The defending champion U.S. got two quick first-period goals in a 4-1 win over Austria to clinch a quarter-final berth at the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDRE RINGUETTE
Once again, the great North American rivalry is renewed. The U.S. downed Austria 4-1 on Tuesday in Zurich to secure a quarter-final matchup with Canada, who topped Group B in Fribourg.
In February's Olympic final, the U.S. thrillingly edged Canada 2-1 in overtime to earn its first Winter Games gold medal since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" in Lake Placid. The do-or-die quarter-final marks their first meeting since Milan.
Versus Austria, Connor Clifton, Ryan Ufko, Paul Cotter, and Matthew Tkachuk scored for the Americans. The defending world champs, who finished fourth in Group A, outshot their opponents 36-26 as goalie Devin Cooley earned his second win.
Looking forward to the Canada showdown, Tkachuk said: "We're going to need our absolute best to have a chance."
Of the victory over Austria, Ufko said: "It feels good. We knew that it was a winner-go-home type of game, a playoff game. We're really proud with the way it went, and we're just looking forward to the quarter-finals now."
Simeon Schwinger replied for Austria.
"It was not that bad," said Schwinger. "It was a good game. We played pretty solid defence. We had some good chances in the first period, including a breakaway, but they used their chances better than we did. They have a good hockey team, and we knew that, but we never gave up."
Top to bottom, the 2026 U.S. team is not as gifted as last year’s team, which edged Switzerland 1-0 in overtime to capture their nation's first IIHF WM gold medal in 92 years. Still, coach Don Granato's Americans have picked it up after a slow start. Since the 20 May addition of Tkachuk, a 2026 Olympic gold medalist and two-time Stanley Cup champ, they have recorded two regulation-time wins, one shootout win, and one loss.
This is a tough pill to swallow for the Austrians, who last year cracked the quarter-finals for the first time since 1994. Coach Roger Bader’s boys kicked off the 2026 tournament with three consecutive victories against Great Britain, Hungary and Latvia, but went winless versus more NHL-laden teams.
The Americans set the right early tone with a pair of quick goals by defencemen.
Clifton opened the scoring at 5:34, stepping in to cue up a nice wrister that bulged the twine high to the glove side. Just 45 seconds later later, Ufko hammered a slapper past Austrian goalie Atte Tolvanen to double the lead.
"They were fighting for their lives, we were fighting for our lives," Ufko said. "Every play, every shift matters. So to get a couple early was definitely real positive, but we didn't want to take our foot off the gas or step back."
Shortly after the eight-minute mark, Austria’s Vinzenz Rohrer got a breakaway, but Cooley was there to stone him with the blocker.
In the second period, the Americans kept their momentum up, forechecking and forcing turnovers. Cotter lifted a rebound into a gaping cage at 1:07 for a 3-0 lead.
The loyal Austrian fans continued their drum-pounding and flag-waving as the game wore on, but it was increasingly evident that no full-scale comeback was in the cards.
Ryan Leonard drew a hooking penalty on Bernd Wolf shortly after the midway mark when he stripped the veteran rearguard of the puck in the Austrian zone. Tkachuk crashed the crease to capitalize on the power play at 11:52.
Schwinger spoiled Cooley's shutout bid at 16:10, deflecting in Maier's rising point shot.
"Of course, it's a memory of my lifetime," said Schwinger. "It was my first goal in the World Championship. So I was excited. It was a good shot from the D."
The Austrians picked up their pace in the third period, outshooting the U.S. 13-7, but couldn't force their more-skilled foes into any critical errors.
The last time Austria defeated the Americans at the Worlds was in 2001. Goaltender Reinhard Divis shone with 40 saves in a 3-0 shutout win. The last time Austria took a point from the U.S. was in 2022. Blueliner Luke Hughes scored in overtime as the U.S. rallied to win 3-2.
In February's Olympic final, the U.S. thrillingly edged Canada 2-1 in overtime to earn its first Winter Games gold medal since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" in Lake Placid. The do-or-die quarter-final marks their first meeting since Milan.
Versus Austria, Connor Clifton, Ryan Ufko, Paul Cotter, and Matthew Tkachuk scored for the Americans. The defending world champs, who finished fourth in Group A, outshot their opponents 36-26 as goalie Devin Cooley earned his second win.
Looking forward to the Canada showdown, Tkachuk said: "We're going to need our absolute best to have a chance."
Of the victory over Austria, Ufko said: "It feels good. We knew that it was a winner-go-home type of game, a playoff game. We're really proud with the way it went, and we're just looking forward to the quarter-finals now."
Simeon Schwinger replied for Austria.
"It was not that bad," said Schwinger. "It was a good game. We played pretty solid defence. We had some good chances in the first period, including a breakaway, but they used their chances better than we did. They have a good hockey team, and we knew that, but we never gave up."
Top to bottom, the 2026 U.S. team is not as gifted as last year’s team, which edged Switzerland 1-0 in overtime to capture their nation's first IIHF WM gold medal in 92 years. Still, coach Don Granato's Americans have picked it up after a slow start. Since the 20 May addition of Tkachuk, a 2026 Olympic gold medalist and two-time Stanley Cup champ, they have recorded two regulation-time wins, one shootout win, and one loss.
This is a tough pill to swallow for the Austrians, who last year cracked the quarter-finals for the first time since 1994. Coach Roger Bader’s boys kicked off the 2026 tournament with three consecutive victories against Great Britain, Hungary and Latvia, but went winless versus more NHL-laden teams.
The Americans set the right early tone with a pair of quick goals by defencemen.
Clifton opened the scoring at 5:34, stepping in to cue up a nice wrister that bulged the twine high to the glove side. Just 45 seconds later later, Ufko hammered a slapper past Austrian goalie Atte Tolvanen to double the lead.
"They were fighting for their lives, we were fighting for our lives," Ufko said. "Every play, every shift matters. So to get a couple early was definitely real positive, but we didn't want to take our foot off the gas or step back."
Shortly after the eight-minute mark, Austria’s Vinzenz Rohrer got a breakaway, but Cooley was there to stone him with the blocker.
In the second period, the Americans kept their momentum up, forechecking and forcing turnovers. Cotter lifted a rebound into a gaping cage at 1:07 for a 3-0 lead.
The loyal Austrian fans continued their drum-pounding and flag-waving as the game wore on, but it was increasingly evident that no full-scale comeback was in the cards.
Ryan Leonard drew a hooking penalty on Bernd Wolf shortly after the midway mark when he stripped the veteran rearguard of the puck in the Austrian zone. Tkachuk crashed the crease to capitalize on the power play at 11:52.
Schwinger spoiled Cooley's shutout bid at 16:10, deflecting in Maier's rising point shot.
"Of course, it's a memory of my lifetime," said Schwinger. "It was my first goal in the World Championship. So I was excited. It was a good shot from the D."
The Austrians picked up their pace in the third period, outshooting the U.S. 13-7, but couldn't force their more-skilled foes into any critical errors.
The last time Austria defeated the Americans at the Worlds was in 2001. Goaltender Reinhard Divis shone with 40 saves in a 3-0 shutout win. The last time Austria took a point from the U.S. was in 2022. Blueliner Luke Hughes scored in overtime as the U.S. rallied to win 3-2.
United States vs Austria - 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship
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