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The United States secured a spot in the World Junior Championship gold medal game with a hard-fought 4-1 victory over Czechia in the semi-finals. Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault were the offensive catalysts, each contributing a goal and an assist.
“It’s so fun playing with him,” perreault said of his chemistry with leonard. “I think when you play with a guy for that long,it kind of makes the transition in a tournament like this a lot easier.I’m lucky we were clicking tonight, and we were able to get a couple.This feels unreal. It’s what we came here for. So I’m really excited for tomorrow.”
The Americans will face Finland in the championship game. The two teams have only met once before for gold, with Finland emerging victorious in a 3-2 thriller in Vancouver back in 2019.
“We certainly know it’s going to be a really tough test once again,” Perreault added. “But I think if we clean up our puck management and turnovers and then just play our game, we should be in a good spot.”
Czechia,aiming for their third consecutive World Juniors medal,will now face Sweden in the bronze medal game.
“They’re a very skilled team,” Jakub Stancl said of Czechia’s bronze medal opponents. “They can play physically also. We don’t want to leave Ottawa with nothing, so it’s motivation to beat them. You always want to win a medal. Sadly, it’s not going to be silver or gold, but we just want the bronze now.”
“I think the U.S. played a really strong game,” Czech coach Patrik Augusta said. “They were waiting for their chances, and they weren’t cheating for them.And we gave it to them at the end. I think it was a close game, 2-1, and I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t give ourselves a better chance at the end of the game. But we have a chance to finish the tournament with a win, and hopefully we’re going to be ready.”
Finland boasts an impressive World Junior Championship record, with five gold, five silver, and seven bronze medals. The United States has also found success,earning six gold,two silver,and seven bronze medals.
The atmosphere at Canadian Tire Center was unusual, with the crowd divided between supporting Czechia, who had eliminated Canada in the quarter-finals, and the ever-present American rivals.
The Czechs nearly opened the scoring when Adam Jecho hit the crossbar early on. However, the Americans struck first at 3:14.Captain Ryan Leonard, sporting a full visor to protect facial injuries from the quarter-finals, hustled around Jakub Dvorak. Leonard swatted the puck to the middle for Gabe Perreault who beautifully deked goalie Michael Hrabal to make it 1-0.
Adam Novotny tied the game midway through the first period. Trey Augustine was not in position and Novotny capitalized,beating Augustine on the far side to make it 1-1.
The United states continued to pressure, with Leonard and Perreault almost connecting for another goal, but Hrabal made a crucial save. Late in the period, Perreault hit the post again on a power play.
The second period was a much more cautious affair, with both teams playing tight defensively.
## Archyde Exclusive Interview: Gabe Perreault on US Victory and Gold Medal hopes
**Archyde**: Gabe, congratulations on a huge win against Czechia! How does it feel to be heading to the World Juniors gold medal game?
**gabe Perreault:** It feels unreal! This is exactly what we came here for, and to see all the hard work paying off is incredible.
**Archyde**: You and Ryan Leonard were unstoppable tonight, both racking up a goal and an assist. What’s the secret to your chemistry on the ice?
**Gabe Perreault:** [**[Quote from provided text]**]Playing together for so long definitely helps. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and we just seem to click on the ice.
**Archyde**: The US will face Finland in the gold medal game. They bested you in 2019.What are your thoughts going into this rematch?
**Gabe Perreault:** [**[Quote from provided text]**]We certainly know it’s going to be a tough game,but if we clean up a few things like puck management and turnovers,I’m confident we can get the result we want.
**Archyde**: Any final message to the fans back home?
**Gabe Perreault:** We appreciate all the support! This is for you guys, and we’ll give it our all tomorrow to bring home the gold!
## Archyde Interview: Gabe Perreault on US Gold Medal Win and Facing Finland
**Archyde:** Gabe, congratulations on a massive win! That was an intense game against Czechia. How does it feel to be heading to the gold medal game?
**Gabe Perreault:** It feels unreal. This is what we came here for, and I’m so excited for tomorrow. We knew it would be a tough battle against Czechia. They’ve been playing great hockey all tournament, and they gave us everything we could handle.
**Archyde:** You and Ryan Leonard were on fire tonight. You guys seem to have a real connection out there.What’s it like playing alongside him?
**Gabe Perreault:** It’s so fun playing with him. We’ve played together for a while now, and when you have that kind of chemistry, it makes things a lot easier, especially in a high-stakes tournament like this.We’re lucky we were clicking tonight and able to get a couple of goals.
