The Americans got off to the start they wanted and, with a bit of luck, shot to 1-0 at 12:03. A simple clear-in bounced off the side rails incorrectly and the puck came out at the faceoff spot instead of rolling behind the net where goaltender Tomas Suchanek was.
Matt Coronato got to the puck first and shot quickly, but Suchanek dove back to get his stick on the puck. However, Logan Cooley got it right and shot it into the open net for his second goal of the tournament.
The Czechs were unlucky not to score first, however, as Tomas Urban fired a hard shot off the post, which stayed wide.
The USA continued to take the puck to their opponents, but the Czechs didn’t panic and played disciplined hockey inside their own lines. They didn’t test Mbereko much, but they tied the game at 17:55. The game started in the corner as Kulich won a puck battle back to the point. Captain Jan Mysak skilfully deflected a long-range shot from Jiri Tichacek into the front, making it 1-1.
It was the Czechs who came out and dominated the second half in which the Americans looked decidedly lost and uncharacteristically floored. Suchanek was solid but not tested often and the Czechs created far more chances than the two goals they scored.
They took the lead for the first time at 7:34 with an easy game. Petr Hauser made a small pass to Ivan Ivan and he was allowed to go into the circle where he fired a nasty shot from the far post and into the goal. They extended their lead three minutes later after a bad slip by Mbereko. Matyas Sapovaliv’s routine shot slipped through the keeper’s kit and dribbled over the line, giving the Czech Republic extra confidence and further dampening US spirits.
In the third it got worse and worse. In less than three minutes, Brett Berard was rated five and one play for a slew foot. But the Americans expertly killed that and then got a five-minute power play to themselves when Svozil pinned Colley with a knee-to-knee at Czechia’s blue line.
Sure enough, the US conceded in a tussle in front, Carter Mazur lifted the puck over an outstretched Suchanek at 11:31 to make it a one-goal game. But the Czech Republic managed to limit the damage to that one goal thanks to Suchanek, who robbed Mazur from close range moments later.
Mbereko went on the bench with 1:40 left and a lead in the Czech final, but a freebie allowed Kulich to steal the puck and score an empty neter to seal the win.