USA wins bronze at WJHC with dramatic overtime victory against Sweden
The United States returned to the podium at the world juniors after beating Sweden 8-7 in overtime during a dramatic bronze medal game on Thursday.
Chaz Lucius completed the hat trick with the game winner in the extra frame after Sweden’s Philip Bystedt forced overtime with 21 seconds left in regulation.
Only one of the match’s 15 goals was scored in the first period, with Logan Cooley draws first blood barely three minutes into the competition.
The floodgates didn’t open until the second frame when the teams combined for nine games. Five of those goals came before the halfway point in the period.
Ryan Ufko started the run with a power play goal, and Bystedt answered to get Sweden on the board 1:42 later. Lucius put the Americans up 3-1 with his first marker of the game, only for the multi-goal lead to be squandered with back-to-back goals from Oskar Pettersson and Leo Carlson.
Team USA restored its two-goal advantage thanks to Cutter Gauthier and another compilation from Lucius. The Americans looked poised to hold their lead into the third period, but Milton Oscarson and Liam Ohgren found the back of the net 26 seconds apart in the final moments of the middle frame as Sweden tied the game at 5-5.
American goalkeeper Trey Augustine was replaced by Kaidan Mbereko to start the third period.
The Swedes took their first and only lead in the match thanks to a goal from Noah Östlund early in the final frame, but the Team USA captain Luke Hughes did a dandy from his knees to level the contest at six apiece soon after.
Sweden’s Carlsson took a tripping penalty in the final minutes of regulation and Gauthier took advantage with 1:37 left in the game. Bystedt’s last-gasp equalizer extended the drama before Lucius delivered the final dagger in overtime.
Lucius was named player of the game for the Americans, while Ostlund earned the honor for Sweden.
Swedish goalkeeper Carl Lindbom made 28 saves in the losing effort. The team was down a forward early in the game after Fabian Lysell was thrown out for an illegal check to the head of Team USA’s Kenny Connors.
Mbereko made 14 saves on 16 shots in relief for the USA.
Before Thursday’s frenetic match, the Swedes had struggled to score in the tournament: Their 20 through their first six games was by far the lowest total of the four remaining teams.
Sweden failed to make it back-to-back bronze medals at the tournament with the loss, while the Americans suffered some respite after being knocked out in the quarterfinals at the August edition of the world juniors.