U.S., Trey Augustine win back-to-back World Junior golds

Trey Augustine on Sunday helped the United States do something it’s never done before at the World Junior Championship – win back-to-back gold medals.

Augustine, selected 41st overall in 2023 by the Detroit Red Wings, made 21 saves and Teddy Stiga scored on a breakaway at 8:04 of overtime to lift the U.S. past Finland 4-3 in the championship game at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.

Zeev Buium (Denver, 12th overall to Minnesota in 2024) made the pass to spring free Stiga (Boston College, 55th overall to Nashville in 2024), who beat goaltender Petteri Rimpinen five-hole.

Augustine, a sophomore at Michigan State, went 4-1 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in the tournament.

“They had a better start; there’s no excuse there, but you saw the way we played in the last ten minutes the second,” U.S. captain Ryan Leonard, who was named tournament MVP, said in a story posted in iihf.com. “The ice was tilted and they didn’t really have the puck, and we tied it up. In the third, the puck didn’t go in but all the chances were there. We knew if we stuck to our game, good things would happen.”

Leonard (Boston College, No. 8 overall to Washington in 2023) had two assists and finished the tournament with five goals and 10 points, one fewer than teammate and defenseman Cole Hutson (Boston University, 43rd overall to Washington in 2024), the leading scorer (three goals, eight assists).

Max Plante, the Red Wings’ second-round selection in 2024 (47th overall), had an assist Sunday and finished with three points (goal, two assists) and a plus-3 rating in six games.

Red Wings forward prospect Jesse Kiiskinen scored a goal for Finland and finished with a team-high six goals and seven points.

Kiiskinen opened the scoring at 7:13 of the first period and Finland built a 3-1 lead before Brandon Svoboda (17:38) and Hutson (19:31) scored 1:53 apart late in the second period to tie it.

This is Team USA’s seventh overall gold medal since the event became official in 1977.

Czechia 3, Sweden 2 (SO): Eduard Sale scored the decisive goal in a marathon 14-round shootout that earned Czechia the bronze medal.

It was a disappointing end for Sweden, the only unblemished team during pool play (4-0) and won their first five games. Red Wings defense prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka, who had an assist and registered four shots in 26:44, finished with 10 points in seven games (four goals, six assists).