Czechia defeats Sweden in shootout to win bronze at World Juniors
Published
Eduard Sale scored a pair of goals in the shootout, including the winner, as Czechia defeated Sweden 3-2 (3-2) in a 14-round shootout to claim bronze at the World Juniors on Sunday.
The bronze marks Czechia's third straight medal at the tournament after going through a 17-year drought prior. Czechia won bronze in last year's tournament and silver in 2023.
Jakub Stancl and Sale scored for Czechia while David Edstrom recorded both goals for Sweden.
Michael Hrabal took the victory, stopping 30 of 32 shots while Gidlof made 30 saves in the loss.
Czechia went 1-for-1 on the power play while Sweden went 1-for-3 on the man advantage.
The United States later defeated Finland 4-3 in overtime on a winner from Teddy Stiga to capture their second straight World Junior gold.
Next year's tournament will take place in Minneapolis–Saint Paul in Minnesota.