Welcome to a live blog of the 2025 IIHF World Championship gold-medal game between Switzerland and the USA! The events will be listed in reverse-chronological order, so most recent events are seen first. Scroll down to read older events of the game.
Not surprisingly, the player of the game for Switzerland is goaltender Leonardo Genoni, who stopped 39 of 40 shots. The player of the game for the USA is Tage Thompson, who fired the only shot to beat him.
Genoni is also named tournament MVP, as voted by accredited media.
After the goal, the US players poured off the bench to celebrate that country's first gold medal at a stand-alone IIHF World Championship since 1933! The Swiss players consoled Leonardo Genoni, who was brilliant in this game. The Swiss are silver-medalists for the fourth time in 14 years but have still never won gold and it seems that Andres Ambühl's career will finish without one.
First overtime period:
17:58 - GOAL USA! The play started from deep in the US zone, Tage Thompson took a pass from Logan Cooley at center, carried the puck into the Swiss zone, and let go a wrist shot from the top of the circle that eluded a defender and Genoni for the only goal of the game!
18:55 - Offside against the USA.
19:08 - Malgin enters the US zone, circles the net, and fires a shot that Swayman just gets a piece of with the glove and deflects out of play.
19:46 - Icing against Switzerland, faceoff in the Swiss zone.
20:00 - Overtime has started.
The teams are back on the ice and overtime will begin shortly. Once again, they'll play 20-minute sudden-death periods until a goal is scored.
How about this? The gold-medal game at the 2025 IIHF World Championship is scoreless after 60 minutes and will be decided in overtime. In 2018, Switzerland lost the final in a shootout to Sweden, but that won't happen this time. These teams will take a full intermission and then play 3-on-3 overtime until a winning goal is scored.
In the third period, the USA outshot Switzerland 11-4, for a three-period total of 39-24. Both teams had two power plays in regulation time but they didn't score. Nobody's scored yet.
Third period:
0:00 - End of regulation time.
0:29 - Puck up into the netting and another faceoff in the Swiss zone.
1:22 - Shot from the point by Moser, Swayman was knocked down in front of net but the puck deflected wide.
2:18 - Puck out of play in the Swiss zone, faceoff stays inside. After a bit of offensive action earlier in the period, these teams have been a bit more conservative the past few minutes as overtime looms.
4:06 - Shot right off the faceoff, Swayman holds it, pushing and shoving after the whistle involving Fiala. Power break.
4:10 - Swiss back at full strength, USA called for icing.
4:33 - Shot from the point by Smith, Genoni the save, Berniers tried to get to the rebound but Genoni covers. :19 left in the PP.
5:00 - Swiss ice it for the second time. USA still without a shot this PP...
6:15 - And now the USA will go to the power play for the second time as Janis Moser's stick came up on Will Smith with one hand on his stick.
7:15 - USA pressing heavily now, Keller drove hard to the net and the puck bounced just wide of the post.
8:01 - Frank Nazar again uses his speed to create a chance out of nothing. From the faceoff in his own end he burned the Swiss defender to the outside and tried to stuff it short side on Genoni but the Swiss goalie kept it out.
8:13 - Icing against the USA.
9:10 - Puck played with a high stick, face off coming in the USA zone.
9:34 - Icing against the USA on a missed pass.
10:44 - Now a bit of pressure from Switzerland, Fiala's shot right on Swayman.
11:55 - Dean Kukan with a long shot but Swayman saw it all the way.
12:40 - Brady Skjei with a quick shot, caught and held by Genoni.
13:43 - Back the other way, Genoni holds onto a long shot. Power break.
14:02 - Now the Swiss at the other end, Niederreiter with the tip but Swayman manages to hang on with traffic in front.
14:50 - Blast from the point by Skjei, Keller with a screen and tip in front, Genoni just gets a piece of it, the Swiss then clear the zone...
15:00 - USA pressuring again, keeping possession in the Swiss zone but being kept to the outside...
