US Advances to Ice Hockey World Final by Defeating Sweden 6-2

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — The United States defeated Sweden 6-2 on Saturday to advance to the finals of the ice hockey world championship. The match took place in Stockholm, setting up a showdown with Switzerland, who defeated Denmark 7-0 in the other semifinal.

This is the first time the U.S. has reached the final since 1950. Jeremy Swayman stood tall in the net for the Americans, stopping 27 shots throughout the game, while the U.S. aims for its first world title since 1933.

“It’s a good feeling,” said U.S. captain Clayton Keller. “There’s one more game to win. We’re going to focus on tomorrow.”

The U.S. got off to a strong start, taking a 2-0 lead in the first period, outshooting Sweden 13-3. Brady Skjei opened the scoring with a goal in the seventh minute. Cutter Gauthier soon followed, capitalizing on a rebound with less than three minutes remaining in the first.

Conor Garland added another score in the second period to make it 3-0, and Mikey Eyssimont extended the lead to 4-0 during a 4-on-2 rush. Sweden’s head coach switched goaltenders, replacing Jacob Markstrom with Samuel Ersson at the start of the third period.

Sweden attempted a comeback in the final period with goals from William Nylander and Elias Lindholm, narrowing the gap to 4-2. However, Jackson LaCombe scored for the U.S. to make it 5-2, and Shane Pinto sealed the match with an empty-net goal.

U.S. coach Ryan Warsofsky praised his team’s teamwork, saying, “Every single guy contributed, and I couldn’t be more proud of our group.”

Meanwhile, Switzerland also displayed a dominant performance in their semifinal, shutting out Denmark 7-0. They have never won a world championship title.

The bronze medal match will feature Sweden against Denmark next.