WATCH: Devils Lenni Hameenaho Scores First Goal at World Junior Championships

One of the greatest rivalries in international hockey is between Finland and Sweden. New Jersey Devils prospect Lenni Hameenaho is skating on Finland’s top line for the blue and white. Currently, a win for Sweden would see them clinch first place in their group. As for Finland, they’re in fourth place and are trying to move up in the standings to avoid the top seed in Group B for the quarter-finals. Sweden hadn’t been scored on in three games of the tournament. Hameenaho helped change that.

In the first period of the rivalry matchup, Finland held a 1-0 lead on a goal by Tommi Mannisto. Later in the period, the Devils prospect doubled Finland’s lead scoring his first goal of the tournament.

It was an excellent play by the Finnish prospect who was drafted for his high hockey IQ. Hameenaho forced a turnover in the offensive zone, dropped the puck for Janne Naukkarinen, crashed the net, and buried the rebound on Naukkarinen’s shot.

Sweden fought back and scored four goals to take a 4-3 lead by the end of the second period. However, Finland evened the score on the stick of Jani Nyman, a goal that Hameenaho collected an assist on.

When regulation and overtime couldn’t settle the score, Finland and Sweden went to the shootout where Finland claimed the victory. The Finns will now wait to see what happens with Germany to see if they’ll face either USA or Slovakia.

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