GOTHENBURG, Sweden — Gabe Perreault scored twice and five other players had a goal as the U.S. routed Latvia 7-2 Tuesday to advance to the semifinals of the IIHF world junior championship.
Perreault, the New York Rangers‘ 2023 first-round pick, also had an assist as part of a dominant game by his line. Fellow 18-year-olds Will Smith, the No. 4 pick by San Jose, and Ryan Leonard, No. 8 to Washington, combined for three points.
The U.S. will next face Finland on Thursday with a spot in the gold medal game at stake.
The Americans’ victory came after tournament favorite Canada was knocked out in stunning fashion with a 3-2 quarterfinal loss to Czechia. St. Louis Blues prospect Jakub Stancl scored the go-ahead goal with 11.7 seconds left.
“It feels like the world’s ending a bit,” Canada captain Fraser Minten said. “Such an unbelievable opportunity for all of us in our careers. You never really know if you’re going to get another look representing your country or playing on such a global stage.”
The Canadians carried the play for most of the final 40 minutes before Stancl fired a shot on goal in the dying seconds of regulation that deflected off the leg of Canada defenseman Oliver Bonk — the son of Czech-born former NHL forward Radek Bonk — and beat goaltender Mathis Rousseau.
“Felt like I gripped my stick a bit too tight,” said Matthew Poitras, whom the Boston Bruins loaned to Canada for the tournament. “I feel like I kind of let some of these guys down, let the country down.”
Canada had won each of the previous two world junior tournaments and three of the past four. The only player back from the 2023 championship team, Owen Beck, said he and his teammates weren’t sure how they lost after erasing a two-goal deficit.
“Our heads are kind of just spinning right now,” Beck said. “It’s a horrible way to end things off here.”
Finland beat Slovakia 4-3 in overtime to join the U.S. and Czechia in the semifinals. Host Sweden faced Switzerland in the last quarterfinal game.