The U.S. opened the scoring just 1:09 into the game off the stick of John Beecher (Elmira, N.Y.). The play started in the U.S. zone where Blake McLaughlin (Grand Rapids, Minn.) sent a clearing pass up the ice to Kaliyev, who drifted into Sweden’s zone before sending a cross-ice feed to Beecher for a one-timer goal.
Knight was called upon early, making back-to-back saves during a Sweden man-advantage, to keep the U.S. up, 1-0. His best shorthanded save came when a Swedish passing play down low forced him from right-to-left before one extra pass to Tobias Bjornfot in the slot led to an attempt Knight batted away with his blocker by sliding back to his right.
The goaltender was called upon later in the period when a failed two-on-one opportunity by Sweden ended with a pass back to trailing Philip Broberg for a chance Knight was able to collect cleanly.
With 8:45 to play in the frame, Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.) and Jacob Pivonka (Woodridge, Ill.) nearly connected for a tally when Zegras generated a turnover at the left wall and found Pivonka alone in front for a tap-in try that was denied.
The middle stanza opened just like the first with the U.S. capitalizing a minute into play. This time, Jordan Harris (Haverhill, Mass.) intercepted a pass at the U.S. blue line, skated up the ice and sent a high shot on goal that went off Sweden’s goaltender, Olof Lindbom, and sailed in the air where Kaliyev batted the puck into goal for a 2-0 U.S. lead.
Three minutes later, Beecher nearly netted his second of the game with a breakaway chance but Lindbom stood tall to make the save.
With just :14 to play in the frame, Kaliyev extended Team USA’s lead to 3-0 when he one-timed a rebound off a shot from the point by Zac Jones (Glen Valley, Va.). Matthew Boldy (Millis, Mass.) also collected an assist on the play.
In the final stanza, McLaughlin added to the U.S. lead 2:26 into the frame by finishing a two-on-one opportunity with Trevor Janicke (Maple Grove, Minn.). At the 8:13 mark, Nick Robertson (Northville, Mich.) stole the puck at the Swedish blue line, skated in uncontested and faked the Swedish defender to the right before slipping the puck into the empty net to make it 5-0.
With under two minutes to go in the third, Zegras collected a pass from Jacob Pivonka (Woodridge, Ill.) and fired it home to account for the 6-0 final.
