Team USA finishes undefeated; wins 10th all-time championship
CHOMUTOV, Czechia – The U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select Team erased a 3-0 deficit, defeating Czechia in a shootout, 5-4, in the 2026 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament championship game today at Rocknet Arena.
Team USA claimed its 10th all-time championship at the Under-17 Four Nations Tournament and third since 2021. The U.S. finished with an undefeated record of 1-3-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L), which included a pair of shootout victories.
“This team is resilient; they stuck with it the whole game. I’m very proud of them,” said Guy Gosselin (Grafton, Wis.), head coach of the U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select Team. “They dealt with the adversity, never gave up and came through in the end.”
Tomáš Albrecht opened the scoring for Czechia 4:47 into the first, as he scored from the bottom of the left faceoff circle after a U.S. defender blocked an initial shot from the point.
Czechia doubled its advantage at 6:24, as Marek Domkář found the back of the net on a rebound chance generated by a shot from Ondřej Jonák.
Marek Sedláček gave Czechia a 3-0 lead at 11:23, ripping a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle over the glove of U.S. netminder Chase Pastor (Burlington Township, N.J.).
The U.S. responded at 12:50, as Jack Riehl (Mars, Pa.) deflected a rebound off a shot from Nikolai Zhukov (Proctor, Minn.) into the net to cut the Czech advantage to 3-1.
Parker Colmer (Olathe, Kan.) cut the U.S. deficit to one at 16:33 on a pass that was deflected by a Czech defender into the back of the net.
Benjamin Slavick (Westland, Mich.) evened the score at 13:06 of the second, as he followed up on his own rebound to beat Czech netminder Tobiáš Ořechovský over the glove.
Czechia responded at 16:25, as Jakub Jíra poked home a rebound in the U.S. crease to give his team a 4-3 advantage.
Soren Saumweber (Roseville, Minn.) found the equalizer for the U.S. at 6:13 of the third, backhanding a shot from just outside the crease through Ořechovský to tie the game, 4-4.
Neither team could find the game-winning goal in the remainder of the third or the five-minute overtime frame, sending the championship game to a shootout. Pastor finished the contest with 35 saves.
Aiden Kelly (Rochester, Mich.), Dylan Delgado (Weston, Fla.) and Levi Ellingsen (Pasco, Wash.) scored on three consecutive shootout attempts while Pastor stopped all three attempts he faced to lift the U.S. to the Under-17 Four Nations Tournament championship.
NOTES: Jack Riehl was named U.S. Player of the Game … Czechia outshot the U.S., 39-37 … Team USA has won 10 all-time Under-17 Four/Five Nations championships (2026, 2024, 2021, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010).
