Switzerland's players celebrate their first goal in Monday's victory over the USA at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / MATT ZAMBONIN
Switzerland took down a previously undefeated Team USA to move to the top of Group B at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Monday’s 3-0 victory at the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning moves the Swiss to seven points from three games. Leonardo Genoni stopped 23 shots, while goals from Damien Riat, Jonas Siegenthaler and Dean Kukan secured the win.
Goalscorer Siegenthaler was full of praise for Switzerland’s evergreen 37-year-old netminder. “It’s crazy. I hope I’m gonna be in that good shape when I’m that old!” he joked. “But really, he’s unbelievable. He’s proving it every year in the Swiss league when he’s a top goalie there. And he’s proven it on the international stage as well.
“I think his age is just a number. He comes on the ice, he performs. He’s there whenever we need him. Whenever we screw up something, he's there to bail us out. It’s huge to have a goalie like him.”
Last year’s silver medallist is hopeful of more in the coming days. Patrick Fischer’s roster here was bolstered by the arrival of Keven Fiala after his LA Kings exited the NHL playoffs. Fiala jetted into Prague at a similar stage last year and went on to take MVP honours after leading Switzerland to the podium.
Here, he went straight onto the top line alongside Nico Hischier and Tyler Moy, freeing up Timo Meier to join Sven Andrighetto and Denis Malgin on a dangerous secondary line. Fiala made his presence felt with an assist and was twice denied by the post in a lively debut.
Hischier, Fiala’s new linemate, is excited to rekindle last year’s partnership. “It’s perfect!” he said. “You’ve just got to let him play. He’s such a dangerous player. It’s fun to play with him. Obviously a great, great addition for us.”
Team USA came into this game with a perfect start after shut-out wins over Denmark and Hungary. But Switzerland is a tougher proposition and it was immediately clear that this would be a far more competitive game.
Fiala came close to breaching the American net for the first time in this tournament, with Joey Daccord saved by his post. But on 12:46, the USA allowed its first goal of the tournament. It seemed that the immediate danger was over when a big hit crumpled Damien Riat in the corner. But tenacity is a core component of the Swiss identity here and it was impossible for the Americans to get the puck clear. Ultimately, Tim Berni fired the puck back to the centre and Riat bunted the puck up and over Daccord before taking another bump for his troubles. Simon Knak got a touch as it crossed the line, but Riat was credited with his third goal in as many games.
Then came a second, four minutes before the intermission. Fiala made his first scoring contribution of the day with an assist, dropping off the puck for Siegenthaler to fire through heavy traffic and inside Daccord’s post. Tyler Moy moved on to a tournament-leading five points with a secondary assist on that play.
The USA had a power play late in the first but made little of it. And in the second, Switzerland once again highlighted how structured hockey can frustrate skilled opposition. There was little sign of the offensive flair that put the Danes and Hungarians to the sword as the Swiss offered stiff resistance in all three zones.
“They played really well,” said U.S. forward Clayton Keller. “They’re a fast, skilled team that made us work for every inch of ice out there. Offensively, for us, it was kind of a lot of one and dones. Not enough support in the corners getting pucks through. We’ll watch some video, get better, learn from it. It's a long tournament.”
The better scoring chances also went to the men in the white uniforms, most notably when Christoph Bertschy’s chip-and-chase saw him bearing down on Daccord’s net. A pass presented Ken Jager with an open net but his shot rebounded off the post to safety.
It wasn’t until late in the frame that the U.S. began to pose some questions of Leonardo Genoni in the Swiss net. At last there was some time on attack for the likes of Cutter Gaulthier and Isaac Howard, but disciplined defence meant there was little real danger to Switzerland’s lead.
“We just didn’t get to our game,” lamented America’s Matty Beniers. “I think that one of our strengths is trying to dictate the game and trying to play fast. And I thought they controlled it better and played the game they wanted to play. They got it behind our D more than we did and made us play defence.”
Even though the Americans had more of the puck in the third period, there was still little opportunity to really stretch the Swiss defence. Indeed, the best chance came when Fiala took matters in his own hands once again five minutes into the final frame. He hunted down the experienced Brady Skjei behind the net, then emerged to ding another shot off the post.
Switzerland got its third goal with eight to play. That new-look second line got involved and Malgin's sharp turn in the corner enabled him to feed Dean Kukan. The defender stepped up and fired in a shot that got a perfect tip off the unfortunate Zeev Buium to beat Daccord and put the game out of the USA's reach.
“It’s always a good feeling to win, especially against the USA,” added Siegenthaler. “It’s a big hockey country, and you want to win those games. I think today, we played pretty solid over 60 minutes, and we didn’t give them a lot. We created chances, and we played a very speedy game.”
