We were back to a full slate of games on Day 4 of the World Juniors, featuring a mix of outcomes. There were a pair of one-sided contests, along with a couple of tightly contested games that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Here’s how it all unfolded.

Germany entered the game desperate for a win, while Sweden looked to remain perfect through three games.

Sweden was gifted an early power play, and team captain Anton Frondell opened the scoring just one minute 45 seconds into the game. Germany responded with the equalizer not long after, and the teams finished the opening period tied 1-1.

Early in the second period, Sweden’s Viggo Björck continued his strong tournament, scoring to restore Sweden’s lead. Germany had a prime opportunity to draw even with a five-on-three power play that lasted more than a minute, but Sweden blocked several key shots and kept Germany off the scoresheet. From there, Sweden took complete control. Three more goals in the period — including Björck’s second of the game — gave Sweden a commanding 5-1 lead after 40 minutes.

Germany turned to backup goaltender Lukas Stuhrmann for the third period. While he made several strong saves, the play remained heavily tilted in Sweden’s favour. Germany continued to take penalties, and much of the period was spent in its own zone. Sweden added three more goals in the third, including second tallies from Frondell and Berglund, to cruise to an 8-1 victory and remain unbeaten.

Germany’s match-up against Switzerland on Monday looms large, as the loser will be headed for the relegation game.

It was a difficult start for Finland. Just one minute six seconds into the game, Finnish defenceman Veeti Väisänen was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct for cross-checking. Down a defenceman for the remainder of the game, Finland was immediately in a tough spot. On the ensuing power play, Czechia struck first to take an early lead.

Penalty trouble continued for Finland throughout the opening period, but Czechia was unable to capitalize further — something it would later regret as the game wore on.

The second period took on an uncharacteristically feisty tone for Finland. Pre-faceoff jostling and post-whistle scrums were frequent, though neither team was able to gain an advantage. The period ended scoreless.

Czechia did an excellent job protecting its lead in the third period. Both teams traded chances, but the goaltenders stood tall and kept the score unchanged.

With the net empty and time winding down, it appeared Czechia had done enough to secure the win. Finland mounted one final push, working the puck deep below the goal line. With 19 seconds remaining, Leo Tuuva found Emil Hemming wide open in the slot, and Hemming made no mistake, tying the game at one and forcing overtime.

The opening minutes of overtime were cautious before the game suddenly opened up. Finland generated the first few chances, including a prime look from Julius Miettinen, who missed an open net when the puck rolled off the end of his stick. Moments later, the puck went the other way. Petr Sikora fed Adam Jiříček, who finished with a highlight-reel goal — pulling the puck between his legs to evade a poke check before roofing a between-the-legs shot to win the game for Czechia.

Czechia earned the victory, responding well after surrendering the late equalizer. The win also adds another layer of intrigue to what is shaping up to be a fascinating finish in the group standings.

The Americans struggled in the opening period. Slovakia struck twice in the first frame to stun the home crowd, prompting early thoughts of a potential upset on U.S. ice.

Slovakia continued to apply pressure early in the second period with a power play, but it was the Americans who struck shorthanded, cutting the deficit to one. About five minutes later, Slovakia responded with a shorthanded goal of its own to restore the two-goal cushion.

That opened the floodgates. Just two minutes later, Brendan McMorrow and Ryker Lee scored in quick succession to tie the game at three. Slovakia soon went back to the power play, where Michal Švrček capitalized to put his team back in front. Just before the intermission, 2025 seventh overall pick James Hagens scored to send the game into the third period tied.

Hagens picked up right where he left off, giving the Americans their first lead of the night just 18 seconds into the third. Will Zellers added his team-leading fourth goal of the tournament to provide some breathing room. From there, the Americans largely shut the game down.

Slovakia still generated a few quality looks, including a shot that rang off the crossbar on a wide-open net. With just over a minute remaining, Tomáš Chrenko scored his second of the game to pull Slovakia within one. However, the equalizer never came, and the United States held on for a wild, back-and-forth victory.

The Americans remain unbeaten and will face Sweden on New Year’s Eve with the group title on the line.

Canada needed a drama-free game that unfolded largely as expected — and that’s exactly what it delivered. The Canadians were utterly dominant throughout.

Canada struck for three goals in the opening period. Gavin McKenna opened the scoring with a wrist shot from the face-off circle. Tij Iginla followed with a great pass to Braeden Cootes, who finished to make it 2-0. To cap off the period, Flames prospect Zayne Parekh scored his third goal of the tournament. Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis once again provided a excellent depiction of the Parekh goal.

Denmark got one back early in the second period when Mads Klyvo beat Carter George short side, high over the shoulder, on just Denmark’s second shot of the game. Canada responded quickly. Parekh set up team captain Porter Martone, who made no mistake restoring the three-goal cushion. McKenna then added his second of the game from nearly the same spot in the faceoff circle to make it 5-1.

Denmark generated a bit of momentum late in the period, but George turned aside a couple of quality chances. Staying sharp can be a challenge for a goaltender facing limited action, making those late saves feel even more significant under the circumstances.

Canada reasserted full control in the third period. Michael Misa scored his first goal of the tournament, and shortly after, Gavin McKenna completed his hat trick, showcasing his good hands on a highlight-reel finish to make it 7–1. Kashawn Aitcheson followed with his first of the tournament, before Porter Martone picked the top corner from just above the goal line to give Canada nine goals on the night.

That would conclude the scoring as Canada cruised to a 9–1 victory, out-shooting Denmark 49–13.

Canada’s fate is now firmly in its own hands, needing a win on New Year’s Eve to secure first place in Group B. The better news is they can finish no worse than second in the group which means they’ll avoid both Sweden and the U.S. in the quarterfinals.

While Cole Reschny did not factor into the scoring, he was excellent once again. On Braeden Cootes’ goal, Reschny provided a strong moving screen, preventing the Danish netminder from getting a clear look at the shot. He was also solid on the face-off dot throughout the game winning six of his 10 draws.

Through three games, Zayne Parekh has arguably been Canada’s best player if not the best player in the entire tournament. He is noticeable every shift and consistently creates offensive opportunities. Parekh finished the game with his third goal and fifth point of the tournament. More people are beginning to understand just how good he can be. While there is still room for growth defensively – as their should be with a player his age – his offensive impact far outweighs any shortcomings. Parekh is going to be a special player and it’ll be exciting to see what he can do as the games get more important.

🇨🇭 Switzerland vs. 🇩🇪 Germany — 12 p.m. MST
🇱🇻 Latvia vs. 🇩🇰 Denmark — 2:30 p.m. MST