BC’s Stiga scores on OT breakaway to give US 2nd straight world junior title, 4-3 over Finland

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) – Teddy Stiga scored on a breakaway at 8:04 of 3-on-3 overtime to give the United States a 4-3 victory over Finland on Sunday night in the world junior hockey championship game.

The Boston College winger collected a forward pass from Denver’s Zeev Buium and beat goalie Petteri Rimpinen through the leg pads to end it.

The Americans avenged a 4-3 overtime loss to Finland in group play, overcoming a two-goal deficit in the second period to win their second straight title and seventh overall.

Boston University teammates Brandon Svoboda and Cole Hutson scored late in the second period to tie it. Svoboda cut it to 3-2 with 2:22 left on a deflected shot, and Hutson fired a wrist shot from the slot past Rimpinen with 29 seconds remaining.

Michigan State’s Trey Augustine made 20 saves.

Tuomas Uronen gave Finland a 2-1 lead with 6:57 left in the first period, 59 seconds after Boston College’s James Hagens tied it for the United States. Emil Pieniniemi made it 3-1 at 4:52 of the second.

Jesse Kiiskinen opened the scoring at 7:13.

In the third-place game, Eduard Sale scored in the 14th round of a shootout to give Czechia a 3-2 victory over Sweden on Sunday in the third-place game at the world junior hockey championship. The Czech captain beat Marcus Gidlof on his fifth attempt – and 28th between the teams – with a move to the backhand.

The 2006 tournament will be in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.