USA and Russia in final at World U17 Challenge

After posting semifinal wins Tuesday, the United States and Russia will meet in the gold medal game at the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge on Wednesday night.

The U.S. knocked off Sweden 2-1 in a shootout in the early semifinal, while Russia ended Ontario’s chances for back-to-back gold medals with a 4-3 overtime win in the late game.

The Americans will be looking for their fourth gold medal, having won the top prize in 2001, 2002 and 2010, while the Russians have won gold on one previous occasion, in 2000, although the Soviet Union won the gold medal in 1988.

In the early game, Evan Allen and Anthony Louis scored in the shootout for the Americans, while goaltender Thatcher Demko stopped both Swedish shooters as the U.S. advanced to the gold medal game for the fifth time in the last six U17 tournaments; it won gold in 2010, beating Ontario, but lost to Quebec in 2006 and Ontario in 2008 and last year. Michael McCarron scored the lone goal in regulation time for the U.S., while Leon Bristedt had the only goal for the Swedes.

In the late semifinal, Grigori Dikushin tied the game late in the third period andscored the winner 8:27 into overtime to send the Russians to the gold medal game for the first time since winning their lone gold in 2000. Hunter Garlentfinished with a goal and two assists for Ontario, which was trying to advanceto the gold medal game for the fifth year in a row.

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