GRAND FORKS, N.D. – It was do-or-die time at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships on Friday, as the quarterfinal round took place from the Twin Cities.
 
WORLD JUNIORS: Finland 4, United States 3 (OT)
The quest for a third straight gold came to an end in the quarterfinals for the United States, as the Americans dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker in overtime to Finland in a rematch of last year's gold medal game.
 
It was a back-and-forth affair that saw both teams hold a lead in the third period, but the Finns struck just two minutes into the extra frame to advance to the semifinals.
 
Froward Will Zellers notched yet another point, as the Maple Grove, Minn., native picked up an assist on the game-tying goal late in the third period. The rookie, who did not see the ice in 3-on-3 overtime, recorded at least one point in each game for Team USA.
 
Following the game, Zellers was named as one of Team USA's top-3 players and closed his tournament with five goals and three assists for eight points in five games.
 
Defenseman EJ Emery played just over four minutes of action in the contest and finished the tournament with just only one goal against while on the ice. Goaltender Caleb Heil also went 2-0-0 in his two starts during preliminary play.
 
WORLD JUNIORS: Canada 7, Slovakia 1
Canada showed no signs of a quarterfinal exit this year, rolling to a 7-1 win over Slovakia in the final quarterfinal of the day from 3M Arena in Minneapolis.
 
After being held off the scoresheet in the final game of group play, all three UND products notched at least one point in the win. Forward Cole Reschny opened the scoring with a tally in the first period while once again pacing all Canadian skaters with a 12-4 night in the faceoff circle.
 
Defenseman Keaton Verhoeff had his best game of the tournament, dishing out a pair of assists for his first multi-point night of the event. Verhoeff also logged just under 11 minutes of action and was a plus-2 rating while fellow blueliner Ethan MacKenzie had one assist in 12:20 of ice time.

Canada advances to the semifinals and will take on Czechia at 7:30 p.m. (CT) from Grand Casino Arena on Sunday on NHL Network and TSN.  
 
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