16:06 - Icing against the USA. Frank Nazar had a decent chance that last sequence but otherwise a slow start to the third period.
18:55 - USA back at full strength.
20:00 - The 3rd period is underway, the Swiss still on the power play for another 1:05.
Teams back on the ice and the 3rd period will begin shortly.
Will Smith between periods: "We're just trying to get pucks to the net and we've had a lot of chances here, so hopefully one goes. We've just gotta get to the net, keep shooting and hopefully one finds the back of the net."
How about this game? Still 0-0 after 2. After an even first period, the USA had the better chances and outshot Switzerland 17-9 for a two-period total of 28-20. The USA also had a penalty shot but Leonardo Genoni stopped Conor Garland.
Switzerland still has another 1:05 on the power play to start the third.
Second period:
0:00 - End of the second period. The USA with a couple of shorthanded chances just before the horn.
0:55 - Tage Thompson gets called for tripping, Swiss to their second power play.
1:36 - USA 2-on-1, Genoni gets his glove on the shot by Will Smith and the puck goes to the corner...
1:59 - Finally, a stretch of over 5 minutes without a whistle and maybe 1 shot each way comes to an end as Genoni smothers the puck. Power break.
2:20 - Peeke's shot from the point deflected just wide with heavy traffic in front of the net...
5:00 - Long sequence without a whistle, play along the boards in the USA zone...
6:30 - Now the play has been in the Swiss zone for a while but they're keeping the Americans to the outside...
7:55 - USA still under pressure, called for icing.
8:25 - Ever since I mentioned the shots the play has mostly been in the USA zone. That long shot by Glauser hit Swayman and went out of play.
8:59 - Long wrist shot caught and held by Swayman. Power break.
10:25 - Andres Ambühl, playing in his last game, takes a long pass and gets a backhand on Swayman. Wouldn't it be something if he could score this game.
USA outshooting Switzerland 19-15 to this point, so 8-4 this period.
11:20 - USA pressing in the Swiss zone, Genoni forced to make a couple of saves.
12:31 - Offside against the USA. Power break.
14:42 - Conor Garland chosen to take the penalty shot. He tried to make a move but Genoni stayed with him and gave him nothing to shoot at.
14:42 - Penalty shot! Fora's shot blocked by Nazar, who burns past Fora and he's forced to hook him on a breakaway.
15:00 - Icing against Switzerland.
16:02 - Turnover in the neutral zone, Pinto carried the puck into the Swiss zone, dropped to LaCombe for the one-timer that nearly snuck under Genoni's shoulder but he hung on.
16:24 - The US hasn't got much going yet this period. A long shot now that Genoni covers, a bit of pushing and shoving after the whistle, with McCarron giving a bit of a facewash to Fiala.
17:00 - Swiss pressuring in the US zone, a long shot got through a screen to Swayman, who didn't see it.
19:20 - Denis Malgin with a shot from the wing, held on by Swayman.
20:00 - The second period is underway.
The teams are back on the ice and the second period will start shortly.
A fairly even opening period. Each team had 11 shots on goal and one power play. The Americans seemed a bit more dangerous on their PP but this game is still wide open.
First period:
0:00 - End of the 1st period.
0:07 - Swiss back at full strength but the USA continue to press in the zone, finally Genoni covers it.
1:10 - Werenski quarterbacking the PP, gets one shot through to Genoni, USA continues to control in the Swiss zone...
1:44 - USA goes offside on the PP, 1:28 left in the penalty.
2:16 - The USA will go to the power play for the first time as Sven Andrighetto gets his stick into the skates of Jackson LaCombe and gets called for tripping.
2:27 - In that last sequence there was a bit of a flurry in front of Genoni, and at the other end Swayman stops a long shot and covers.
4:58 - Moser's shot from the point hits a screened Swayman, who covers.
5:40 - As the Americans broke out of their zone it looked like Vlasic got his stick up on a Swiss player, who went down but play goes on...
5:58 - Again some back and forth action. A Swiss shot from the point, didn't catch the player, gets blockered out of play by Swayman. Power break.
