Juniorkronorna secured a convincing 6-3 victory over host nation USA in their final group stage match of the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships on New Year's Eve. Lucas Pettersson starred with two goals, including a taunting gesture that silenced the crowd in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The win sets up a quarterfinal clash with Latvia on Friday.
The match in Saint Paul provided a thrilling end to Sweden's group stage, with the team extending their winning streak to three. Casper Juustovaara opened the scoring for Sweden, but it was the second period where Juniorkronorna dominated, surging to a 5-1 lead. Eddie Genborg and Lucas Pettersson each netted two goals during this stretch, with Pettersson's third goal of the tournament featuring a gesture where he covered his ears, quieting the home crowd.
Pettersson reflected on the intense atmosphere: "Det är de här matcherna man vill spela som hockeyspelare eftersom det är otroligt mycket fans och en grym inramning, speciellt på nyår." His second goal, a powerful shot into the top corner, caught the USA goaltender off guard. Pettersson now has four goals in the tournament.
USA mounted a comeback in the third period, narrowing the gap to 5-3, but Ivar Stenberg sealed the victory with a power-play goal to make it 6-3. Stenberg commented: "Det är kul att tysta ner dom och visa vilka som är det bästa teamet."
Controversy arose late when Pettersson was hit hard from behind by USA's AJ Spellacy in the third period. Pettersson, who had to leave briefly but returned, described it as coming from his "blind side" and admitted he was unprepared. SVT expert Håkan Loob criticized the referees sharply: "Det är ett överfall. Han har ingen chans att skydda sig." Despite calls for a match penalty, officials issued only a two-minute minor, drawing further ire from experts who said the referees lost control of the high-stakes game.
Love Härenstam also faced scrutiny after a two-minute penalty for diving, but he downplayed it: "Domarna tar det jag bryr mig inte så mycket." Sweden's strong performance, especially in the second period, earned high praise from SVT commentators as one of the best by a Swedish junior team.
The victory positions Sweden as favorites in their quarterfinal against Latvia on Friday at 20:00 Swedish time, broadcast on SVT.
