SASKATOON, Saskatchewan — John Carlson scored in overtime to give the United States a 6-5 victory over Canada in the world junior hockey championships Tuesday night.
Carlson beat goaltender Martin Jones on a 3-on-1 after U.S. goalie Jack Campbell made a save at the other end. It was the second goal of the game for Carlson.
“I kind of closed my eyes, and it went in,” Carlson of his winner. “It was unbelievable.”
Chris Kreider, Jerry D’Amigo, Jordan Schroeder and Derek Stepan also scored for the Americans. University of Denver freshman defenseman Matt Donovan and Ryan Bourque, son of former Avalanche defenseman Ray Bourque, assisted on Schroeder’s first-period goal.
Canada never led, but Jordan Eberle scored two goals in the final three minutes to force overtime.
“We battled back the whole game, but they just kept coming,” Eberle said. “It’s not easy. We showed the heart that we had to come back. It’s just tough to lose on home ice like this.”
Canada was trying to win the tournament for a record sixth consecutive time. Tuesday’s final was the first between the two countries since 2004, when the U.S. rallied in Helsinki for its first gold medal in the tournament.
