U.S. Skates to 6-5 Comeback Victory Over Slovakia in World Juniors Preliminary Round
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – James Hagens (Hauppauge, N.Y./Boston College) scored twice, while and Will Zellers (Maple Grove, Minn./University of North Dakota) tallied his third game-winning goal of the tournament to help lift the U.S. National Junior Team to a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over Slovakia here tonight at Grand Casino Arena in its third preliminary round contest of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.
“We found a way and I give our guys credit.” said Bob Motzko, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team and also head coach of the University of Minnesota men’s ice hockey team. “We’ll look to continue to grow and get better, and now turn our attention to Sweden on New Year’s Eve.”
Slovakia’s Tobias Pitka opened the scoring 8:53 into the contest, capitalizing on a wrister from the slot on an odd-man rush.
HIGHLIGHTS
Just 2:22 later, Tomas Chrenko gave Slovakia a 2-0 lead with a power play goal, scoring on a shot from the point that snuck under the glove of U.S. netminder Caleb Heil (Victoria, Minn./Madison Capitols) while he was screened.
Team USA pulled back within a goal when Brendan McMorrow (Lakeville, Minn./University of Denver) blocked a shot in the defensive zone while on the penalty kill, rushed up the ice with the puck, and sent a cross-ice feed to AJ Spellacy (Westlake, Ohio/Windsor Spitfires) in the slot, who shoved the puck hom 1:50 into the middle frame.
While shorthanded, Slovakia’s Adam Belusko entered the zone on a two-on-one opportunity after forcing a turnover, and scored on a top-shelf shot from the right circle to extend Slovakia’s lead at 6:46 in the second.
At 8:33 in the second frame, Spellacy forced a turnover in the offensive zone along the half wall and fired the puck towards the goal. After it deflected off a Slovakia player’s skate, McMorrow gathered the loose puck on the doorstep and flipped it over Slovakia goaltender Michal Pradel’s outstretched pad to make it a 3-2 game.
Ryker Lee leveled the score for Team USA while on the power play with 9:00 to play in the middle stanza, capitalizing on a short-side, top-shelf snipe from the left circle. LJ Mooney (West Mifflin, Pa./University of Minnesota) and Zellers registered helpers on the goal.
With 5:16 remaining in the second, Slovakia regained the lead when Michal Svrcek fought through traffic outside the crease and lifted the puck past Heil.
Hagens knotted the score at 4-4 with 45 seconds to play in the period, snapping home a shot from the slot with a quick release off a feed from Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass./Boston College). Chase Reid (Chesterfield, Mich./Soo Greyhounds) also earned an assist on the play.
Just 18 seconds into the third, Hagens picked up his second goal of the contest, rifling a bouncing puck past Pradel from the left circle off a deflected pass from Reid to give the U.S. its first lead.
While on the man advantage at the 4:34 mark of the final frame, Mooney threaded a pass across the zone to Brodie Ziemer (Chaska, Minn./University of Minn.), who sent the puck to Zellers on the doorstep, who batted it across the goal line to double the U.S. lead.
With its goaltender pulled, Chrenko brought Slovakia within one, firing a short-side wrister off the post and in from the left circle with 1:54 left in the contest to account for the 6-5 final score.
Heil stopped 26 shots to earn his second victory of the World Juniors.
Team USA will play its fourth and final preliminary round contest Wednesday (Dec. 31) against Sweden at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul, Minn. Opening faceoff is set for 5 p.m. local time/6 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised live on NHL Network. Tickets for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship are on sale and can be purchased here.
NOTES: The U.S. outshot Slovakia 41-31… Team USA went 2-5 on the power play, while Slovakia was 2-4 … James Hagens was named U.S. Player of the Game.
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