Team USA has a day off to regroup before it faces Norway on Wednesday. Defender Zach Werenski, a Norris Trophy finalist, arrived in Herning today and could be available for that game. Switzerland has a two-day break before playing Germany on Thursday.
Goalscorer Siegenthaler was full of praise for Switzerland’s evergreen 37-year-old netminder. “It’s crazy. I hope I’m gonna be in that good shape when I’m that old!” he joked. “But really, he’s unbelievable. He’s proving it every year in the Swiss league when he’s a top goalie there. And he’s proven it on the international stage as well.
“I think his age is just a number. He comes on the ice, he performs. He’s there whenever we need him. Whenever we screw up something, he's there to bail us out. It’s huge to have a goalie like him.”
Last year’s silver medallist is hopeful of more in the coming days. Patrick Fischer’s roster here was bolstered by the arrival of Keven Fiala after his LA Kings exited the NHL playoffs. Fiala jetted into Prague at a similar stage last year and went on to take MVP honours after leading Switzerland to the podium.
Here, he went straight onto the top line alongside Nico Hischier and Tyler Moy, freeing up Timo Meier to join Sven Andrighetto and Denis Malgin on a dangerous secondary line. Fiala made his presence felt with an assist and was twice denied by the post in a lively debut.
Hischier, Fiala’s new linemate, is excited to rekindle last year’s partnership. “It’s perfect!” he said. “You’ve just got to let him play. He’s such a dangerous player. It’s fun to play with him. Obviously a great, great addition for us.”
Team USA came into this game with a perfect start after shut-out wins over Denmark and Hungary. But Switzerland is a tougher proposition and it was immediately clear that this would be a far more competitive game.
Fiala came close to breaching the American net for the first time in this tournament, with Joey Daccord saved by his post. But on 12:46, the USA allowed its first goal of the tournament. It seemed that the immediate danger was over when a big hit crumpled Damien Riat in the corner. But tenacity is a core component of the Swiss identity here and it was impossible for the Americans to get the puck clear. Ultimately, Tim Berni fired the puck back to the centre and Riat bunted the puck up and over Daccord before taking another bump for his troubles. Simon Knak got a touch as it crossed the line, but Riat was credited with his third goal in as many games.
Then came a second, four minutes before the intermission. Fiala made his first scoring contribution of the day with an assist, dropping off the puck for Siegenthaler to fire through heavy traffic and inside Daccord’s post. Tyler Moy moved on to a tournament-leading five points with a secondary assist on that play.
The USA had a power play late in the first but made little of it. And in the second, Switzerland once again highlighted how structured hockey can frustrate skilled opposition. There was little sign of the offensive flair that put the Danes and Hungarians to the sword as the Swiss offered stiff resistance in all three zones.
“They played really well,” said U.S. forward Clayton Keller. “They’re a fast, skilled team that made us work for every inch of ice out there. Offensively, for us, it was kind of a lot of one and dones. Not enough support in the corners getting pucks through. We’ll watch some video, get better, learn from it. It's a long tournament.”
The better scoring chances also went to the men in the white uniforms, most notably when Christoph Bertschy’s chip-and-chase saw him bearing down on Daccord’s net. A pass presented Ken Jager with an open net but his shot rebounded off the post to safety.
It wasn’t until late in the frame that the U.S. began to pose some questions of Leonardo Genoni in the Swiss net. At last there was some time on attack for the likes of Cutter Gaulthier and Isaac Howard, but disciplined defence meant there was little real danger to Switzerland’s lead.
“We just didn’t get to our game,” lamented America’s Matty Beniers. “I think that one of our strengths is trying to dictate the game and trying to play fast. And I thought they controlled it better and played the game they wanted to play. They got it behind our D more than we did and made us play defence.”
Even though the Americans had more of the puck in the third period, there was still little opportunity to really stretch the Swiss defence. Indeed, the best chance came when Fiala took matters in his own hands once again five minutes into the final frame. He hunted down the experienced Brady Skjei behind the net, then emerged to ding another shot off the post.
Switzerland got its third goal with eight to play. That new-look second line got involved and Malgin's sharp turn in the corner enabled him to feed Dean Kukan. The defender stepped up and fired in a shot that got a perfect tip off the unfortunate Zeev Buium to beat Daccord and put the game out of the USA's reach.
“It’s always a good feeling to win, especially against the USA,” added Siegenthaler. “It’s a big hockey country, and you want to win those games. I think today, we played pretty solid over 60 minutes, and we didn’t give them a lot. We created chances, and we played a very speedy game.”
Team USA has a day off to regroup before it faces Norway on Wednesday. Defender Zach Werenski, a Norris Trophy finalist, arrived in Herning today and could be available for that game. Switzerland has a two-day break before playing Germany on Thursday.
United States vs Switzerland - 2025 IIHF WM
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