Michigan State hockey leads Team USA to gold at World Junior Championships

A couple of Michigan State hockey players led Team USA to the gold medal in the World Junior Championships.

Whether you’re a Michigan State hockey fan, an American patriot, or just a fan of hockey, this first Friday of the year had something special for all three. Team USA defeated Sweden by a score of 6-2 to win this year’s world junior U20 championship.

The World Junior Championships are a yearly competition during the holidays where the nation’s top young talents from across the globe compete in an Olympic-style tournament. It is the one month a year when Spartans, Wolverines, and others come together to play for world glory. It’s a showcase for those freshly drafted and draft-eligible to represent themselves and their countries for a tournament that some argue comes second only to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Starting in the net from South Lyon was Michigan State’s own Trey Augustine. A second-round pick for the Red Wings in last year’s NHL draft, Trey has been the backbone of the Spartan’s 2023-24 campaign and got the starting nod for the Americans. Trey ended up only letting in two goals and posting a .923 save percentage for the tourney, starting for most of the games as well.

The hero of the gold medal game also calls East Lansing home during the school year. Isaac “Ike” Howard scored two goals (including the game-winner). Ike was also the No. 1 scorer for the tournament with seven goals.

The other Spartans in the tournament, Štrbák and Männistö, had impressive tournaments with their respective countries and played each other in the quarterfinals, with Männistö’s Finland edging Slovakia.

Spartan nation and the Munnsters could not have asked for much better of a holiday season. Efforts like these will continue to put the Michigan State hockey program at the center of the hockey world for years to come. MSU is back in action for an exhibition game against the USA development team on Friday which these American Spartans mentioned will miss, but will be back for next Friday against Penn State.

Also, Canada lost in the first round, which is just as cool to some (me).