WATCH: Team USA Defeats Sweden 6-2 in the World Juniors Gold Medal Championship Game, Proudly Sings National Anthem on the Ice

The USA junior hockey team defeated Sweden 6-2 and took home the gold medal in the national championship on Friday in Gothenburg, Sweden.

This is the team’s sixth gold medal in the tournament.

Team USA Hockey reports,

GOTHENBURG, Sweden — The U.S. National Junior Team, behind two goals from Isaac Howard (Hudson, Wis./Michigan State University/Tampa Bay Lightning) and goals from four additional players, defeated Sweden, 6-2, here tonight in the gold-medal game of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. It marks the sixth gold medal for the United States in the tournament all time.

“The guys played excellent today,” said David Carle(Anchorage, Alaska/University of Denver), head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. “It’s a joy for them. They focused on getting to this game and playing their best for the last game of the tournament and I thought they did that. It’s a great honor to be a part of a winning team.”

The U.S. finished the tournament with a 6-1-0-0 record and Team USA earned its 15th tournament medal.

NOTES: Isaac Howard was named the U.S. Player of the Game … Cutter Gauthier was named the Best Forward of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship … Cutter Gauthier and Lane Hutson each earned a spot on the Media All-Star Team … Team USA and Sweden were even with 26 shots each … Team USA was 0-2 on the power play, while Sweden was 1-2 …  The U.S. won its sixth gold medal in the IIHF World Junior Championship, with the previous five coming in 2021, 2017, 2013, 2010 and 2004 … Isaac Howard finished tied for the most goals at the 2024 IIHF World Championship (7) and Gauthier finished tied for the most points with 12 (2g-10a).

The Athletic has more on the championship game and history between the two teams:

Late in the third period, as the lead ballooned to three and then four goals, Rutger McGroarty and Ryan Leonard each blew the sold-out Scandinavium crowd a kiss goodbye.

With 31 seconds left, the bad blood boiled over at centre ice, 5-foot-9 Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson throwing punches at 6-foot-4 Red Wings prospect Anton Johansson.

It was the culmination of a years-in-the-making moment, and an exhale for an American group of teenagers who’d spoken it into existence.

For two years, USA’s 2004 age group had talked about exacting revenge on goaltender Hugo Havelid and the Swedes who bested them for gold at the 2022 under-18 world championships in Germany.

Following their victory, the team put on a patriotic performance of our National Anthem with smiles on their faces, displaying American Greatness at its finest.

Watch below:

USA junior hockey team proudly sings the National Anthem after defeating Sweden to win Gold in the world championship pic.twitter.com/ZCPpMuwdj5

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 6, 2024