Canada vs. USA final score, results: Thomas Milic, Joshua Roy lead Canadians to semifinal win over rivals

Bryan Murphy

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Canada vs. USA final score, results: Thomas Milic, Joshua Roy lead Canadians to semifinal win over rivals image

For the fourth consecutive tournament, Canada gets a chance at World Juniors gold. 

The defending champs scored six unanswered goals against rival USA to pull out a 6-2 semifinal win, punching their ticket back to the gold-medal game. 

Thomas Milic was fantastic yet again in net for Canada. The undrafted netminder faced 46 shots from the Americans, turning aside 43 in the win.

MORE: Watch the 2023 World Juniors live with fuboTV (free trial, U.S. only)

The offense was powered by the line of Joshua Roy, Connor Bedard and Logan Stankoven. Roy scored twice and added two assists, while Bedard, Stankoven, Brandt Clarke and Adam Fantilli all added a goal and an assist. 

Canada advances to face Czechia in the gold-medal game, which will take place Thursday night. Czechia defeated Sweden in overtime in its semifinal matchup. The United States will play Sweden for bronze. 

The Canadians have a shot at winning its 20th gold medal at the event. They also would be the first time since 2009 to win back-to-back World Juniors championships. 

MORE: 2023 World Juniors schedule, standings, results

The Sporting News provided live updates and highlights from the Canada-USA semifinal matchup at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Canada vs. USA score

  1 2 3 OT F
Canada 1 3 2 - 6
USA 2 0 0 - 2

Canada vs. USA live updates, highlights from 2023 World Juniors

(All times Eastern.)

FINAL: Canada 6, USA 2

9:25 p.m. — Canada heads back to the gold-medal game for the fourth consecutive year and have a chance to defend its gold against Czechia. No team has won back-to-back golds since Canada five-peated in the 2000s. The USA will play Sweden for bronze. 

9:22 p.m. — Kaidan Mbereko takes over the USA net for Augustine. 

9:20 p.m. — GOAL! Roy steals the puck in the neutral zone and fires it into the empty net. Canada leads 6-2 with 3:16 to go. 

9:19 p.m. — Dean gets called for high-sticking Luke Mittelstadt with under four minutes to go. Augustine heads to the bench so it will be 6 on 4. 

9:14 p.m. — We've got under six minutes left in the game. Rand Pecknold is known to pull his goalies very early in contests and with a three-goal deficit, let's see when he chooses to put out the extra attacker. 

9:12 p.m. — The USA just got away with too many men. The team very clearly had six players on the ice for an extended time. 

9:05 p.m. — GOAL! Canada extends its lead to three as Clarke collects a loose puck int he slot and beats Augustine over the glove. The USA had all the momentum with multiple chances at one end, but they got caught at the end of a long shift and were not defensively sound at all. 5-2 Canada leads with 10:15 to go. 

9:03 p.m. — The Americans aren't going down easy, that's for sure. They are putting anything and everything on Milic in this period. 

8:54 p.m. — As play gets back to 5 on 5, the puck hits off Milic's skate as he goes behind the net, it comes out in front but Milic makes a diving save to deny Gauthier, who had a wide open net. A scrum after the whistle results in 4 on 4 hockey. 

8:51 p.m. — Del Mastro sends the puck over the glass and he'll sit for delay of game. 

8:48 p.m. — No goal, the officials determine it's goaltender interference. You can't push the goalie's pad out of the way to free the puck. That's the second goal for the USA wiped off the board for goalie interference. 

8:45 p.m. — GOAL! The USA strike early in the third as Rutger McGroarty makes this a one-goal game 33 seconds into the third. McGroarty goes to the crease and kept poking at Milic until it went in. However, Canada is challenging the play, the puck might have been under Milic's pad. 

8:43 p.m. — Play has resumed in Halifax. Canada is up 4-2 and 20 minutes away from a finals berth. 

8:40 p.m. — They added two extra minutes for the second intermission to allow the ice crew to fix spots on the ice. It has been noticeably bad. 

End of the second period: Canada 4, USA 2

8:22 p.m. — Canada flips the script in the second, scoring three unanswered goals in the frame to take a 4-2 lead into the third. The USA had a number of defensive breakdowns that lead to the puck on the back of its net. But Milic has been fantastic again for Canada. The defending champs are 20 minutes away from getting back to the gold-medal game. 

8:20 p.m. — Roy gets a shorthanded breakaway for Canada, but his wrist shot goes wide of the net. Canada kills the power play. 

8:18 p.m. — Now the USA goes to the power play. Del Mastro sits two minutes for holding. 

8:17 p.m. — Canada can't capitalize on the its power play and we're back to even strength. The best look was actually for the USA, as Connors got in on a breakaway and tried to go five-hole, but Milic made the save. 

