Due to a mandated team quarantine following a positive test result of two of its players, the United States will be unable to participate in its December 28 World Junior preliminary game against Switzerland.
“We’re extremely disappointed, especially for our players,” said U.S. National Junior Team GM John Vanbiesbrouck in a statement. “We’re operating in an ever-changing landscape and that’s very challenging. We’ve followed the tournament protocol from the outset and will continue to do everything we can to ensure our players have the opportunity to compete at the World Junior Championship.”
The result of the game will be recorded as a 1-0 win for Switzerland by forfeit in accordance with the IIHF rule book.
The team’s quarantine status will be evaluated later to determine whether it will be able to compete in its next preliminary round game, scheduled for December 29 against Sweden.
