Teddy Stiga got a step on a Finland defender and flew his way into USA Hockey history.
In overtime of the gold medal game of the World Junior Championship final, Stiga zipped down the right side and got a pass from defenseman Zeev Buium. He fumbled it for a quick second, recovered and scored, giving Team USA its second-straight WJC gold medal.
The Sudbury, Mass., native picked the perfect time for his first goal of the tournament. But he wasn't the only local to have a memorable performance.
Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.), who served as captain, won Tournament MVP. He was tied for second in the tournament in points with 10. The first-round pick of the Washington Capitals brought his normal dosage of goal-scoring, physicality and playing on the edge.
He was a big piece of last season's gold-medal-winning squad, too, scoring three goals and posting six points.
Cole Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.) was a point-getting machine this year. Eiserman came up huge with timely goals, scoring three and adding four assists.
Stiga, Leonard and Eiserman's success is no surprise. They have long been top players in the region.
TEDDY STIGA SCORES THE GOLDEN GOAL 🚨
TEAM USA WINS BACK TO BACK GOLD MEDALS!#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/dkUcdLjRGB
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 6, 2025
Stiga was with the Middlesex Islanders before becoming a Boston Junior Eagle. He was a standout at Belmont Hill and then made the U.S. National Team Development Program in 2022. Despite a tough, injury-filled U17 season with the NTDP, he exploded in his second year, posting 36 goals and 79 points in 61 games en route to being a second-round pick by the Nashville Predators.
THROWBACK: Teddy Stiga's journey to being a second-round pick
Through 16 games at BC, the freshman '06 has 11 points in 16 games.
Leonard was a star in the MIAA for Pope Francis before making the NTDP in 2021. His U18 season in 2022-23 was outstanding with 51 goals and 94 points in 57 games. He was the eighth pick by the Washington Capitals in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Upon arrival at BC last season, he tore it up with 31 goals and 60 points in 41 games as a freshman playing alongside Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) and Gabe Perreault. He opted to return to the Eagles for his sophomore year and has 12 goals and 19 points in 16 games.
Eiserman started out with the Middlesex Islanders. But as a 14U player, he moved to Shattuck-St. Mary's and played there for two seasons before making the NTDP in 2022. He was dominant in both of his seasons at Plymouth, Mich., as he now holds the goal-scoring record for the program. He was the 20th pick by the New York Islanders in the 2024 NHL Draft.
His point-production has translated to college. He has nine goals and 15 points in 16 games for Boston University as a freshman.
THROWBACK: How Cole Eiserman's unique upbringing shaped him into a star
While Stiga, Leonard and Eiserman were the only locals on Team USA, various other players who go to college here made big impacts.
BU defenseman Cole Hutson led the tournament in points with 11. BC forward James Hagens played between Leonard and Perreault, posting five goals and nine points in seven games. Perreault had 10 points.
On defense, BC's Aram Minnetian and Drew Fortescue were reliable defenders.