9:28 - USA back to full strength. I believe Switzerland had 1 shot on the PP and a couple other attempts were blocked.
9:53 - Scramble around the USA net but the Swiss can't find the loose puck, USA ice it to relieve pressure...
11:04 - Swiss go offside on the PP. 1:36 left in the penalty.
11:28 - First penalty of the game. In the corner, Zach Werenski give a cross-check to Denis Malgin across the back. Swiss to the power play.
11:42 - Icing against the USA.
12:20 - The last sequence was back and forth. The Swiss got a couple of shots on net but nothing dangerous. Back the other way, Genoni makes a save and freezes it for a faceoff. Power break.
14:51 - First good scoring chance of the game. The USA pressuring and Eyssimont centered behind the net to O'Connor right in front. Genoni kept it out.
16:35 - Garland and Kukan got their sticks up on each other after a whistle in the Swiss zone. Garland seemed to get clipped in the mouth and is not happy about it. No call on the play.
20:00 - The game is underway.
Pre-game:
The teams are on the ice and the opening faceoff is moments away.
Switzerland is the designated home team of this game and is wearing red jerseys trimmed in white and black with white numbers and lettering and a white Helvetic cross on the front, black pants and white helmets. The USA is wearing their white jerseys trimmed in blue and red with blue pants and white helmets.
Lineups:
Switzerland: Genoni (Charlin) – Siegenthaler (A), Kukan, Moser, Glauser (C), Marti, Fora, Berni – Andrighetto (A), Malgin, Meier – Fiala, Ambühl, Niederreiter – Schmid, Moy, Bertschy – Knak, Jäger, Riat – Baechler. Coach: Patrick Fischer
USA: Swayman (Daccord) – Werenski, LaCombe, Skjei (A), Peeke, Vlasic, Kesselring, Buium – C. Keller (C), Cooley, Garland (A) – Thompson, Beniers, Nazar – Gauthier, Pinto, Smith – Eyssimont, McCarron, O'Connor – Doan. Coach: Ryan Warsofsky
Referees: Campbell (CAN), Holm (SWE). Linesmen: Ankerstjerne (DEN), Hautamaki (FIN).
Between these two teams, they have one gold medal at a stand-alone IIHF World Championship, which was won by the USA in 1933. The Americans also won gold at the 1960 Olympics, which also doubled as a World Championship, and at the 1980 Olympics, which did not.
The USA last claimed silver at a stand-alone World Championship in 1950. Yesterday, in a 6-2 semifinal win over Sweden, they guaranteed themselves at least that. It was their first semifinal win following 12 straight losses since 1992, when the IIHF added a playoff format to the World Championship.
Switzerland has had more recent success at the Worlds, making the final in 2012, 2018 and 2024. The Swiss lost to Sweden in 2012 and 2018, the latter in a shootout, and then last year to Czechia in Prague.
These teams met in group stage, with Switzerland beating the USA 3-0. Switzerland finished second in Group B and the USA finished third. Switzerland then beat Austria and Denmark, while the USA beat Finland and Sweden.
Read post-game reaction from the semifinals:
Clayton Keller, Jackson LaCombe, Cutter Gauthier React To USA Semifinal Win Over Sweden
On the lucky 13th try, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/can-this-roster-break-usas-world-championship-semifinal-curse">the semifinal curse is dead.</a> For the first time since the IIHF adopted a playoff format for the
World Championship in 1992, the USA is in the final, following a 6-2
win over Sweden in Stockholm.
Andres Ambühl Can End His Career With Switzerland’s First-Ever World Championship Gold
Last year, following Switzerland’s 2-0 loss to Czechia at the World
Championship final in Prague, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/andres-ambuhl-now-0-3-in-world-championship-finals">Andres Ambühl spoke
barely above a whisper</a>.
There was a feeling that the 40-year-old might have missed his last
chance to win a gold medal.
Photo © David Kirouac-Imagn Images: Zach Werenski playing for the USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off