Tip: Here's how the semifinals in the 2024 Junior World Championships are played

The hockey celebration continues and now it's time for the semifinals! Collectively strong Finland, the tough Czechs, the star-studded Americans, and the host nation Sweden have fought their way to the semifinals after a series of exciting quarterfinals.

In the first semi, the USA, who have been the giants of the tournament, faces Finland, who surprisingly beat Sweden in the last group stage match and then eliminated a red-hot Slovakia in the quarterfinals. It's like watching Goliath meet David! On the other hand, Sweden faces a tough match against the Czech Republic, who, to many's surprise, knocked out Canada with just 11 (!) seconds left in the game!

Sweden, as the host nation, has the advantage of playing earlier in the day, giving them a chance to rest up a bit more before the big medal battle.

Sweden vs Czech Republic

The match will take place in the heart of Gothenburg, at Scandinavium, where the home crowd will surely give the home nation's team that extra push. But remember, it took overtime for Sweden to secure their spot, thanks to Axel Sandin Pelikka's powerplay goal, after a highly criticized penalty on the Swiss player.

The Czechs, on the other hand, shocked the hockey world by snatching victory from Canada in the last seconds. It's going to be a game where anything can happen, and the 'dark horse' aura is strong around the Czech team, just as I predicted in the preview before the tournament. The match day is Thursday, January 4, 2024, with the puck dropping at 09:00 EST in Scandinavium.

Considering how strong Sweden's defense has been throughout the tournament, along with equally impressive goaltending, and given that it's a tense matchup with a lot at stake, I find the under bet appealing. The Czech team is well-structured and has looked significantly better as the tournament has progressed. Under 5.5 goals can be played at odds of -100 with DraftKings.

USA vs Finland

The USA came in as favorites against Latvia and lived up to expectations with a dominant victory. Finland advanced after a nail-biter against Slovakia, with Jere Lassila becoming the hero just 24 seconds into overtime.

The USA has looked very dominant throughout the tournament and are the clear favorites to reach the final and lift the gold. Now it remains to be seen if they can deliver under the pressure of the favoritism they hold.

It's set up for hockey magic, my friends!