US blanks Denmark 5-0 and Czechs beat Switzerland 5-4 on 1st day of ice hockey worlds

HERNING, Denmark (AP) — The United States blanked Denmark 5-0 on the opening day of the ice hockey world championship on Friday.

Matty Beniers led the Americans with two goals, Cutter Gauthier and Mason Lohrei had a goal and an assist each, and Logan Cooley also scored in a Group B game played in Herning, Denmark.

Michael Kesselring had two assists and goaltender Joey Daccord recorded a 26-shot shutout.

“Any time a goalie gets a shutout is a team result,” Daccord said after his debut at the worlds.

Gauthier opened the scoring from the slot with 2:08 left in the opening period. Cooley doubled the advantage on a power play, Beniers added on a rebound in the middle period and Lohrei made it 4-0 from the point midway through the final period. Beniers one-timed a slap shot for his second with 3:44 remaining.

Sweden shut out Slovakia 5-0 to delight the home crowd in Stockholm in Group A.

Mikael Backlund, Leo Carlsson and Jonas Brodin scored 8:37 apart in the second part of the opening period to give Sweden a commanding 3-0 lead.

Elias Lindholm stretched it to 4-0 in the second and Mika Zibanejad finished it off in the final period.

Backlund and Lindholm added an assist each.

Sweden won the championship when it took place in Stockholm last time in 2013.

Defending champion Czech Republic earlier prevailed in overtime to beat Switzerland 5-4 in a rematch of last year’s final.

Roman Cervenka scored the winner 2:30 into overtime from the left circle after David Pastrnak fed him with his second assist in in Herning.

Czech Lukas Sedlak tied the game at 4-4 on a rebound on a power play with 3:47 left to force overtime.

Matej Stransky, Filip Zadina and Filip Pyrochta also scored for the Czechs who beat the Swiss 2-0 in the final last year in Prague.

Christian Marti, Damien Riat, Sandro Schmid and Sven Andrighetto scored for Switzerland.

In Stockholm, Finland topped Austria 2-1.

The tournament is the final men’s international test before the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, where NHL players return to the Olympics after 12 years.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Sweden's Mikael Backlund (11) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during a Group A match between Sweden and Slovakia at the hockey world championships, Friday, May 9, 2025, at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Austria's goalkeeper Atte Tolvanen, right, stops Finland's Eeli Tolvanen during a Group A match between Austria and Finland at the hockey world championships, Friday, May 9, 2025, at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Switzerland's forward Timo Meier, left, defender Dean Kukan (14) and goaltender Leonardo Genoni react after the Czech Republic scored the winning goal in overtime during a Group B game between Switzerland and Czech Republic at the hockey world championships, Friday, May 9, 2025, in Herning, Denmark. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

FUJISAWA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 12, 2026--

“Blind Sailor Single-Handed Pacific Crossing Project 2027” is a world-first initiative in which Mitsuhiro Iwamoto, a completely blind Japanese yachtsman (blind sailor) based in San Diego, will attempt a solo, non-stop trans-Pacific crossing in the spring of 2027. Sailing a 28-foot yacht single-handedly, he aims to cross the Pacific Ocean from San Diego on the U.S. West Coast to Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, without making port.
Iwamoto will speak about this project at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026, to be held in January 2026.
Project URL: https://hiros-choice.com/ 　

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108087321/en/

The message he most wishes to convey at the WEF is the power of choice.
He lost his sight at the age of sixteen—a moment when he nearly gave up on life itself. Nevertheless, he chose to live. In 2013, he made his first attempt to cross the Pacific with a partner, but the voyage ended in failure after a collision with a whale. The incident drew intense public criticism and plunged him once again into deep despair.

Six years later, in 2019, with a new partner, Iwamoto successfully completed a non-stop Pacific crossing of approximately 13,000 kilometers, sailing from San Diego to Fukushima, Japan. At that point, he made another choice—to move even further forward. That choice led to the launch of this new project.

At the WEF, Iwamoto is scheduled to deliver his speech on January 21, 2026 (Davos, Switzerland time).
How did he come to choose this extraordinary challenge? We invite you to listen closely to his words.
WEF URL: https://www.weforum.org/

This ambitious project depends on a wide range of support systems that will serve as “his eyes.”
These include continuous satellite communication via Starlink, high-sensitivity cameras, voice-based navigation systems that convey critical information, a shore-based support center monitoring the voyage, and—most importantly—the collective support of people around the world who will guide and assist him.

Together, these elements aim to create a new form of sailing, gradually transforming what has long been considered an “impossible adventure” for a blind sailor into a possible one.

Hiro Iwamoto / Global Keynote Speaker, First Totally Blind Sailor to Cross the Pacific