USA 4:3 FIN | USA - Finland (Hlinka Gretzky Cup)

Hlinka Gretzky Cup

Sweden – Russia	3:1 (end)	\|	USA – Finland	4:3 (after OT)	\|	Slovakia – Canada	2:3 (after OT)
Czech Republic – Switzerland	6:1 (end)

final/OT

USA

4:3 (1:1, 1:0, 1:2 - 1:0)

Finland

Monday 08.08.2016, 15:30 • Ice Bors Arena, Břeclav, Czech Republic • Hlinka Gretzky Cup • Group A

		Welcome. This game starts at 15:30 CET, 09:30 ET, 16:30 EET.
		Starting lineups: USA: Petruzzelli (Primeau) – Miller, Inamoto, Keane, Anderson, Walsh, Mirageas, Brickey, Phillips – Pratt, Poehling, McManus – Pastujov, Chmelevski, Lodnia – Miller, Kastelic, Dovorany – Dougherty, Messner, Seitz. Finland: Lehtinen (Luukkonen) – Isiguzo, Vaakanainen, Teräväinen, Vesterinen, Räsänen, Utunen, Viitasalo, Anttalainen – Nyman, Heponiemi, Moilanen – Virtanen, Talvitie, Parkkari – Pajuniemi, Koskenkorva, Engberg – Kerkkänen, Hartikainen, Seppälä. Referees: Čech, Hejduk – Gebauer, Lederer (all CZE).
		Warmups are over, the players are headed back to the dressing rooms approximately 15 minutes before the start of the game.
	00:01	Game started.
	00:32	The American team won the opening draw and got to the attacking zone quickly. Brannon McManus tried to surprise Lehtinen with a wicked wrister from the left circle, but his shot missed the target.
	00:56	Icing of team USA, faceoff in Suomi's offenzive zone.
	01:38	Joey Keane shoots from the blue line, but his shot is blocked by one of the Finnish players.
	02:14	Charlie Dovorany with a surprising attempt from the right corner, but Lehtinen managed to stop the puck and hold on.
	02:24	Team Finland had a bit of luck now, as the puck bounced towards one of the European team's defenders in the slot. Lehtinen wouldn't stand a chance in this case!
	03:32	Aleksi Heponiemi cuts right in on Petruzzelli but his shot didn't come through.
	04:08	Time passes by quickly with no scoring chances so far, but the Americans have a slight edge.
	04:42	Vanya Lodnia finds himself in the slot out of nowhere, but Lehtinen makes a great point blank save!
05:35
	05:35	Keith Petruzzelli holds on for the whistle, another faceoff in Finland's offensive zone will follow.
	06:09	Erkka Seppälä finds himself under pressure in his own zone but manages to dump the puck away eventually.
	06:41	Despite his 168lb frame, Dylan Seitz finished off a mighty check on one of the Finnish players, but no signal from the referees as play goes on.
	07:33	No icing, Teräväinen has to carry on playing. Finns are under pressure right from the beginning of each of their plays.
	08:19	Speedy Matt Miller almost manages to steal the puck in the offenzive zone, but Utunen did a great job to prevent Suomi from yet another dangerous situation.
	09:10	After a nice feed from Ronald Brickey, Seitz let go a wrister from the top of the left circle but Lehtinen holds on.
	10:04	A rare chance for Finland almost ended up in the net! Virtanen finds Talvitie in the slot but the young forward didn't complete the deke on Petruzzelli!
10:04
	10:59	Icing of team Finland, the play will continue in USA's offensive zone.
	12:10	Team USA will go on the powerplay, Lauri Pajuniemi (FIN) will serve the penalty for too many men on the ice.
	12:32	An important faceoff win for Finland and the whites manage to throw the puck away.
	13:07	Vanya Lodnia is showing his skills by the boards, but loses the puck eventually and the Finnish defence recovers.
	14:10	Team Finland has done a great job on this penalty kill, as Lehtinen didn't even have to make any save.
	14:56	Mark Kastelic turns around with the puck on his stick and a Finnish defenceman behind his back, but his pass doesn't fine Dovorany.
	15:31	Goal for Team USA! Pastujov feeds off Sascha Chmelewski who cuts in on Lehtinen but surprises everyone with a great pass on VANYA LODNIA, who made no mistake and shot the puck top shelf, where mama hides the cookies. Assisted by: Sascha Chmelevski, Michael Pastujov.
15:31 Lodnia (USA) - 1:0
	16:28	Team USA is clearly the better of the two sides right now, Finns are under sustained pressure.
	17:31	Reilly Walsh (FIN) hooks one of the Finnish players, Suomi will have a chance to reestablish their game on the powerplay.
	18:26	No shots came through so far though, the Americans now managed to clear the puck away.
