U-18 World Championship Roundup: Raymond’s hat trick leads Sweden to first gold

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Sweden captured its first gold medal on the U-18 World Championship on the power of a three-goal efficiency from 2020 draft prospect Lucas Raymond.Sweden celebrates a purpose.|Erik Martensson/Getty ImagesThree-goal evening from Raymond provides Sweden prime prizeFor the primary time in U-18 World Championship historical past, Sweden has gained gold, defeating Russia Four-Three in additional time on Sunday.
2020 draft prospect Lucas Raymond led the best way with three targets for Sweden, together with the additional time winner. He kicked off the sport with a giant transfer for the opening purpose of the competition, dancing round a defender to make it 1-Zero earlier than the primary interval hit the midway level. Raymond scored once more with lower than 10 minutes remaining in regulation to drive additional time, then delivered championship clincher within the additional body. Simon Holmstrom was the opposite purpose scorer for Sweden.
Vasili Podkolzin, who was closely criticized for his lackluster play all through the match, scored his first of the match within the second interval and practically had one within the dying minutes of the third interval, just for Swedish goaltender Hugo Alnefelt to come back up huge with a goal-line cease. Rodion Amirov and Maxim Groshev additionally scored for Russia.
With the win, Sweden grew to become the second workforce to win the match on residence ice, following within the footsteps of america in 2009. Sweden’s U-18 workforce final gained gold on the 2007 Hlinka-Gretzky match. Russia hasn’t gained gold on the match since 2007, and that is the nation’s first silver since 2009.
USA retains medal streak alive with huge win over CanadaIt wasn’t the colour they needed, however america managed to increase it’s U-18 World Championship medal streak to 16 years with a 5-2 win over Canada.
Jack Hughes was within the highlight as soon as once more, his purpose and three factors propelling him one level previous Alex Ovechkin (31 factors) for the match’s all-time scoring file. Hughes’ tournament-best 20 factors fell one in need of matching Nikita Kucherov’s single-tournament file set again in 2011.
Defenseman Cam York had two targets and an help for the Individuals, additional cementing his perch because the highest-scoring blueliner in match historical past, together with his 17 factors topping Ryan Murphy and Miro Heiskanen, who scored 12 every. Forwards Bobby Brink and Alex Turcotte additionally scored for USA.
The sport signalled the tip of an period for a United States Nationwide Growth Group Program roster that was thought of to be one among greatest in program historical past. Hughes will grow to be the primary participant to go straight to the NHL from the U.S. NTDP subsequent season, a program that has produced the likes of Auston Matthews, Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel. Hughes is the U-18 program’s all-time factors chief with 176 factors in 84 video games – he began final 12 months with the U-17 workforce – whereas Zegras and York completed seventh and eighth, respectively.
Dylan Cozens and Nathan Legare had been the purpose scorers for Canada. Nolan Meier made 36 saves in web in a dropping effort after Taylor Gauthier was in web for Saturday’s loss.
Slovakia relegated for 2020Because of a 6-Three victory in Recreation Three of the relegation collection, Switzerland will keep within the prime match subsequent April. Six totally different gamers scored for the Swiss, led by 2020 prospect and workforce captain Simon Knak. Jozef Hascak had two targets for Slovakia in a dropping effort.
Slovakia, who made the quarterfinals in every of the previous 5 years, has been demoted to Division IA. Slovakia would be the lone workforce competing on the Hlinka-Gretzky match in August – a match they’re co-hosting with the Czech Republic – to not play within the U-18 World Championship subsequent spring.
Germany will take Slovakia’s place in 2020, making it as much as the highest occasion for the primary time since 2015.
THREE STARS:
Lucas Raymond (SWE): Underaged ahead leads the best way with a hat-trick in most vital recreation of his profession.
Jack Hughes (USA): Prime prospect grew to become the all-time factors chief on the U-18s after three-point recreation.
Vasili Podklolzin (RUS): After a troublesome match, the polarizing winger got here up huge with a purpose and an help.
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Tags: iihf, worldwide hockey, u-18 world championshipConnect: Concerning the AuthorSteven EllisSteven Ellis is a Digital Content material Producer for The Hockey Information. He spends his free time listening to music you would not like and watches obnoxiously-long motor races.