Sweden made a commanding start to the World Junior Championship, cruising to a 5-2 victory over Slovakia on Thursday, led by defenceman Axel Sandin Pellikka’s impressive natural hat trick.
Sandin Pellikka, a Detroit Red Wings prospect participating in his third World Juniors, also contributed an assist as Sweden began its quest for a title, last achieved in 2012. Goals from Rasmus Bergqvist and Linus Eriksson rounded out Sweden’s scoring.
Slovakia’s Dalibor Dvorsky struck first, finding the back of the net just under 12 minutes into the opening period. However, Slovakia struggled offensively until Daniel Jencko scored a power-play goal with just 85 seconds remaining in the game.
Sweden is set to face Kazakhstan on Friday, while Slovakia prepares to meet Switzerland in their next matchup.
Czechia Powers Past Switzerland
Czechia delivered a strong statement with a 5-1 victory over Switzerland, building on momentum from last year’s bronze medal performance.
Goals from Miroslav Holinka, Eduard Sale, Ondrej Kos, Jakub Stancl, and Petr Sikora propelled Czechia to a dominant win. Tomas Galvas added two assists, while goaltending and defensive prowess limited Switzerland to just one goal, scored by Leo Braillard in the third period.
Czechia now enjoys a day off before facing Kazakhstan on Saturday, while Switzerland takes on Slovakia on Friday.
Team USA Overwhelms Germany
The United States began its title defense in spectacular fashion, defeating Germany 10-4 in a high-scoring affair.
Defenceman Cole Hutson led the charge with five assists, while James Hagens contributed two goals and two assists. Gabe Perreault and Brodie Ziemer each scored twice, supported by goals from Trevor Connelly, Brandon Svoboda, Carey Terrance, and Cole Eiserman.
Germany found the net through Julius Sumpf, David Lewandowski, Lenny Boos, and Timo Ruckdaschel but struggled to keep up with the relentless American attack. Goaltender Trey Augustine made 18 saves for the U.S., while Nico Pertuch faced a barrage of 56 shots, stopping 46.
Germany will take on Finland on Friday, with the U.S. enjoying a day off before facing Latvia on Saturday.
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