James Hagens scores twice as Team USA beats Slovakia to remain unbeaten at World Juniors

Twice trailing Slovakia by two goals in World Junior Championship pool play, the United States was looking for a spark. A couple of their players wearing leadership letters on their chests stepped forward.

Alternate captain James Hagens scored the tying goal with 45 seconds left in the second period and the go-ahead goal 18 seconds into the third as the United States improved to 3-0 with a 6-5 win over Slovakia on Monday at Grand Casino Arena.

Captain Brody Ziemer, the Gophers forward from Chaska, assisted on Hagens’ second and added a helper on what proved to be the winner by Maple Grove’s Will Zellers 4:34 into the third.

Slovakia cut the lead to 6-5 with 1:54 left in the third period on Tomas Chrenko’s second goal, this one with an extra attacker, but Team USA held on.

“Crazy game,” U.S. coach Bob Motzko said. “We fell down and had no choice but to come back.”

The victory sets up a battle of unbeaten Group A teams when the Americans and Sweden meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday. The winner of that game will secure the group crown and will be one of the top two seeds in the quarterfinals.

AJ Spellacy, Brendan McMorrow and Ryker Lee also scored goals for Team USA, which had seven players with two points. Goalie Caleb Heil stopped 21 of 26 shots.

“Just stick with it,” Zellers said of his team’s reaction to the early deficit. “That’s a good team over there. But we knew we were better.”

For Motzko, the two-goal deficit created a sense of urgency in the second period, and it was ramped up when Mooney took an interference penalty at 1:20.

But Spellacy and Brendan McMorrow bailed Mooney out, racing down the ice shorthanded. McMorrow entered the Slovak zone on the left side and feathered a pass to Spellacy, who stuck out his stick and redirected the puck through goalie Pradel’s five-hole to cut the lead to 2-1 at 1:50 of the second.

“We said after the first if we could score next, the crowd’s going to get going and we’ll get some life in the building,” Motzko said. “It’s just what happened.’’

Team USA got its first power play of the game at 6:02 of the second when Slovakia was whistled for too many men on the ice. This time, the Slovaks scored the shorty, forcing a neutral zone turnover by Teddy Stiga that Belusko converted at 6:46.

Team USA went back on the power play at 10:15 when Michal Capos was called for tripping. Lee made the Slovaks pay, sniping a shot over Pradel’s right shoulder to tie the score 3-3 at 11:00.

Chase Reid took a questionable penalty for roughing at 13:33 of the second, and Slovakia took a 4-3 lead when Michal Svrcek poked home a rebound of an Andreas Straka shot at 14:44.

Team USA tied the score 4-4 with 45 seconds left in the second when Stiga tipped a pass from Chase Reid to Hagens in the high slot. Hagens fired a wrist shot past Pradel, and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird’’ played for the fourth time in the period.

“It was great to see that out there, to see how we all battled back and responded,” Hagens said.

The U.S. needed only 18 seconds to take a 5-4 lead in the third period. Reid took a pass from Ziemer at near the blue line and fired a pass to the slot, where Hagens corralled it and beat Pradel for Team USA’s first lead.

“That last one is all Brodie’s and Mooney’s there,’’ said Zellers, who has three game-winning goals. “I just had to get over there and make sure I’m not making too much of a kicking motion.’’

Motzko heaped praise on his captain.

“He’s been just a rock for us, doing what Brody does — his physical presence in the tough areas of the ice,’’ Motzko said. “He’s contributed every way for us.’’

U.S. forward Max Plante took a hit in the first period, returned briefly in the second but did not see action after that. Motzko said he’d know more about Plante’s status the next day.

Defenseman Cole Hutson, who left the Dec. 28 game against Switzerland after taking a puck to his neck, did not play. Motzko said Hutson remains day-to-day.

Sweden 8, Germany 1: Jack Berglund, Anton Frondell and Viggo Bjorck scored two goals each as Sweden improved to 3-0 in Group A with a rout of Germany at Grand Casino Arena.

Sweden scored four power-play goals and outshot German 44-17. Elias Pul scored the lone goal for Germany (0-3).

Czechia 2, Finland 1 (OT): Adam Jiricek scored 3:39 into overtime, beating goalie Petteri Rimpinen with a between-the-legs shot, as Czechia edged Finland in a Group B game at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

Matej Kubiesa scored in the first period for Czechia. Finland’s Emil Henning tied the score 1-1 on an extra-attacker goal with 20 seconds left in the third period.

Jiricek is the younger brother of Wild defenseman David Jiricek.