Opening Surge
The United States opened the scoring early, with Ryan Leonard slipping a shot past the Hungarian netminder just 2 minutes and 9 seconds into the middle stanza, putting the Americans up 3‑0.
Power‑Play Precision
Tkachuk doubled the lead on the power play at 18:22, his shot finding the back of the net to make it 4‑1.
Faulk’s Second Strike
Justin Faulk added his second goal of the night at 7:52, a quick wrist shot after a feed from a teammate, extending the lead to 5‑1.
Hungary’s Fightback
Csanad Erdely trimmed the deficit with a goal at 10:19, and later halved the margin again at 7:15 of the third period after a deflection.
Woll’s Heroics
Goaltender Joseph Woll made a spectacular shorthanded save with 11:01 left, preserving the lead while the Americans outshot Hungary 48‑17.
Late Surge and Final Score
Leonard struck again at 18:13 to push the margin to 5‑1, before Max Plante capped the scoring with his first tournament goal at 19:33, sealing a 7‑3 final.
Woll finished with 14 saves, earning the win, and the U.S. converted 3 of 5 power‑play chances, outscoring Hungary 7‑3.
Road to the Quarterfinals
With the victory, Team USA locked up a quarterfinal berth, setting up a showdown with Austria the following day, a game that could determine their path forward in the tournament.
Justin Faulk was named U.S. Player of the Game after contributing two goals and an assist, underscoring his impact on the offensive surge.