The United States wasted no time making a statement at the 2025 World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships, overpowering Czechia with a 9–3 victory in the opening game at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
Team USA came out firing, building a 4–2 lead in the first period and never looking back. Jake Schlereth opened the scoring at 19:46 of the first, setting the tone early. Czechia answered quickly with a goal from Michal Stojka just two minutes later, but the Americans poured on the offense with goals from Troy Benson, Lukas Gold, and Bruce Green Audette to stretch their lead. Czechia's Vojtech Kobr added a second tally late in the first to keep the game within reach.
The Americans broke the game wide open in the second period. Benson and Grant Isenbarger scored back-to-back goals less than a minute apart, followed by tallies from Nicholas Pecora and another from Isenbarger. Czechia's Jan Psota managed to slip one past the USA defense midway through the second, but it wasn't enough to slow down the red, white, and blue onslaught.
Pecora added his second of the game early in the third period to seal the victory.
USA's attack was relentless, with multi-point performances from Grant Isenbarger (2G, 2A), Jake Schlereth (1G, 2A), and Nicholas Pecora (2G) leading the charge. Goaltender Allison Curran earned the win, holding Czechia scoreless through the final frame.
The game was also a physical affair, with both teams combining for over 50 minutes in penalties. USA's discipline was tested but their penalty kill stood tall.
Scoring Summary
First Period
- USA – Jake Schlereth (unassisted) – 19:46
- CZE – Michal Stojka (unassisted) – 12:34
- USA – Troy Benson (Grant Isenbarger) – 12:16
- USA – Lukas Gold (Bruce Green Audette) – 10:10
- CZE – Vojtech Kobr (unassisted) – 6:49
- USA – Bruce Green Audette (unassisted) – 5:48
Second Period
- USA – Troy Benson (Jake Schlereth) – 16:02
- USA – Grant Isenbarger (Jake Schlereth) – 15:31
- USA – Nicholas Pecora (Caleb Hoffman, Samuel Holzrichter) – 11:40
- CZE – Jan Psota (Anagnostis Spatharis, Milan Novotny) – 9:43
- USA – Grant Isenbarger (Caleb Hoffman, Jake Schlereth) – 10:46
Third Period
- USA – Nicholas Pecora (Riley Redmon, Samuel Holzrichter) – 1:41
Penalty Highlights
Both teams struggled with discipline:
- USA's Tyler Balcerak and Jake Schlereth both received major penalties and misconducts.
- Czechia's Tomas Bakrlik logged a 10-minute misconduct late in the third.