Team USA advances to gold-medal game at U18 Worlds

By @MichaelCaples –

One more game to play…with gold on the line.

With a 4-1 victory over the Czech Republic in the semifinals of the 2018 IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship today, Team USA has secured its spot in the gold-medal game of the prestigious international tournament.

The U.S. will battle Finland in the final game, which will be played at 10:30 a.m. ET Sunday morning. Fans can watch the game live on the NHL Network.

Jack Hughes, Oliver Wahlstrom, Spencer Stastney and Tyler Weiss all scored for Team USA in the semifinal victory, while Spencer Knight stopped 16 of the 17 shots sent his way.

Hughes, a 16-year-old, now holds the overall scoring lead in the tournament with 12 points.

Now, Team USA officially has a chance to defend its’ U18 Worlds title. The U.S. will be in its ninth title in the last 10 years.

USA Hockey has won gold in the tournament 10 times, and they have finished first seven times out of their last nine tries.

Meanwhile, Finland will be its fourth-straight U18 Worlds championship game. The Finns beat rival Sweden 2-0 in the other semifinal game played today.