The United States opened their final group‑stage match with a 4‑1 victory over Austria, a result that secured fourth place in Group A and set up a quarterfinal showdown with the tournament’s Group B leaders. Connor Clifton broke the deadlock at 5:34, and just 45 seconds later Ryan Ufko doubled the lead with a crisp slap shot from the point. Paul Cotter extended the advantage early in the middle period, and Matthew Tkachuk capped the scoring with a power‑play rebound at 31:52. Goaltender Devin Cooley turned away 25 shots, ensuring the lead held through to the final buzzer, while Austria’s Simeon Schwinger found the net to avoid a shutout.
Quarterfinal Showdown
The win also resonated with the Americans’ narrow 2‑1 overtime triumph over Canada in the Milan Cortina Olympic final, a memory that adds extra spice to the upcoming clash with the Group B champions.
Sweden's Path to the Last Eight
Sweden, the bronze‑medalist from the past two editions, booked their spot in the last eight by defeating Slovakia 4‑2 in Group B. Ivar Stenberg, a top prospect for next month’s NHL draft, opened the scoring, and Anton Frondell and Jakob Silfverberg added their names to the sheet before Oliver Ekman‑Larsson sealed the win with an empty‑net goal.
Latvia and Norway Advance
Latvia routed Hungary 8‑1 to climb to third in Group A, while Norway needed overtime to edge Denmark 4‑3, marking their first quarterfinal appearance since 2012.
The quarterfinal matchups will see the United States meet Canada, Sweden face the winner of the Switzerland‑Finland contest, and Latvia take on the other of those two teams, setting the stage for a dramatic continuation of the championship.