USA U18 secured a comfortable 5:2 victory over Slovakia U18 in the Glinchik-Gretzky Cup on Friday. The result leaves the Americans top of the table with three wins from three games, while Slovakia remain in second with just one win from their opening three matches.
By then, the standings tell a straightforward story. USA U18 are unbeaten and have played every game at a high tempo, even if the results have been mixed. Slovakia U18 sit second, but two defeats from three matches suggest they have yet to find consistency.
The Americans have been involved in a flurry of goals recently. Their last five matches produced 41 goals across both sides, with results ranging from 1:8 to 4:2. To be fair, they have been scoring freely themselves — four goals against Slovakia U18 five days ago, and now five more in this one.
And here's the thing about this fixture. USA U18 already beat Slovakia U18 4:2 on August first, so this wasn't a new matchup. They knew each other's patterns, and the Americans simply kept knocking on the door until the scoreboard reflected the difference.
Slovakia U18 showed they can score when the conditions are right. They hammered Canada U18 6:1 on Thursday, which proves they have firepower. But against a side that has won three straight, those goals weren't enough to change the outcome.
The result keeps USA U18 at the summit with a perfect record. Slovakia U18 will need to close the gap if they want to challenge, and that means finding a way to close out games they start promisingly.