Defenseman Jake Sanderson (Whitefish, Mont.) opened the scoring with a shot from the left faceoff dot, nearly identical to his game-tying goal from yesterday. Thomas Bordeleau (Houston, Texas) and Tuch were credited with the helpers on the first score. With the goal, Sanderson recorded a point on each of Team USA's first four goals in the tournament.

Tuch doubled the Team USA advantage at 12:58 of the first period with his first goal of the tournament. He was set up by defenseman Eamon Powell (Marcellus, N.Y.), who earned his first point in the Czech Republic.

Russia got on the board with a power-play goal before the close of the opening frame. Prokhor Poltapov connected on a one-timer from the right circle to make it 2-1.

Russia tied the game at 5:09 of the second when Nikita Buruyanov converted on a 2-on-1 rush.

Forward Dylan Peterson (Roseville, Calif.) restored the U18s' advantage when he turned a turnover into a quick offensive strike. Russian goaltender, Yaroslav Askarov, lost control of the puck behind his net. Hunter Strand (Anchorage, Alaska) collected and shifted the puck to Peterson where he deposited into an empty cage for a 3-2 lead.