By USA Hockey’s NTDP, 11/08/25, 5:45PM EST
Photo by Brendan Bruman
TRURO, Nova Scotia. – Brayden Willis (Gilbert, Ariz.) collected his fourth and fifth goals of the tournament as the U.S. National Under-17 Team beat Czechia, 3-1, to win Third-Place at the 2025 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Brayden Willis continued his dominant tournament with a near carbon copy of his semifinal goal, opening the scoring in the first period. Breaking in alone, Willis made a slick move on the Czechia goaltender and slid the puck five-hole for the 1-0 lead.
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Goaltender Eli Winters (Muskegon, Mich.) stood tall early, stopping all 10 shots he faced in the opening frame to preserve the advantage.
In the second period, Willis and Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) kept their strong play going. After forcing a turnover in the offensive zone, Meyer picked up the loose puck and found Willis, who ripped a shot past Vaclav Osvald for his second of the game.
The U.S. extended its lead on the power play later in the period. Nolan Fitzhenry (Andover, Minn.) walked the puck in from the point and fed Braden Horton (Souderton, Pa..), who jammed it home to make it 3-0 heading into the third.
Czechia got on the board with 7:04 remaining in regulation when Matyas Cancik broke the shutout. With the goalie pulled late, Czechia pressed to close the gap, but Team USA held strong defensively to secure a 3-1 victory and a third-place finish at the 2025 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Winters finished with 31 saves in the win.
The U17s are back at USA Hockey Arena on Friday, Nov. 21 as they host the Madison Capitols. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET and tickets are available at USAHockeyNTDP.com/tix or by calling the box office at 734-453-8400.
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