U.S. Men’s Hockey Team Triumphs Over Slovakia, Prepares to Face Canada for Gold Medal
MILAN — The United States and Canada will compete in both men’s and women’s hockey finals, a matchup that has occurred twice before in the Olympics, with Canada securing gold on both occasions. However, the U.S. has a chance for a different outcome this time after the men’s team achieved a decisive 6-2 victory over Slovakia on Friday, advancing to the gold-medal game set for Sunday against none other than Canada. Earlier, the U.S. women’s team made headlines by defeating Canada in overtime during their final on Thursday.
In a commanding performance, the American men benefited from two second-period goals by Jack Hughes and a notable three assists from Zack Werenski. Canada, meanwhile, staged a comeback in their semifinal match, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to edge past Finland 3-2.
The U.S. began their scoring with early contributions from Dylan Larkin and Tage Thompson, followed by additional goals from Jack Eichel and Brady Tkachuk. Larkin put his team ahead less than five minutes into the game, collecting a pass from Werenski, skating into the left circle, and sending a remarkable shot past Slovakian goalie Samuel Hlavaj. This marked Larkin’s second goal in as many matches.
Thompson, who assisted on Larkin’s goal, extended the U.S. lead just before the first intermission. His power-play goal came shortly after Milos Kelemen received a penalty for tripping, as Thompson shot from a tight angle, scoring off Hlavaj’s left shoulder.
Midway through the second period, Jake Guentzel almost added a goal, but his attempt was invalidated as officials ruled it a kick. Jack Hughes quickly made his mark, showcasing impressive skill by maneuvering through traffic before scoring with a wrist shot that struck the crossbar.
Eichel capitalized on a defensive blunder by Slovakia to push the score to 4-0, finding himself unguarded in front of the net. Thompson added his second goal just before the second intermission, finishing with a smooth one-timer set up by Werenski.
Slovakia moments later expressed concerns when Jurai Slafkovsky found the net, exploiting a rare mistake from U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who was caught out of position. This marked Slafkovsky’s fourth goal of the tournament, tying him for second place overall, just behind Canada’s Macklin Celebrini.
Tkachuk later sealed the U.S. scoring on a breakaway, shortly before Pavol Regenda netted Slovakia’s second goal. Notably, this was the first time in four games that Hellebuyck, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, allowed multiple goals.
As the teams prepare for the final showdown, the outcome holds significant implications for the storied rivalry between U.S. and Canadian hockey.
