Photo: Andrew MacLean The New Jersey Devils survived a chaotic, late-game flurry in Columbus to secure their second straight victory on Monday night, defeating the Blue Jackets 3-2 to cap off their opening road trip. The star of the dramatic finish was forward Dawson Mercer, who netted a pair of goals—including the decisive empty-net marker—that momentarily gave the Devils a two-goal cushion before the Blue Jackets scored with 20 seconds left to keep the tension high until the final horn. Having collected four points out of a possible six on the road, New Jersey now turns its focus to the familiar roar of the Prudential Center crowd. The team finally heads home to Newark, where they will open their home slate on Thursday night with a pivotal early-season clash against the formidable Florida Panthers. New Jersey Devils Lineup: Palat - Hughes - Bratt Meier - Hischier - Mercer Gritsyuk - Glass - Brown Cotter - Glendening - Halonen Hughes - Pesce Siegenthaler - Hamilton Dillon - Neme...
Back-To-Back Champs: Team USA Wins Gold At 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship
On Sunday, January 5th, history repeated itself in a dramatic fashion as Team USA, fueled by an unwavering will to conquer, overcame a resilient Finnish squad 4-3 in overtime, securing a second consecutive gold medal and cementing their legacy as a dominant force in international hockey. Teddy Stiga, the hero of the hour, scored his first goal of the tournament, the golden goal, in overtime, igniting a wave of ecstatic cheers that echoed throughout the arena. It marked the first time in history that the U.S. has won back-to-back gold medals in the World Junior Championship.
Finland's Jesse Kiiskinen opened the scoring on the power play from the slot with 12:47 left in the first period. At 7:56, James Hagens found the equalizer, battling in front of the net following a shot from Ryan Leonard. Tuomas Uronen responded 59 seconds later from the top of the right circle to untie the knot to give Finland the 2-1 lead.
Emil Pieniniemi had extended Finland's lead to 3-1 at 15:04 of the second period from the right circle on a wrister. Firing a shot that deflected off a Finnish defender from the point, and finding the back of the net, Brandon Svoboda made it 3-2 with 2:22 left to play in the middle frame. Cole Hutson, who picked up one of the assists on the second USA tally, tied it up to 3-3 with just seconds remaining in the second when he collected a pass from Ryan Leonard, firing the puck from the slot and beat Petteri Rimpinen on the glove side.
After a scoreless third period, Teddy Stiga struck the golden goal at 11:56 in overtime on a breakaway, scoring five-hole for his first goal of the tournament. The opportunity had been set up by Zeev Buium, who sent Stiga a stretch pass and then found the back of the net for the 4-3 victory.
Notes:
- Trey Augustine made a total of 21 saves for the U.S., and picked up his 12th career victory win in the World Juniors.
- Ryan Leonard was named MVP of the tournament, finishing with 10 points (five goals, five assists)... Teddy Stiga was named U.S. Player of the Game after scoring the golden goal. ...Leonard also earned the Directorate Award as the Best Forward in the Tournament and was named to the Media All-Star Team along with both Cole Hutson and Gabe Perreault.
- Team USA outshot Finland 40-24, and the U.S. did not have a power play opportunity in the contest. ...Finland went 1-for-1.
- This is the seventh gold medal for Team USA in the IIHF World Junior Championship. The previous six came in 2024, 2021, 2017, 2013, 2010, and 2004.
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