Aarne Talvitie, Finland Win World Junior Gold With 3-2 Victory Over Evan Barratt, Team USA
Penn State men’s hockey freshman Aarne Talvitie might not have had the impact he wanted on Saturday’s gold medal game at the U-20 World Junior Championship in Vancouver, but he’ll bring a gold medal back to Hockey Valley.
Talvitie suffered an apparent lower-body injury in the first period of Saturday’s game, but Finland rallied to beat the United States 3-2 at Rogers Arena. He didn’t play at the start of the second period for his team, but he briefly returned before aggravating the injury in the third period. The freshman didn’t finish the game, but he was back out on the ice to accept his gold medal and the tournament’s trophy.
Finland jumped out to a 2-0 lead six minutes into the third period, but goals from Team USA’s Sasha Chmlevski and Josh Norris tied the game at two with 12:13 left in the final frame. The game seemed destined for overtime, but Kaapo Kakko — the projected No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft — jammed in the gold medal-winning goal with 1:24 left to clinch Finland’s fourth gold medal at the World Junior Championship.
Talvitie didn’t score a point in Saturday’s game, but he did make a crucial steal in the buildup to Finland’s second goal of the game early on in the third period.
The New Jersey Devils’ prospect finished the tournament with four goals and three assists — he led Finland in scoring as the team won its first gold medal at the tournament since 2016. Talvitie was the first Penn Stater to captain his team at the World Junior Championship, and he wore the “C” for a gold medal-winning squad.
Meanwhile, Evan Barratt will take home a silver medal following Team USA’s defeat. Barratt played in all seven games for the United States at the tournament, scoring once and finishing with a -2 rating. The United States has now won a medal at the World Junior Championship in four consecutive years, establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with in the junior hockey scene.
Both of Penn State men’s hockey’s representative at this tournament will now report back to Happy Valley in time for the team’s home series against Michigan State. The puck will drop at 8 p.m. for Friday night’s game before a 7 p.m. puck drop on Saturday at Pegula Ice Arena.
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