United States tops Canada 4-3 in shootout in semifinal of Hlinka Gretzky Cup

BRNO — Joseph Salandra, Nikita Klepov and Blake Zielinksi scored in the shootout as the United States beat Canada 4-3 on Friday in the semifinals of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

The U.S. will play Sweden in Saturday’s gold-medal game, while Canada will face Finland for third place earlier that day.

“We are disappointed with today’s loss, and there are not many words that can cheer us up right now,” said Canadian captain Keaton Verhoeff. “We need to come out tomorrow and prove a point that we are a good team and that today’s game was just a one-off.”

Zielinksi also had a power-play goal in regulation time for the Americans, while Noah Davidson and Luke Puchner also scored.

Brady Knowling made 34 saves through regulation and overtime, turning aside three of four skaters in the shootout for the win.

Tynan Lawrence and Mathis Preston had goals in the third period as Canada erased a 3-1 deficit.

“We fought back today, and obviously there are always certain details that could be better when you lose a game,” said head coach Mathieu Turcotte. “We felt that we took control of the game in the third period, but unfortunately we could not finish the job.”

Ethan Belchetz had the other Canadian goal as Gavin Betts stopped 29 shots but allowed three American goals in the shootout.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2025.