“I always say a shutout is a team result, and the guys played awesome tonight,” said Daccord, who appeared in a career-high 57 games for the Seattle Kraken this year. “I thought we executed our game plan pretty well. For our first time playing a full game together, it was pretty impressive.”
Young American NHLers stepped up offensively. Matty Beniers scored twice, and Cutter Gauthier, Logan Cooley, and Mason Lohrei added singles. The U.S. took control of the game in the second period, outshooting Denmark 21-8 en route to a final edge of 48-26.
“The first period was pretty decent,” said Danish blueliner Phillip Bruggisser. “Still, too many mistakes on our side. Once we make a mistake, we’ve got to bear down and not make another one. I think that really punished us in the second. If we really just bear down and play smart on those plays, I think we have a good shot against any team.”
At this tournament, the U.S. aspires to end a gold-medal drought stretching back to 1933. The Americans have never played in an Ice Hockey World Championship final since the IIHF moved to the playoff system in 1992. The most recent U.S. medal was bronze (2021). Last year, the Americans came fifth after losing 1-0 to Czechia in the quarter-finals.
The capacity crowd forming a red-and-white wall at Jyske Bank Boxen did its level best to be the proverbial “seven man.” Whether fervently chanting “Denmark!” or singing along to the melody of American songwriter Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer,” they inspired coach Mikael Gath’s troops to come out hard.
In the first period, shots were even at 9-9. The Danes, captained by Jesper Jensen Aabo, played strong two-way hockey, almost succeeding at keeping their superior opponents at bay.
When Frank Nazar got a partial breakaway late in the first, Danish starting goalie Frederik Dichow was equal to the challenge. However, he couldn’t stop Gauthier, who scored high to the stick side on his solo jaunt set up by Kesselring at 17:52. Gauthier, coming off a 20-goal NHL rookie season with the Anaheim Ducks, tied Rocco Grimaldi for the U.S. lead with seven goals at the 2023 tournament in Finland.
Dominant U.S. possession on an early second-period power play resulted in Cooley, from below the goal line, jamming the puck past a scrambling Dichow at 3:59.
“I think we started to just be a little more simple,” Cooley said. “Get a little more shots, more guys to the net, and obviously that’s how we got a few goals. That’s something we need to build off.”
Just before the midway mark, Beniers quieted the building by making it 3-0. The Kraken star won a draw in the Danish end and went to the net, where Andrew Peeke’s shot from the right side deflected in off his leg.
“He’s a great player,” Gauthier said of Beniers. “I’ve been fortunate enough to skate with him a little bit in the summers and get to know him. He’s a super-great teammate, loves to compete. We bonded really closely this last week or so together. It’s a fun time out there playing with him.”
It was increasingly clear that the Danes, who due to various circumstances have no NHLers to open this tournament, could not sustain their first-period pace. In the third, they failed to capitalize despite some flurries around Daccord’s net, and frustrations surfaced in little scrums and shoves.
Defender Mason Lohrei stretched the U.S. lead to 4-0 at 9:31 with a point shot along the ice that snuck through Dichow. Beniers rounded out the scoring with 3:44 remaining.
This was the fourth time that the U.S. has shut out Denmark in the last six Ice Hockey World Championship meetings.
“We have so many guys up front that can absolutely fly,” said U.S. defender Alex Vlasic. “And we’ve got some, mobile, big defencemen back on the defensive front. So I think we’ve got a good team composition.”
The last Ice Hockey World Championship game featuring Denmark took place here on 15 May 2018. The Danes fell 1-0 to Latvia, ending their hopes of cracking the quarter-finals in their inaugural run as a host nation. This year, Herning is co-hosting the Men’s Worlds with Stockholm, Sweden.
The Danes, who finished 13th last year, are dreaming of their third quarter-final berth in tournament history. They made the final eight in 2010 and 2016. At both those tournaments, they started off with a win, including a 4-1 upset over Finland in 2010 and a 3-0 blanking of neighbouring Norway in 2016.
The pre-game ceremonies saw IIHF Vice-President Henrik Bach Nielsen, a Herning native, and IIHF Council Member Marta Zawadzka welcoming fans to the games here, along with a captivating music and light show.
“Hopefully we can have a great World Championship,” said Bruggisser. “It’s amazing to play in front of our own fans.”
Denmark has beaten the U.S. just twice at the Ice Hockey World Championships in 10 attempts. The first victory was a stunning 5-2 upset in 2003 to kick off Denmark’s return to the top division in Tampere, Finland after a 54-year absence. Goalie Peter Hirsch shone with 53 stops. The Danes also edged the U.S. 2-1 in 2010 in Cologne, Germany on Stefan Lassen’s overtime winner.
Next up, Denmark battles 2024 silver medalist Switzerland on Saturday night, while the U.S. faces Hungary in Sunday’s early game.
