Sweden Ends Canada Run in 4-2 Hockey Score at U-18 Worlds
Sweden’s 4-2 win over Canada delivered the sharpest hockey score of Wednesday at the IIHF U-18 Men’s World Championship in Slovakia and ended Canada’s bid for a third straight world U18 men’s title. Czechia, Latvia and Slovakia also moved into Friday’s semifinal round after quarterfinal wins.
Canada had reached the final four with gold on the line in each of the past two tournaments, but Sweden shut the door on that run with a two-goal margin. The semifinal field is now set from a quarterfinal round that also produced a 2-1 Czechia win over Finland, a 5-2 Latvia victory over the United States and a 7-1 Slovakia result against Denmark.
Sweden Stops Canada
Canada’s loss to Sweden carried the heaviest consequence in the bracket. The defending champions were pushed out of medal contention before the semifinal stage, while Sweden moved on after scoring four times and holding Canada to two.
The final scoreline matched the cleanest separator in the round. Sweden turned that into the result that changed the tournament picture most, because the quarterfinals were not just about advancing; they decided who would still be alive for gold on Friday.
Czechia Behind Psohlavec
Czechia’s path came through Martin Psohlavec, who made 35 saves in a 2-1 win over Finland. He handled 16 shots in the second period and stopped all 12 he faced in the third, giving Czechia the margin it needed after Adam Klaus and Tadeas Cifka scored.
Finland got its only goal from Paavo Fugleberg, but Czechia protected the lead and kept moving. Psohlavec, the 17th-ranked European-based goaltender according to NHL Central Scouting, entered the game with a 3-0-0 record in the tournament and had eight shutouts at the Czech U-20 level.
Latvia, Slovakia Advance
Latvia added another bracket turn with a 5-2 win over the United States, and it did so without ever trailing. That was a first for Latvia against the United States, which made the victory more than just another step into the semifinals.
Slovakia completed the final four by beating Denmark 7-1. The host nation joined Sweden, Czechia and Latvia in Friday’s semifinal action after a day that settled the tournament’s top tier in full.
The other result on Wednesday came in the relegation game, where Germany beat Norway 4-3. Niklas Aaram-Olsen scored a hat-trick for Norway, but Germany will be replaced by Switzerland in 2027 while Norway stays in the top division for a fifth consecutive year.
