GOTHENBURG, Sweden — The United States got the revenge it desperately craved.
Hudson, Wisconsin native Isaac Howard scored twice in the second period and the U.S. beat host Sweden 6-2 on Friday to capture gold at the IIHF world junior hockey championship.
Howard, a first-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022, broke a 1-all tie midway through the second when defenseman Drew Fortescue sprung him with a pass along the boards. Howard caught the pass and slipped the puck between Sweden goalie Hugo Hävelid's pads for the score.
Howard, who spent two seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary's, found the back of the net five minutes later to extend the lead to 3-1.
Gabe Perreault had a goal and two assists and Zeev Buium, Ryan Leonard and Rutger McGroarty also scored. The Americans secured the under-20 tournament for a sixth time after last winning in 2021.
"The guys played excellent,” coach David Carle said. “It’s a joy for them. They focused on getting to this game and playing their best for the last game of the tournament and I thought they did that. It’s a great honor to be a part of a winning team.”
Will Smith added two assists. McGroarty, the team's captain, also had an assist for a two-point performance. Trey Augustine picked up the victory in goal for the U.S.
The U.S. fell 6-4 to Sweden in the under-18 world in 2022 despite holding a 51-14 shot advantage. Players from this age group said they remembered that loss like it was yesterday.
The Swedes, who lost to the U.S. in last year’s bronze-medal game, have now finished second 12 times in the tournament.
Czechia roared back from a 5-2 deficit with six unanswered goals to shock Finland 8-5 and claim bronze.
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