EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Spencer Knight made 34 saves, and the United States upset Canada 2-0 to win the world junior hockey championship.
Tournament MVP Trevor Zegras had a goal and an assist, and Alex Turcotte also scored as the U.S. won its first gold medal at the event since 2017.
The Canadians were undefeated coming into the game and hadn't trailed once.
According to The Associated Press, Canada had outscored its opponents 41-4.
They were aiming to repeat as gold medal winners but had to settle for silver on home ice.
The U.S., which finished sixth in 2020, won six straight games to capture its fifth under-20 title following a round-robin loss to Russia on opening day.
The AP reported that after losing to Russia 5-3, the U.S. outscored their opponents 36-10.
The U.S. is now 4-1 against Canada when going head-to-head for gold at the tournament, The AP reported.
Finland beat Russia 4-1 to take the bronze medal.
According to the AP, it was just the second time in 11 tournaments that Russia, which won gold in 2011 and grabbed silver last year, didn't medal.
According to USA Today, there was a bit of controversy after the game when the U.S. team took a photo on Rogers Place ice during their celebration next to a barrel with the Hockey Canada logo on it.
The USA team said they used a barrel as a motivational tool and meant no disrespect, USA Today reported.
