With five minutes left of regular time, Kasper Kulonummi was sent off for hooking where Frank Nazar fell after very light contact. The Finns became insanely angry.
– It is not an expulsion. He loses the cut, it’s nothing but a miss. I understand the Finnish frustration. I would have been just as pissed off, says SVT Sports expert Jonas Andersson.
On that power play, the USA made it 3-2 when Cutter Gauthier found the near right cross.
In the end, Finland picked out the goalkeeper and played six against four and had a couple of opportunities to equalize, but the USA held off. There were blank stares and tears in the Finnish booth.
– It was win or lose. We had to do something after the first period but were never worried, says USA’s Will Smith to SVT Sport.
The USA turned 0-2 after the first period
At the beginning of the third period, Finland got the chance to play on the power play for the first time in the match when it was 2-2. But it was the United States that created the best situations. Closest was Quinn Finley who shot to the outside of the post.
Finland shocked the USA in the first period by going up 2-0.
– It wasn’t one of our best periods and we felt the nerves, says Cutter Gauthier about the team’s lackluster performance in the first period. He then returned as the match winner.
The USA went to 2-2 in the second and sometimes had the initiative, but Finland stood up.