 2 (OT)
Sweden kept their hopes of winning gold on home ice alive with the overtime victory over a feisty Swiss team.
With Sweden leading by two in the second period, Fabian Wagner (Winnipeg, 2022 6th round) almost made it 3-0 but his attempt hit the post. Wagner played 9:12 and recorded a shot on goal. Defenceman Elias Salomonsson (Winnipeg, 2022 2nd round) played 17:31 and had two shots on goal and was paired with Axel Sandin Pellikka (Detroit, 2023 1st round). Pellikka ended up scoring the game winning goal on a Swedish power play in overtime.
The Swedes will face Czechia in a rematch of one of last year’s semfinals, that game will start at 8 am CT on Thursday.
