Pietila, Team USA to face Canada in WJHC semis

 

Courtesy of MTU Athletics

UFA, Russia — Michigan Tech forward Blake Pietila (Milford, Mich.) has helped Team USA into the semifinals of the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships. The U.S. shut out the Czech Republic 7-0 in the quarterfinals today to give itself a chance for a medal.

Pietila has played in all five games for the American side in the tournament with two assists. The left wing has a team-leading plus-minus rating of plus five.

Team USA will face Canada in the tournament semifinals tomorrow at 4 a.m. ET (3 p.m. Ufa time). The winner will advance to the gold medal game while the loser will play for the bronze. Those games are slated for Friday (Jan. 5). All games at the World Juniors can be seen on NHL Network (DirectTV 215, Dish 403) or NHL.com.