	18:52	Goal for Team Finland! We have a tie game as the Finns manage to score out of nowhere! EERO TERÄVÄINEN receives a nice pass from Utunen and his shot from the top of the circles finds its way into the net, no chance for Petruzzelli here as he didn't see anything. Assisted by: Toni Utunen, Jesse Koskenkorva.
18:52 Teräväinen (FIN) - 1:1
	20:00	1st period finished.
		A period of fast-paced hockey is behind us. The Americans had a slight edge in possession and shots on goal, but only capitalized one and Team Finland managed to tie the game up thanks to Teräväinen's mighty shot. 2nd period begins at 16:13 CET.
	20:01	Start of 2nd period.
	20:24	Linus Nyman cuts in on the right side and gets through a sneaky no-look pass on Aleksi Heponiemi, but his shot from point blank is catched by Petruzzelli!
	20:47	Puck is in the stands, play will continue with a draw in Finland's offensive zone.
	21:27	Saku Vesterinen with a back pass towards Teräväinen, the whites don't want to make any mistakes and are very obedient in their own zone.
	22:15	Miller shoots from the left circle but Lassi Lehtinen manages to hold on.
	23:09	Ben Mirageas under pressure by Sami Moilanen, but the American d-man manages to skate away from the opponent and dump the puck away.
	23:56	Icing Team USA.
	24:19	Bernard Isiguzo with a risky pass from his own zone, but Poehling can't manage to get hold of the puck on the offensive blueline.
	25:27	Teemu Engberg cuts in on the left circle along the boards and feeds off Koskenkorva, whose shot is held by Petruzzelli.
	25:50	Vanya Lodnia dumps the puck towards Lehtinen from the boards and doesn't come far away from shocking the Finnish goaltender!
	26:43	Nice chance for Finland, but Moilanen's no look pass for Linus Nyman is blocked by one of the backchechking defencemen in the slot!
	28:03	Aame Talvitie with a wicked one-timer from between the circles but Petruzzelli freezes him with a blocker save!
	28:56	Finland is the better team in the second period almost halfway through the second frame, but Keith Petruzzelli is still keeping the game even.
	29:38	Virtanen (FIN) slashed one of the opponents, and he will spend the next two minutes in the box.
	30:37	Goal for Team USA! The pressure was so intense on this powerplay that it was just a matter of time until Team USA would score. To start the man advantage off, Chmelevski found Lodnia in the slot but his shot from point blank didn't end up in the net. A few seconds later, the two forwards switched their roles as Vanya Lodnia provided a great feed for SASCHA CHMELEVSKI and he made no mistake! Assisted by: Vanya Lodnia, Brannon McManus.
30:37 Chmelevski (USA) - 2:1
	32:28	The Finnish team is trying to get the opponents under pressure but that isn't happening as of now.
	33:35	Ryan Poehling (USA) will serve a two-minute penalty for holding.
	34:06	The Finnish defence completely forgets about Mick Messner who cuts in on Lehtinen from the left side but his slapper went wide!
	34:42	Puck is in the neutral zone, the American penalty kill unit is doing a great job on this Finnish powerplay.
	35:35	Poehling is back on the ice, Petruzzelli didn't even have to make a save on this penalty kill.
	36:14	The Finns win a tough battle for the puck in the corner, transition to the offensive zone and Lauri Pajuniemi managed to get a shot through from the blueline, but it went wide.
	36:57	Great job by the fourth line of Team Finland here as Heponiemi finds Sami Moilanen free in the right circle but Petruzzelli managed to save his wicked wrister!
	37:46	Vanya Lodnia cuts in on Lehtinen from the neutral zone but his shot from between the circle ends up in the glass behind the Finnish net!
	39:08	Joey Keane (USA) shot the puck out of the play, there will be yet another powerplay for Team Finland.
	39:55	My goodness! Petruzzelli was under sustained pressure in the last seconds of this period but managed to keep the puck away from the net!
	40:00	2nd period finished.
		Until Team USA managed to score the leading goal, the Finns were the better team in the second frame. However, since that moment, the Americans had the edge in possession, shots and chances. 3rd period begins at 16:55 CET.
	40:01	Start of 3rd period.
	40:48	Team Finland is still on the powerplay, but no shot came through as of yet.
	40:57	Not anymore. Linus Nyman tries his luck from the left circle but Petruzzelli manages to put his pads together quickly enough.
