Petr Hauser and Matthias Sapovariv scored in a 3:11 span in the second period to give the Czech Republic a 4-2 lead over the United States in theWorld Junior Hockey Quarterfinals on Wednesday night..
Defending champions USA were eliminated 4-0 and lost in the round robin. There was no play.
"These games were tough and we struggled to play today," said US coach Nate Lehman.
The story continues under the ad
"The first 10 minutes were good, but I struggled to manage the pack. We are a great Czech team. They played hard and blocked a lot of shots. Hats off to them.”
Tomasz Ščanek to help the Czech Republic in the semi-final against Canada on Saturday night. Recorded his 28 saves. Canada beat Switzerland 6-3, Sweden beat Latvia 2-1 and Finland beat Germany 5-2.
READ MORE: Canada advances to World Junior semifinals after 6-3 win over Switzerland
Hauser on 7 Giving the Czech Republic the lead: a 34-second wrist shot hit into the top corner and Sapovaliv followed with a rebound at 10:45.
Carter Mazur pulled the USA in goal with 8:29 remaining as the US played his five-minute power run in Stanislav's Svodil kneeling major. Giri Creech put it away with an empty net with 1:32 remaining.
Story Continues Under Ad
Logan Cooley opened the scoring for the American with his 7:57. Jan Mysak equalized with 2:05 left in the period.
Kaidan Mbereko makes his 20 saves for the USA national team.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
