The United States national junior team earned its first preliminary-round victory against rival Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 17 years with a 4-2 win Saturday at Helsinki Ice Hall in Finland.
Finland and Sweden also had regulation wins against Belarus and Switzerland, respectively, and Russia survived a scare from the Czech Republic in a shootout on the first day of tournament competition.
The United States received goals from defenseman Louis Belpedio, a third-round selection in the 2014 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild, and Auston Matthews, an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's November players to watch list for the 2016 NHL Draft, late in the third period to snap a 2-2 tie.