USA Scores Double Digits in Ottawa

Day One at the World Junior Championship

Group A

The United States and Germany started the Group A action on the opening day of the WJC. The Germans put up a good scrap, at one point coming within a goal in the second when they trailed 2-3 on the powerplay. The Americans responded quickly and romped the Germans 10-4.

After a potential comeback for the Germans the United States skaters completely took over. By the end of the third the US had taken 56 shots on goal with only 22 against. Defenceman Cole Hutson picked up 5 assists in 20:48 of ice time while James Hagens, Gabe Perreault, and Brodie Ziemer each had 2 goals. Hagens had 2 assists to boot, and Perreault had 1 for himself.

Worth noting on the American side is the 4 goals allowed by Trey Augustine. Augustine faced just 22 shots and ended the day stopping 81.8 per cent of shots faced. The American goalie can only hope to be a little more on the ball moving forward. A 10-goal performance is nothing to look past but the Americans will definitely expect better of their goaltender moving forward.

At the end of day one the Americans are happy to walk away with the win over the Germans. Team America will play next the afternoon of Saturday the 28th when they take on Latvia. The Germans will take on Finland, one of the strongest teams in the tournament in the second game of the day tomorrow (December 27th). The Finns will be a tough contender as they look to rebound after falling to team Canada on the opening day of the tournament.