Switzerland beats defending champ U.S. at hockey worlds Switzerland started a quest for its first ice hockey world championship title by defeating the defending champion United States 3-1 on Friday in a rematch of last year's final. Sven Andrighetto and Pius Suter led the Swiss with two-point games each, while goaltender Leonardo Genoni made 19 saves in front of the roaring crowd in Zurich. Suter knocked in a pass from Andrighetto from close range to give the hosts a 1-0 lead 2:03 into the game. Andrighetto added the second goal with 8:41 remaining in the first period from a tight angle with Suter assisting. Alex Steeves scored for the U.S. 8:45 into the final period, roofing the puck that bounced off the boards behind the goal. Ken Jager deflected a shot by Simon Knak from the blue line with 3:39 left to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Americans, who had beaten Switzerland 1-0 in overtime in the 2023 final in Stockholm, faced a roster with only two players from last year’s championship-winning squad—forward Mason Lohrei and Isaac Howard. The U.S. next faces Britain, a newcomer to the top division, on Sunday. Canada opened its campaign with a 5-3 victory over Sweden in Fribourg. John Tavares, Ryan O’Reilly, Dylan Holloway, Connor Brown, and Dylan Cozens scored for Canada, while goaltender Jet Greaves stopped 22 shots. Tavares was the first player to score at the tournament by beating Sweden’s Magnus Hellberg on the first Canada shot on goal 2:21 into the game. O’Reilly added a second goal with 4:00 remaining in the first period. Sweden, last year’s bronze medalist, scored in the middle period with Jacob Larsson netting from the left circle 8:21 into the game. Lucas Raymond leveled the score with a wrist shot past Greaves eight seconds into a power play midway through the second period.#united_states #zurich #switzerland #sven_andrighetto #pius_suter
