World Juniors: USA forfeits game versus Switzerland after 2 positive COVID-19 tests
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The game was scheduled for 2:30 p.m. MT in Red Deer
Defending World Juniors champion Team USA has forfeited its game against Switzerland scheduled for Tuesday afternoon after two players tested positive for COVID-19.
The game was scheduled for 2:30 p.m. MT in Red Deer. American coach Nate Leaman was slated to hold a media availability on Tuesday morning but it was cancelled shortly before it was scheduled to start.
The International Ice Hockey Federation has said that any game that cannot be made up at a later date will be considered a forfeit. The game will be entered as a 1-0 win for the Swiss and will not be rescheduled.
Team USA will enter quarantine for more testing and contact tracing. The IIHF says the team's quarantine status will be evaluated later to determine if it will be able to play its next games against Sweden on Wednesday and Russia on Friday.
In a statement, general manager John Vanbiesbrouck said the team was "extremely disappointed" in having to forfeit, noting "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."
The American, Russian and Swiss teams all hold 1-1 records with three points each through two games.
