Japan turned a first-period deficit into a 4-1 win over the Yokohama Grits, and the middle frame did all the heavy lifting. Three unanswered goals in the second flipped the game and it never came back.
The Grits took the opening period 1-0 and carried that lead to the first intermission. Japan answered with a 3-0 second to lead 3-1 after 40 minutes, then closed it out with the only goal of the third for the 4-1 final in regulation.
The number that matters: 4-0 on the scoreboard after the opening period. Yokohama managed one goal across three periods and nothing after the intermission, and Japan never trailed again once the second-period run started.