	41:19	After a risky pass by one of the American defenders, Linus Nyman gets to a one-timer from between the circles but Keith Petruzzelli freezes him with an incredible save!
	41:33	Penalty for USA (Poehling – 2 min., delay of game / shooting or throwing the puck out).
	42:54	Goal for Team Finland! We have a tie game once again as SAMI MOILANEN finds himself in the slot out of the blue after a great no-look feed by Nyman and gets the puck past Petruzzelli who stood no chance this time! Assisted by: Linus Nyman.
42:54 Moilanen (FIN) - 2:2
	44:11	Offside USA.
	44:29	Austin Pratt (USA) will serve a two-minuty penalty for interference.
	44:56	We have a line change now as Mark Kastelic dumps the puck to safety.
	45:46	The Americans managed to throw the puck out of their zone once again as the Finnish powerplay is nearing its end.
	46:29	Pratt is back on the ice, this was one of the worse Finnish powerplays out of those which we have seen.
	47:36	Joel Kerkkänen escapes from his guard and tries to find one of his teammates in front of the net but his pass isn't fast enough.
	49:03	A great chance for Finland and an even better save by Petruzzelli as Moilanen and Nyman get to an odd man rush but can't manage to get the puck to the net as Keith Petruzzelli makes a Hašek-style save!
	49:59	Both teams are switching their lines as the Finnish defensemen are holding the puck in their own zone.
	51:09	Goal for Team USA! The second offensive unit of Team USA comes clicking ones again! After an individual effort by Lodnia on the right wing, MICHAEL PASTUJOV got hold of the puck in the slot and fired it home! Unassisted.
51:09 Pastujov (USA) - 3:2
	52:05	The pressure is intense as the Finnish players cannot get the puck out of their own zone.
	52:27	However, an icing by Team USA shifts the game back to Finland's offensive zone.
	53:23	It is a battle for every puck right now as none of the teams can't manage to possess the puck for an ample amount of time.
	54:22	Mark Kastelic tries to surprise Lehtinen with a backhand shot from the point but the Finnish goaltender made no mistake here.
	55:11	Five minutes until the end of the third period, Team USA is controlling its one-goal lead.
	55:42	Icing by Team Finland returns the play in front of Lehtinen.
	56:09	Michael Pastujov with a great chance to put the game away but Lehtinen freezes him with an incredible point blank save!
	56:17	Sascha Chmelevski (USA) receives a minor penalty for slashing. What a great chance for Finland this is to tie the game!
	57:41	Eero Teräväinen tries his luck from the blueline but his shot goes just wide!
	57:48	Goal for Team Finland! After Teräväinen's original shot, Saku Vesterinen manages to hold the puck in the zone and feeds off EERO TERÄVÄINEN once again. This time, his shot ended up in the net! Assisted by: Saku Vesterinen.
57:48 Teräväinen (FIN) - 3:3
	58:37	Offside USA, faceoff in the neutral zone will follow.
	59:16	In the last minute of regulation, Austin Pratt tries his luck from the right circle but his shot is held by Lassi Lehtinen.
	59:52	How did this not end up in the back of the net?! Santeri Virtanen makes a terrible mistake in the neutral zone, Pastujov steals the puck away from him and dishes the puck to Chmelevski, who had a golden chance but failed to hit the puck!
	60:00	3rd period finished.
		Despite several chances for both teams, we didn't find the winner of this one after regulation time. A five-minute overtime will follow.
	60:01	Overtime began.
	60:18	Michael Pastujov tries his luck with a wraparound shot, but it went wide.
	61:15	My goodness, Aame Talvitie rings one of the pipe!
	61:57	Ryan Poehling almost finds himself on a breakaway but the puck gets away from him in the decisive moment.
	62:50	Tyler Inamoto couldn't hold the puck on the blueline as the puck slowly slides away to the neutral zone.
	63:47	No icing this time as Talvitie was much faster than Anderson, the game continues.
	64:35	Goal for Team USA! Game over! After several great chances on both ends of the ice, Tommy Miller finds RYAN POEHLING in the right circle and Poehling made no mistake! Assisted by: Tommy Miller.
64:35 4:3
64:35 Poehling (USA) - 4:3
		Game over.
		Best players of the game: Sascha Chmelevski (USA) – Eero Teräväinen (FIN) (17:33:35)