8:13 p.m. — Canada gets its second power play of the game as Sam Lipkin gets called for interference. Lipkin has taken way too many penalties in this tournament and he takes one behind the play at a bad time. 

8:07 p.m. — GOAL! Canada doubles its lead with a goal from Joshua Roy. Stankoven's pass attempt from down low was blocked, it went right to Roy cutting to the net and he put it in. Snuggerud collided with Augustine on the play and the goalie wasn't able to get in position. It's now 4-2 Canada with 7:40 left in the middle frame. 

8:04 p.m. — The USA has to be more careful in the transition game. Canada has forced a couple of neutral zone turnovers that have resulted in rushes back the other way. Zach Ostapchuk had a chance to drive the net with the puck after a turnover. 

8:03 p.m. — Wright makes a sensational play to body off Clarke in pursuit of a puck, he sauces a pass to Guenther for an open shot but the attempt would not go. 

8:01 p.m. — The United States was playing on its heels to start the second, but the team has finally gotten back to its game. The Americans are getting better zone entries and sustained offensive pressure. 

7:58 p.m. — No goal. The officials determined there was goaltender interference. Canada's 3-2 lead stays intact. 

7:55 p.m. — GOAL! We might be back to a tie game, as Jackson Blake jams home a loose puck at the top of the crease. Hughes makes a great individual play to get the puck on net and Blake eventually finds the puck, spins and gets it underneath Milic. However, Canada is challenging the play for potential goaltender interference. 

7:53 p.m. — Right after the Fantilli goal, Jimmy Snuggerud gets a great chance on a 2 on 1 for the USA, but his wrister is gloved down by Milic. 

7:50 p.m. — GOAL! Canada has its first lead of the semifinal thanks to a goal by Fantilli. He dumped the puck to space for Zack Dean to retrieve it, Fantilli went to the net and Dean found him at the top of the crease for the goal. That was really bad coverage by the United States, as no one picked up Fantilli crashing the net. Canada leads 3-2 with 14:14 left. 

7:48 p.m. — Canada kills off the Guenther penalty. A number of good saves by Milic and a couple of blocked shots in the dying moments of the power play. 

7:47 p.m. — Chaz Lucius got in behind the Canada defense and tried to beat Milic with a backhand, but the Canadian goalie read it the whole way to make the stop. 

7:45 p.m. — Dylan Guenther gets called for slashing and the USA heads to its first power play of the night. 

7:44 p.m. — Canada was inches away from getting its first lead of the night. Canada goes low to high to low and Adam Fantilli rings a one-timer off the iron. 

7:42 p.m. — GOAL! Canada gets the equalizer just 47 seconds into the second period. Another faceoff win in the offensive zone directly results to a Canada goal, as Logan Stankoven cleans up a rebound after Clarke put the puck on net. We're tied 2-2. 

7:39 p.m. — The USA and Canada are back for the second. 

End of the first period: USA 2, Canada 1

7:21 p.m. — After 20 minutes, the Americans take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. The USA was by far the better team in the first half of the frame, jumping out to the 2-0 lead. But Canada settled into its game after the Bedard goal. Shots are in favor of the USA 18-13. 

7:18 p.m. — Clarke is back after blocking the Connors' shot. 

7:17 p.m. — Brandt Clarke went down the Canada tunnel after blocking a shot. That would be a big loss to the Canadian blue line if he cannot return. 

7:15 p.m. — Bedard has been pretty good at this tournament. 

7:14 p.m. — Apparently there was an issue with a spot on the ice that caused the extensive delay. But play has resumed now. 

7:09 p.m. — The USA had done a great job of containing Bedard through the first half of the period. His line wasn't creating anything offensively, but you can't take a shift off when Bedard is on the ice and he made the Americans pay. 

7:04 p.m. — GOAL! Canada responds right away with a goal from guess who? Connor Bedard. An offensive zone faceoff resulted in the puck going back to Del Mastro at the point, he cut down the wall and found Bedard on the backdoor. A big one for Canada, who take advantage of subpar coverage from Ufko in front. The lead is now 2-1 for the USA with 8:11 to go. 

7:01 p.m. — GOAL! Kenny Connors goes to the crease on the rush and cleans up a rebound on a Charlie Stramel shot to double the USA lead. He wasn't picked up by Ethan Del Mastro as he was crashing the net and it made for an easy tap-in. 2-0 USA with 9:30 left. 

6:59 p.m. — Luke Hughes was inches away form doubling the lead. He got a loose puck at the side of the net, he fired it on net with Milic on his back, but it hit the post. 

6:56 p.m. — The USA kills off the Duke minor. Wright's look from the slot was Canada's best chance on the man advantage. 

