Logan Cooley (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) doubled the American advantage before the end of the period. On the power play, Gauthier cutter (Scottsdale, Arizona) worked the puck for Seamus Casey (Fort Myers, Florida) at the right time. The defender fired a shot from the right post that deflected towards Cooley on the other side, where he fired a shot into an empty net for a 3-1 lead with 18 seconds left in frame.

The United States added another line midway through the period, the first of Jimmy Snuggerud (Chaska, Minn.) less than two minutes. Gauthier pushed the net hard but was initially denied by Eemil Vinni. The puck squirted behind the Finnish net and Cooley was the first to hit the loose rubber before feeding Snuggerud, who broke a wrist from the slot to make it a 4-1 game.

Team USA has gone five in a row with a shorthanded scorer of Devin Kaplan (Bridgewater, NJ) After a nice forecheck, Gauthier forced a turnover and centered a pass to Kaplan who was alone in front. He caught the pass and fired a quick shot over Vinni’s glove at 6:25 of the second.

Cole Spicer (Grand Forks, ND) completed the three-goal period with a quick backhand shot across the five-hole hole in the final minute of the second. Brady Cleveland (Wausau, Wis.) led Kaplan into the offensive zone, where he worked it to Spicer for the finish.

Neither team found the back of the net in the final period as the game ended 6-1.

Augustine stood right in front of the USA net for the 60 minutes and kicked a clean slate after Finland’s first goal.

The team opens the 2022 IIHF World Men’s Under-18 Championship on Saturday against Canada. The puck drop is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local time) from Fanatec Arena. The game will air with a two-hour delay on NHL Network and stream live on ESPN+. NHL Network will broadcast all Team USA games for the tournament.