James Nichols
New Jersey Devils forward Paul Cotter just lit the fuse for Round 2.
The United States took care of business in their final preliminary game, grinding out a 4-1 victory over Austria at Swiss Life Arena. The win locked up their spot in the quarterfinals and set up a rematch with Canada after the U.S. topped their sister country at the 2026 Milan Olympics to win gold.
Cotter made his mark in the second period. At 21:07, he crashed the net and finished a play set up by Mathieu Olivier and Will Borgen, giving the U.S. a 3-0 cushion. It was the kind of gritty, net-front goal Cotter was added to the USA roster for—battling through traffic, staying strong on the puck, and capitalizing when the opportunity came.
Cotter’s physical, hard-nosed approach was evident all game.
He spent shifts wearing down Austrian defenders along the boards and in front of the net, creating space for teammates and forcing turnovers on the forecheck.
Cotter’s relentless style, the same one Devils fans have sees in New Jersey before, helped the USA maintain momentum even as Austria tried to push back in the third period.
The USA jumped out fast in the first period. Connor Clifton opened the scoring at 5:34 off assists from Borgen and Alex Steeves, and Ryan Ufko made it 2-0 just 45 seconds later on a feed from Tommy Novak. Matthew Tkachuk added the fourth goal late in the second at 31:52.
Austria got on the board midway through the second when Simeon Schwinger beat the U.S. goalie, but that was as close as they got. The Americans tightened up defensively in the third, shutting down any comeback attempt while outshooting Austria overall.
For Cotter, the goal and consistent physical effort was certainly encouraging to see in a high-stakes game. He will meet Devils teammate Dawson Mercer against Canada next.
