The U.S. celebrates after Paul Cotter's opening goal in a 5-1 victory over Great Britain at the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Zurich.
photo: PHOTO: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDRE RINGUETTE
The defending champs are back on track. The U.S. earned its first victory of the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship on Sunday, beating Great Britain 5-1. Isaac Howard scored twice, including the second-period winner.
Assistant captain Mathieu Olivier and Paul Cotter stepped up with a goal and two assists apiece. Declan Carlile also scored for the Americans. It's an important three points in Group A for coach Don Granato's crew.
Olivier is excited to take on undefeated Finland next on Monday: "Finland's a big challenge, just like Switzerland was. There's a lot of respect there. They've got a lot of good players. Our game's not going to change. Our game plan's going to be the same: wear teams down and take over as the game goes on."
Nathanael Halbert replied for the British.
The newly promoted British, who fell 5-2 to Austria in their first game, remain winless. They delivered a gritty effort against the Americans. The game was tied 1-1 until late in the second period. But producing offence in the top division is an Achilles heel for coach Pete Russell's troops..
Final shots favoured the U.S. 39-19 as American goalie Devin Cooley won his duel with counterpart Ben Bowns.
The Americans lost their opener 3-1 to Switzerland in a rematch of the 2025 final, where Tage Thompson's overtime marker gave the U.S. a 1-0 win and its first world title in 92 years. In Zurich, they hope to repeat as champs and continue a hot streak for USA Hockey that most recently featured February's Olympic gold medal triumph over archrival Canada.
Here, the Brits held their own in the early going. When Cade Neilson wasn’t coming close from the slot, Bowns was coming up with big saves at the other end. But Olivier got the puck in a net-front scramble to Cotter, who banged it into the open side for a 1-0 lead at 13:55.
Olivier praised Cotter: "He's an easy guy to play with. Very predictable hockey. That's winning hockey, I've learned. He's a guy that can do it all. He can be physical, but he can also make plays out there"
Bown continued his strong play in the second period, foiling Connor Clifton on a one-timer off the rush. Near the midway mark, Clifton went off for clipping British sniper Liam Kirk with a high stick. On the ensuing power play, Kirk shook up Cooley with a high shot that hit the Calgary Flames goalie in the neck area, but he was able to carry on.
With just four seconds left in the man advantage, Halbert knotted the score at 8:39 with a centre-point wrister that beat Cooley high.
"Everyone's going to bring their best to start off, playing the U.S.," said the U.S.'s Mason Lohrei, one of two returning players from 2025, including Howard. "It's an easy game to get amped up for. I think it's good how we weathered the storm and just kind of stuck to it."
The U.S. kept plugging and regained its lead at 17:01. Howard pounced on a turnover in the British end and fired the puck past the British goalie on the stick side.
Early in the third period, the Americans put the game away. Olivier scored his first of the tournament at 2:49, putting a rebound over Bowns. Just 15 seconds, Carlile's blast through traffic squeezed through the goalie's pads to make it 4-1.
The British challenged that goal for goalie interference, but it was ruled good, and the U.S. accordingly went to the power play. They didn't capitalize on that one, but Howard, who is coming off his NHL rookie season with the Edmonton Oilers, rounded out the scoring with the man advantage with 3:49 left.
"We were in the hockey game for a long time there," said British veteran Brett Perlini. "Obviously it got away from us at the end, but I think it was a good building game for us."
Winston Churchill famously talked about the “special relationship” between the U.S. and Great Britain. It's lopsided in ice hockey.
The British have never beaten the U.S. at the Men’s Worlds in seven tries, although they have secured two ties (1-1 in 1938, 6-6 in 1951). The last meeting saw the U.S. prevail 3-0 in 2022 on Jeremy Swayman’s 17-save shutout in Tampere.
Of facing Hungary next, Perlini said: "That's going to be kind of our gold medal game right now. That's the focus. We'll regroup here and put everything into that one."
Assistant captain Mathieu Olivier and Paul Cotter stepped up with a goal and two assists apiece. Declan Carlile also scored for the Americans. It's an important three points in Group A for coach Don Granato's crew.
Olivier is excited to take on undefeated Finland next on Monday: "Finland's a big challenge, just like Switzerland was. There's a lot of respect there. They've got a lot of good players. Our game's not going to change. Our game plan's going to be the same: wear teams down and take over as the game goes on."
Nathanael Halbert replied for the British.
The newly promoted British, who fell 5-2 to Austria in their first game, remain winless. They delivered a gritty effort against the Americans. The game was tied 1-1 until late in the second period. But producing offence in the top division is an Achilles heel for coach Pete Russell's troops..
Final shots favoured the U.S. 39-19 as American goalie Devin Cooley won his duel with counterpart Ben Bowns.
The Americans lost their opener 3-1 to Switzerland in a rematch of the 2025 final, where Tage Thompson's overtime marker gave the U.S. a 1-0 win and its first world title in 92 years. In Zurich, they hope to repeat as champs and continue a hot streak for USA Hockey that most recently featured February's Olympic gold medal triumph over archrival Canada.
Here, the Brits held their own in the early going. When Cade Neilson wasn’t coming close from the slot, Bowns was coming up with big saves at the other end. But Olivier got the puck in a net-front scramble to Cotter, who banged it into the open side for a 1-0 lead at 13:55.
Olivier praised Cotter: "He's an easy guy to play with. Very predictable hockey. That's winning hockey, I've learned. He's a guy that can do it all. He can be physical, but he can also make plays out there"
Bown continued his strong play in the second period, foiling Connor Clifton on a one-timer off the rush. Near the midway mark, Clifton went off for clipping British sniper Liam Kirk with a high stick. On the ensuing power play, Kirk shook up Cooley with a high shot that hit the Calgary Flames goalie in the neck area, but he was able to carry on.
With just four seconds left in the man advantage, Halbert knotted the score at 8:39 with a centre-point wrister that beat Cooley high.
"Everyone's going to bring their best to start off, playing the U.S.," said the U.S.'s Mason Lohrei, one of two returning players from 2025, including Howard. "It's an easy game to get amped up for. I think it's good how we weathered the storm and just kind of stuck to it."
The U.S. kept plugging and regained its lead at 17:01. Howard pounced on a turnover in the British end and fired the puck past the British goalie on the stick side.
Early in the third period, the Americans put the game away. Olivier scored his first of the tournament at 2:49, putting a rebound over Bowns. Just 15 seconds, Carlile's blast through traffic squeezed through the goalie's pads to make it 4-1.
The British challenged that goal for goalie interference, but it was ruled good, and the U.S. accordingly went to the power play. They didn't capitalize on that one, but Howard, who is coming off his NHL rookie season with the Edmonton Oilers, rounded out the scoring with the man advantage with 3:49 left.
"We were in the hockey game for a long time there," said British veteran Brett Perlini. "Obviously it got away from us at the end, but I think it was a good building game for us."
Winston Churchill famously talked about the “special relationship” between the U.S. and Great Britain. It's lopsided in ice hockey.
The British have never beaten the U.S. at the Men’s Worlds in seven tries, although they have secured two ties (1-1 in 1938, 6-6 in 1951). The last meeting saw the U.S. prevail 3-0 in 2022 on Jeremy Swayman’s 17-save shutout in Tampere.
Of facing Hungary next, Perlini said: "That's going to be kind of our gold medal game right now. That's the focus. We'll regroup here and put everything into that one."
Great Britain vs United States - 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship
OF