Team USA’s bid for a third straight World Juniors gold ended Friday night in St. Paul, as Finland knocked out the Americans 4–3 on an overtime winner at Grand Casino Arena. It’s the same final score as last year’s gold medal game — a 4–3 overtime U.S. win over Finland — but this time the roles flipped, sending the defending champs home in the quarterfinals.
After a scoreless first period, the U.S. struck first 35 seconds into the second. Cole Hutson opened the scoring at 0:35 to make it 1–0, giving the Americans an early foothold in a tight-checking game.
Finland answered at 4:46 of the second when Heikki Ruohonen tied it 1–1, and the middle frame stayed tense until a key special-teams moment swung it back to the U.S. With Finland called for too many players at 9:37 of the period, the Americans went to the power play and cashed in at 10:15 when Cole Eiserman scored to put the U.S. back in front 2–1.
That 2–1 lead held into the third, but Finland turned the game in a late push. With 7:17 remaining, Leo Tuulva tied it 2–2 at 12:43 of the third. Just 55 seconds later, Joona Saarelainen scored at 13:38 to give Finland its first lead of the night, 3–2, with 6:22 left.
Down a goal in the final minutes, the U.S. pulled goalie Nick Kempf for an extra attacker and got the equalizer with 1:33 remaining. Ryker Lee scored at 18:27 of the third to tie it 3–3 and force overtime.
Overtime ended at 2:11 when Arttu Valila scored the winner for Finland to complete the 4–3 decision and close the door on the U.S. medal defense.
The loss closes a remarkable recent chapter for the U.S. program at this tournament. Team USA entered Minnesota as the two-time defending champion after winning gold in 2024 (a 6–2 win over host Sweden in Gothenburg) and again in 2025 (a 4–3 overtime win over Finland in Ottawa).