Team USA won the World Junior Championships for the second straight season on Sunday night. The under-20 men's hockey tournament pits the best junior hockey players in the world against each other. After a close win over Czechia got them to the title, they avenged their only loss of the tournament by beating Finland. Teddy Stiga won the gold medal with this overtime goal.
Team USA used Lynyrd Skynard's Free Bird as their goal song for the entire World Juniors, as you can hear in the background of the clip. That became the rallying cry for some fans who took to social media to celebrate the victory.
@Riichter put it bluntly on social media. “FREE BIRD ONE LAST TIME.”
The overtime period of this game was scintillating, as the teams went back and forth down the ice with very few whistles. Finland goalie Petteri Rimpinen was spectacular, making a few different game-saving saves. One was presumptive top pick James Hagens who could have ended the World Juniors just minutes in.
The World Juniors has long been a showcase for the next season's top pick. Last year, Macklin Celebrini was solid for Team Canada and solidified his status at the top. Hagens was great all tournament, with nine points in his seven games.
USA must roll World Juniors success into other international bouts

This is Team USA's seventh World Juniors gold medal, all coming since 2004. The growth of the game in the States has led to a solid team every year, very rarely missing the medal rounds and now winning two in a row. But Canada still dominates at the top level, winning the last three best-on-best tournaments. But one coming in February could be the changing of the guard.
The World Juniors is over which means hockey fans are turning their eyes to the 4 Nations Face-Off. Team USA will match up with Canada, Finland, and Sweden with their best rosters made up of NHL talent. The Americans have a solid team with great goaltending and scoring that could lead them to gold.
In the meantime, fans poured onto social media to celebrate this gold medal. If Americans are fired up about the World Juniors, buckle up if they pull off the upset in February.
@Baseball4Ever99 kept it simple with, “AMERICA BABY.”
@Sippy412 loved that overtime too, “That was absolutely electric to watch. LFG.”
Finally, @tomfoldsfive praised their coaching after the win, “If I were a hockey coach, I'd show this clip before and after every practice. What a display of a heads-up pass. Bravo Team USA.”