6:54 p.m. — Augustine makes his first big save of the night, denying a one-timer from Shane Wright at the bumper spot on the power play. Brennan Othmann was wide open on the back door, but he couldn't settled the initial pass. He slid it to Wright for the clean look, but the USA goalie swallowed it up. 

6:52 p.m. — Well, Duke will sit now. He turned and fired a clearing attempt right over the glass. Canada gets an early power play. 

6:51 p.m. — The crowd wanted a delay of game penalty on Dylan Duke, but after the officials discussed, no penalty was called. On the replay, it appeared the puck did hit the glass before going out of play. 

6:48 p.m. — The Americans are peppering Milic right now. They already have eight shots on goal on the Canadian goalie less than four minutes in. 

6:42 p.m. — GOAL! The USA needs just 1:19 to get on the board. A faceoff win in the offensive zone results in a shot attempt by Ryan Ufko. The initial shot was blocked, but Logan Cooley collected the loose puck in the slot and beats Milic five-hole. 1-0, USA. 

6:41 p.m. — Canada is getting pressure to Augustine early. The USA goalie hasn't been tested a ton at this tournament, and when he has, it has not been early in games. Canada hasn't gotten a shot on net, but had a couple of chances in the first minute. 

6:38 p.m. — Puck is down in Halifax and the second semifinal is underway. 

Pregame

6:20 p.m. — Here are the lines for Canada and the USA. Thomas Milic is net for Canada, Trey Augustine in the crease for the USA. 

5:18 p.m. — Czechia advances to the gold-medal game with a comeback win over Sweden. David Jiricek scored with 38 seconds left to tie it and then Jiri Kulich wins it in overtime. Czechia awaits the winner of Canada-USA, while Sweden will play the loser in the bronze-medal game. 

5 p.m. — Both teams have their eyes on advancing to the gold-medal game. Canada played in the 2022 final, defeating Finland 3-2 in overtime to win the country's 19th gold medal. The USA faced Canada in the 2021 final, beating the Canadians 2-0 for its fifth World Juniors championship. 

Canada vs. USA start time

  • Time: 6:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. AST)

The puck drops at 6:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local time) from the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, N.S., the home of the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads. 

MORE: Team Canada 2023 World Juniors roster, results

This is the second of the two semifinal games at the World Juniors. 

What channel is Canada vs. USA on today?

  • Canada: TSN 1/4/5
  • United States: NHL Network

TSN has all the World Juniors action in Canada. In the United States, viewers can find the games on NHL Network.

Gord Miller and Mike Johnson will be on TSN's call. James Duthie, Bob McKenzie and Cheryl Pounder will provide analysis during intermissions.

Stephen Nelson and Dave Starman are the duo on NHL Network for the American audience, along with reporter Jon Rosen. 

How to live stream World Juniors hockey games

Fans in Canada can stream all World Juniors games at TSN.ca or the TSN app. U.S. fans can stream the tournament on fuboTV (which offers a free trial), NHL.tv or the NHL app.

MORE: Team USA roster, schedule for 2023 World Juniors

Canada vs. USA odds

  • Canada: -1.5 (+124)
  • USA: +1.5 (-172)
  • O/U: 6.5

According to Sports Interaction, Canada is a slight 1.5-goal favorite on the puck line for the contest against the USA at the World Juniors. 

Canada World Juniors schedule 2023

(All times Eastern)

Date Opponent Result Time (ET) TV Info
Dec. 26 Czechia L, 5-2 FINAL TSN, NHLN
Dec. 28 Germany W, 11-2 FINAL TSN, NHLN
Dec. 29 Austria W, 11-0 FINAL TSN, NHLN
Dec. 31 Sweden W, 5-1 FINAL TSN, NHLN
Jan. 2 Slovakia (Quarterfinals) W, 4-3 (OT) FINAL TSN, NHLN
Jan. 4 USA (Semifinals) — 6:30 p.m. TSN, NHLN
Jan. 5 TBD (Medal game) — TBD  TSN, NHLN

USA World Juniors schedule 2023

(All times Eastern)

Date Opponent Result Time (ET) TV
Dec. 26 Latvia W, 5-2 FINAL TSN, NHLN
Dec. 28 Slovakia L, 6-3 FINAL TSN, NHLN
Dec. 29 Switzerland W, 5-1 FINAL TSN, NHLN
Dec. 31 Finland W, 6-2 FINAL TSN, NHLN
Jan. 2 Germany (Quarterfinals) W, 11-1 FINAL TSN, NHLN
Jan. 4 Canada (Semifinals) — 6:30 p.m.  TSN, NHLN
Jan. 5 TBD (Medal game) — TBD  TSN, NHLN

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.