Russian athletes are competing in the neutral OAR team here as part of their punishment for a “systemic manipulation” of the anti-doping system when hosting the last Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.
Advertisement
Finland vs. Korea 7:10 a.m. They will face Canada, who they lost to 5-0 in the preliminary round. If the Americans can’t start to control the puck, they have no chance whatsoever of advancing to quarterfinal play.
The Russians provided the biggest upset of this tournament by beating the 2014 bronze medalists. Team USA then gave up three unanswered goals, including the overtime game victor.
RIA Novosti today reported an unnamed athlete from a sport which was not disclosed has violated anti-doping rules at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
Mike Eruzione, former captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that defeated the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, said the Russians this time around were simply “the better team”.
Former NHL star Ilya Kovalchuk scored two goals, including a devastating strike on a US blunder, as the Russians overpowered a scrappy Team USA squad 4-0 in the Group B preliminary round finale.
The IOC said if the case is confirmed, a group overseeing the implementation of the IOC’s decision would report it to the executive board at the end of the Games. “I’m sure we’ll see them again later in the tournament and I think the outcome will be a lot different”. Muller’s goal was assisted by Meier. Viktoria Kulishova, Liana Ganeyeva and Olga Sosina had a goal apiece.
Meanwhile, the Olympic Athletes from Russian Federation got two second-period goals of their own.
Prokhorkin did his biggest damage early, opening the scoring by finishing off a lovely pass-pass-shoot sequence about 7 minutes into the game, then adding another early in the second period.
The U.S. entered the game atop the Group B standings with four points and could have earned a bye to the quarterfinals with a victory in regulation or overtime.
Prokhorkin gave the Russians a 1-0 lead by slipping to the net and directing in a flawless pass from Sergei Mozyakin in the right circle.
The Russians answered when Kulishova tapped a rebound into the open net behind Schelling at 13:53.
The first period didn’t disappoint the rowdy crowd, with multiple scrums breaking out before any goals were scored. Most notably, Alina Muller didn’t go down quietly, scoring the first of Switzerland’s goals. Not to mention that any time an American player got close to Koschechkin, they were firmly dealt with by a convoy of Russian players.
Advertisement
This game – and this entire Olympic men’s hockey tournament, unfortunately – has the feel of something in between, a competition stuck in the morass between a full-blooded worldwide spectacle of talent and a celebration of youthful stars-to-come.