Commentary by

Vojtěch Balon

@VojtaBalon

Goals & lineups Match log

Goals and assists: 16. Lodnia (Chmelevski, Pastujov), 31. Chmelevski (Lodnia, McManus), 52. Pastujov, 65. Poehling (Miller) – 19. Teräväinen (Utunen, Koskenkorva), 43. Moilanen (Nyman), 58. Teräväinen (Vesterinen)

USA: Petruzzelli (Primeau) – Miller, Inamoto, Keane, Anderson, Walsh, Mirageas, Brickey, Phillips – Pratt, Poehling, McManus – Pastujov, Chmelevski, Lodnia – Miller, Kastelic, Dovorany – Dougherty, Messner, Seitz.

Finland: Lehtinen (Luukkonen) – Isiguzo, Vaakanainen, Teräväinen, Vesterinen, Räsänen, Utunen, Viitasalo, Anttalainen – Nyman, Heponiemi, Moilanen – Virtanen, Talvitie, Parkkari – Pajuniemi, Koskenkorva, Engberg – Kerkkänen, Hartikainen, Seppälä.

Referees: Čech, Hejduk – Gebauer, Lederer (all CZE)

1st period
	12:10	FIN	2	Pajuniemi, too many men
	15:31	USA	1:0	Lodnia (Chmelevski, Pastujov)
	17:31	USA	2	Walsh, hooking
	18:52	FIN	1:1	Teräväinen (Utunen, Koskenkorva)
1st intermission
2nd period
	29:38	FIN	2	Virtanen, slashing
	30:37	USA	2:1	Chmelevski (Lodnia, McManus)
	33:35	USA	2	Poehling, holding
	39:08	USA	2	Keane, delay of game / shooting or throwing the puck out
2nd intermission
3rd period
	41:33	USA	2	Poehling, delay of game / shooting or throwing the puck out
	42:54	FIN	2:2	Moilanen (Nyman)
	44:29	USA	2	Pratt
	51:09	USA	3:2	Pastujov
	56:17	USA	2	Chmelevski, slashing
	57:48	FIN	3:3	Teräväinen (Vesterinen)
After 3rd period
Overtime
	64:35	USA	4:3	Poehling (Miller)
Final/OT