**Archyde:** Now you’re facing Finland in the final. They’ve got a strong team and a lot of history at the World Juniors. What are your thoughts on facing them?
**Gabe Perreault:** We no it’s going to be another tough test. Finland is a really skilled team, and they play hard. We need to clean up our puck management and turnovers from tonight’s game. If we stick to our game plan and play our best, I’m confident we can come out on top.
**Archyde:** The gold medal game is sure to be a thrilling showdown.Are you feeling any extra pressure proceeding this point?
**Gabe Perreault:** Physically and mentally, it’s wear and tear, but as a team, we’re going to rest up, recover, come with a good game plan and just play our best.
**Archyde:** Best of luck in the championship game, Gabe!
**Gabe Perreault:** Thank you!
US Advances to World Juniors Gold Medal Game After Thrilling Win
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
USA Stifles Czechia Comeback, Clinches Victory in tight Contest
The United states men’s national junior team emerged victorious in a closely contested match against Czechia, securing a hard-fought win.The Americans capitalized on their power play opportunities and demonstrated resilience in the face of a czechia surge in the third period. A first-period power play goal gave the U.S. a 1-0 advantage. Trevor Connelly skillfully navigated down the left side before finding Cole Eiserman open on the opposite wing. Eiserman unleashed a one-timer that proved unstoppable, even for the towering Czech goaltender, Hrabal. Czechia nearly evened the score shortly after when Adam Novotny broke free through the center ice, but his shot was met by Augustine’s chest, denying a seemingly sure goal. The Czechs came out with renewed intensity in the third, but Augustine stood as an impenetrable wall in net, turning aside everything thrown his way. He even made a highlight-reel save midway through the period, robbing Jecho of a wide-open net chance. Despite enduring a relentless Czechia attack,the U.S. regained their composure and regained control of the game.A late goal, courtesy of a lovely pass from Perreault to Leonard, effectively sealed the victory for the Americans. Oliver Moore added an empty-net goal in the waning minutes to solidify the win.## Archyde Exclusive Interview: Gabe Perreault on US Victory and Gold Medal hopes
**Archyde**: Gabe, congratulations on a huge win against Czechia! How does it feel to be heading to the World Juniors gold medal game?
**gabe Perreault:** It feels unreal! This is exactly what we came here for, and to see all the hard work paying off is incredible.
**Archyde**: You and Ryan Leonard were unstoppable tonight, both racking up a goal and an assist. What’s the secret to your chemistry on the ice?
**Gabe Perreault:** [**[Quote from provided text]**]Playing together for so long definitely helps. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and we just seem to click on the ice.
**Archyde**: The US will face Finland in the gold medal game. They bested you in 2019.What are your thoughts going into this rematch?
**Gabe Perreault:** [**[Quote from provided text]**]We certainly know it’s going to be a tough game,but if we clean up a few things like puck management and turnovers,I’m confident we can get the result we want.
**Archyde**: Any final message to the fans back home?
**Gabe Perreault:** We appreciate all the support! This is for you guys, and we’ll give it our all tomorrow to bring home the gold!
## Archyde Interview: Gabe Perreault on US Gold Medal Win and Facing Finland
**Archyde:** Gabe, congratulations on a massive win! That was an intense game against Czechia. How does it feel to be heading to the gold medal game?
**Gabe Perreault:** It feels unreal. This is what we came here for, and I’m so excited for tomorrow. We knew it would be a tough battle against Czechia. They’ve been playing great hockey all tournament, and they gave us everything we could handle.
**Archyde:** You and Ryan Leonard were on fire tonight. You guys seem to have a real connection out there.What’s it like playing alongside him?
**Gabe Perreault:** It’s so fun playing with him. We’ve played together for a while now, and when you have that kind of chemistry, it makes things a lot easier, especially in a high-stakes tournament like this.We’re lucky we were clicking tonight and able to get a couple of goals.
**Archyde:** Now you’re facing Finland in the final. They’ve got a strong team and a lot of history at the World Juniors. What are your thoughts on facing them?
**Gabe Perreault:** We no it’s going to be another tough test. Finland is a really skilled team, and they play hard. We need to clean up our puck management and turnovers from tonight’s game. If we stick to our game plan and play our best, I’m confident we can come out on top.
**Archyde:** The gold medal game is sure to be a thrilling showdown.Are you feeling any extra pressure proceeding this point?
**Gabe Perreault:** Physically and mentally, it’s wear and tear, but as a team, we’re going to rest up, recover, come with a good game plan and just play our best.
**Archyde:** Best of luck in the championship game, Gabe!
**Gabe Perreault:** Thank you!
