USA wins eighth WJAC gold with shutout over Russia

The United States of America have won gold for the eighth time at the World Junior A Challenge after taking down a very strong Russian team by a score of 2-0 on Sunday in Bonnyville, Alberta.

The loss marked the first loss of the tournament for Russia, who also beat the Americans 4-3 on Friday to lead the group into the medal round. 

Unlike the more free-for-all style the two teams were accustomed to in the first match-up between USA and Russia that saw seven goals, Sunday’s contest saw a large focus on the defensive style of both teams. Still, the United States managed to score the first goal, with USHL star Bobby Brink scoring at 2:52 on the power play after some incredible passes between him and Matt Brown.

But then, the goaltending started to shine. While there weren’t a whole lot of high-danger scoring chances at either end, Isaiah Saville would go on to stop 16 shots through 40 minutes, while Yaroslav Askarov would stop 13 of USA's chances in that time frame. Saville and Askarov had proved to be two of the best goaltenders throughout the entire tournament, with Askarov looking like a future NHL star with every start he makes with Russia this season. Both goalies would remain perfect going forward, but an empty-netter by Trevor Janicke in the final minute would seal the deal for the Americans, who would go on to win gold.

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