US, Canada set to face off in junior hockey semifinals

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — The United States and Canada face off Wednesday night in another instalment of their world junior hockey rivalry, with a trip to the title game on the line. They advanced to the semifinals after polar-opposite quarterfinals Monday, with Canada beating Slovakia 4-3 on overtime and the U.S. routing Germany 11-1. The Czech Republic will face Sweden in the other semifinal. Connor Bedard scored his second goal of the game in overtime to lift Canada past Slovakia. Expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL draft, the 17-year-old Regina Pats star has set multiple records in the tournament. The Americans are led by the high-scoring top line of University of Minnesota teammates Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud and Boston College’s Cutter Gauthier.