However, the U.S. regained its lead after Pitner scored from the left faceoff dot on a powerplay. Will Zellers (Maple Grove, Minn.) and Aidan Park (Playa Vista, Calif.) collected assists on the play.
Swizterland had an opportunity to tie it up again with a penalty shot with 1:20 left in the second, but netminder Caleb Heil (Victoria, Minn.) made the stop.
Alexander Bales (East Amherst, N.Y.) gave the U.S. a 4-2 lead at the 6:27 mark in the third period, carrying the puck into the zone and burying a shot from the left circle off a pass from DellaSalla. And Zellers solidified a 5-2 win for Team USA with an empty net, shorthanded goal with 14 seconds left to play.
Heil started his first game of the tournament, tallying 23 saves for the U.S.
The U.S. continues play in the 2022 Athletix Five Nations Tournament against Slovakia on Friday (Aug. 12) at Ed Robson Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) and the game can be seen live on Hockey TV.
