(WGR Sports Radio 550) - Team USA had gone two games and six periods without scoring on Switzerland’s goalie Leonardo Genoni, but that didn’t deter them on Sunday heading into overtime of the Gold Medal Game at the 2025 World Championship in Sweden.
Just 2:02 into the 3-on-3 overtime, Logan Cooley (Utah Mammoth) hit a streaking Tage Thompson at center ice. The Buffalo Sabres forward set up defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (New Jersey Devils) to screen Genoni, and Thompson just wired the puck far side under the crossbar to give the Americans just their second gold medal at the World Championship, and their first since 1933.
The goal was Thompson’s second of the tournament in overtime, and sixth overall, ranking him fifth at the end of the tournament. Thompson finished two goals behind leader Elias Lindstrom (Boston Bruins) of Sweden.
He finished tied with Frank Nazar (Chicago Blackhawks) for the Team USA lead.
Team USA put 31 shots on Genoni in the last 42 minutes, but it was only Thompson who could beat the tournament MVP.
Thompson hadn’t scored a goal in the three games previous to the Gold Medal Game, but part of the reason is he and his teammates bought into head coach Ryan Warsofsky's (San Jose Sharks) system, which took them to nine wins in 10 games.
The 27-year-old added three assists to give him nine points in the tournament.
Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin and New York Rangers GM Chris Drury made some really bad decisions for their roster in the 4-Nations Face-Off, and it cost them. They had to have their own players there, which left scorers like Thompson and Cole Caufield (Montreal Canadiens) off the team, and 41-goal scorer Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets) in the press box for the final game against Canada.
Instead of being fired after the Rangers' underachieving 2024-25 season, Drury got a contract extension. Both Guerin and Drury have proven they aren’t up to the task of picking or playing the right players for the U.S. Olympic Team.
You would think Thompson has more than proven they made a huge error not picking him for the 4-Nations Face-Off, but with these two, you never know.
Guerin did try to encourage players interested in being on the Olympic Team to play in this year’s World Championship, but he was disappointed at how many didn’t. Thompson did, and absolutely proved himself worthy.
Team USA saw the best of goalie Jeremy Swayman, who struggled this season with the Boston Bruins. Swayman made 25 saves for his second shutout of the tournament. He won all seven games he played in the tournament, and had a goals-against average of 1.69 and a save percentage of .921.
In overtime, Swayman made a nice save on Denis Malgin coming out from behind the net. In the first period, he made a great save, and then absolutely robbed Nino Niederreiter (Jets) from the slot on the rebound.
In the second period, Nazar was pulled down on a breakaway and Team USA was awarded a penalty shot. In this tournament, the coach can pick anybody to shoot. Nazar, in his short NHL career, is 1-for-3 in shootouts, while Conor Garland (Vancouver Canucks) is 39% at 9-of-23. Garland took the shot, but was stopped by Genoni.
Thanks to four shutouts, a 0.99 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage, Genoni was named the tournament MVP.
Before Thompson’s goal, the Swiss goaltender hadn’t given up a goal in 10 days.
Genoni also made the All-Tournament Team in goal, and was chosen the best goalie of the tournament.
U.S. defenseman Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets), who averaged over 25 minutes per-game in seven games and had a goal and five assists for six points and was a plus-9, was voted tournament's best defenseman.
Meanwhile, the tournament’s leading scorer for Czechia, David Pastrnak (Bruins) was named the best forward thanks to six goals and nine assists for 15 points in eight games.
Joining those players on the All-Tournament Team were defenseman Dean Kukan (Switzerland), as well as Lindholm and Nick Olesen (Denmark) at forward.