With periodic “U-S-A” chants echoing inside Grand Casino Arena, Max Plante wasted little time giving the American faithful a chance to hear Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird.”
Teddy Stiga, who scored the golden goal for Team USA a little over a year ago, received a head-man pass from Adam Kleber five and a half minutes into the game. Stiga’s left-to-right deke hit the post. The puck bounced to the back door in front of a yawning net.
Plante, who’s not shy about telling his teammates he’s undefeated at GCA, queued the band five minutes into the first period.
It was a picturesque moment for the Hermantown, Minn., native to kick off a 6-3 win over Germany to open the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship as Team USA pushed for its third consecutive gold medal.
“It felt almost like playoffs with the towels waving and the whole crowd is for us,” Plante said. “It’s the only thing I can picture like that, the Stanley Cup playoffs. It was unbelievable. I told them that whoever scores the first goal, I better see an eagle (celebration) after it. We were in the huddle and (Stiga) was like, ‘Fly, Planter. Fly.’”
Plante’s goal was the first of three for the Americans in the opening 20 minutes.
Defenseman Chase Reid, a 17-year-old 2026 top draft prospect, doubled the lead with assists from Will Zellers and Brendan McMorrow. Michigan’s Will Horcoff, who leads the NCAA in goals with 19, got his first of the tournament with helpers from WJC veterans Brodie Ziemer and James Hagens.
“Freebird” was ripping around the rink. The home crowd was celebrating the ensuing rout. The Americans coupled their dominant pre-tournament games, which included an 8-0 win over Germany at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, with an emphatic start to their championship defense.
Then it got quiet.
Team USA had a lackluster defensive stretch after taking a three-goal lead, and Germany made it pay, finding three goals in just under 14 minutes of game time.
“I really liked a lot of things we did, and I disliked a handful of things we did,” USA coach Bob Motzko said. “That’s what you get with all-star teams. They all do it — turn pucks over. Your heart is pounding. Bad things happen when you don’t connect the dots.”
Timo Kose scored with two and a half minutes left in the first period to make it 3-1. The Germans killed off a penalty to start the second period before Simon Seidl pulled them within one.
Zellers scored Team USA’s fourth goal on the heels of a power play, but Lenny Boos added Germany’s third tally with 8:33 left in the second period.
“We knew they were going to come out flying,” Zellers said of Germany. “It was going to be a lot tighter of a game with a chip on their shoulder. Nobody likes to lose (8-0) like that, so you knew they were going to come out flying. It’s going to be difficult, but I’m happy we got a game like that right away in the tournament.”
Needing a spark, the Americans got one in a pressure-packed offensive shift from their second line — Plante, Stiga and Ryker Lee. Zellers, a Maple Grove native who was left off the initial pre-tournament roster, buried a drop pass from Anthony Spellacy to cement Team USA’s turning point.
Zellers finished with two goals and an assist to lead all American scorers, 19 miles away from where he grew up.
“It was a good feeling, especially after they got that one,” said the North Dakota freshman. “We went out there and Bob told us we needed a big shift. A good way to get a big shift is scoring goals. It was a lot of emotion and a lot of momentum back our way. It was big for us.”
Cole Eiserman scored his first goal of the tournament late in the second period after Germany goaltender Lennart Neisse robbed him with a diving save just seconds earlier.
“We got two quick ones, and then we started breathing,” Motzko said. “Our goals got us out of trouble. I love it when our offense gets us up, but sometimes we have to get through it with detail.
“It got a little quiet when they got back into it. All of this is sports — a momentum change. That’s what sports is about, and momentum changed. Offense got us through that. In the third period, we put up a fight. I liked our third period.”
While it didn’t score, Team USA outshot Germany 15-4 in the final 20 minutes. It was far and away the best defensive period of the three.
Tampa Bay Lightning 2025 seventh-round pick Caleb Heil got the start in goal for Team USA. He stopped 18 of the 21 shots he faced, including a handful of big-time saves to hold the Americans over during their lull in the middle of the contest.
Motzko said that the coaching staff will assess Friday’s game to determine Saturday’s starter in goal. Team USA returns to GCA on Saturday for a 5 p.m. game against Switzerland, which was off on Friday.
“I want to see how we respond now. I want to grow,” Motzko said. “You want to take the steps, clean up some of the things we did. It’s a journey, and you’re going to have this. We want to see more detail. Same energy, more detail. They were a little nervous tonight, too. These are young kids.”
United States forward Max Plante celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship game against Germany, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
