ST. PAUL — Two years ago, Team USA thumped Sweden 6-2 in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship gold-medal game on its home ice in Gothenburg.
The year prior, the U.S. prevailed 8-7 in the bronze-medal game and ruined Sweden’s medal chances at the tournament in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
At last, Sweden changed the narrative on Wednesday night at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
The Swedes found revenge three years in the making, defeating the U.S. 6-3, spoiling its chances as the top seed in Group A and its New Year’s Eve celebration in front of a sold-out crowd, this time on American soil.
“The rivalry between Sweden and the U.S.A. is huge, and we love to play these games,” said forward Lucas Pettersson, who scored two of Sweden’s six goals and is signed with the Anaheim Ducks. “As a hockey player, it’s these games you want to play in front of this crowd. Big game.”
When the Swedes hit the ice during introductions, they were met with deafening “boos,” but they didn’t seem to care. In fact, they welcome the taunts.
The game was chippy from the start, and the stakes only increased with every shove and insult thrown on the ice.
“We love the boos,” Pettersson said. “They had the same thing when they came to Sweden and won their gold medal. We don’t like them, they don’t like us, kind of thing.”
Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin
While the stands were mostly filled with fans dressed in red, white and blue, there were small sections of bright yellow, waving flags and proudly cheering on Sweden. Many of them are close family and friends of the players who traveled abroad for the tournament.
Most of the current Swedish players were not on the ice the last time the team met the U.S., but they remember watching the game on TV. This year, Sweden proved to be the better team.
The Swedes were a perfect 3-for-3 on power play opportunities, bringing their tournament percentage to 50% (9-for-18). Goaltender Love Harenstam, a 2025 St. Louis Blues draft pick, was stellar in between the pipes, finishing the night with 28 saves on 31 shots.
“I think everyone on the team is really skilled and (has) a high competitive level,” said forward Eddie Genborg, a 2025 second-round draft pick by the Detroit Red Wings, who scored Sweden’s second and fifth goals of the night.
Sweden is undefeated at 4-0-0-0 heading into the medal rounds after pool play, but Wednesday’s win felt different than the others.
“It’s the first, probably real tester for us,” Pettersson said. “We’ve had tight games, but not really this type of game to match our level. I feel we’ve had a lot of puck possession the first three games, and this is kind of back and forth, and it’s a real tester for us. We came out on top, and it’s great.”
Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin
It’s a crucial win for the Swedes, now the top seed out of Group A, but they are far from satisfied.
“(The win is) good for confidence for the boys and everything like that, but in the end, it doesn’t mean that much, because we still need to beat every team to win the gold,” Harenstam said. “So yeah, but of course, it’s a nice win to have in the baggage.”
Next up, Sweden will face Group B’s fourth-seeded Latvia in the quarterfinals at 1 p.m. on Friday at GCA
“I think everyone on the team wants to win it, and they’re going to do everything to win this gold medal,” Genborg said.
Full tournament coverage
Click on the image above to read comprehensive coverage of the 2026 World Junior Championship tournament.
Click on image to read comprehensive coverage of the 2026 World Junior Championship tournament.
