VANCOUVER—With a big game looming against Canada on Sunday, it would’ve been easy for the U.S. men’s ice hockey team to look past its Thursday game against Norway.
But the Americans knew that they had to jump on Norway early and they did so in a 6–1 win.
U.S. captain Jamie Langenbrunner said they didn’t make the most of their opportunities.
“We did some good things, we just got to settle down and keep it simple,” said Langenbrunner.
“It is unfortunate we had too many breakdowns and couldn’t get him [goalie Ryan Miller] a shutout today.”
The first goal of the game came at 2:39 when Phil Kessel, who plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs, scored for the U.S. His burst of speed and quick shot are his trademarks.
New York Ranger Chris Drury followed up Kessel’s goal a little over 12 minutes later. Fellow Ranger Ryan Callahan fired off a shot that was stopped by Norwegian goalie Pal Grotnes only for Drury to stuff in the rebound.
Team USA went into the first intermission with a decided advantage, up 2–0 and with a 15–2 edge in shots on goal, but play evened out in the second.
The Norwegians failed to capitalize with their man advantage in the second period and the hole got a little deeper for them when Patrick Kane sent one home despite Grotnes’s best effort.
Down by three, the game was starting to look like a washout, but then something interesting happened.
Forced to kill a penalty after Norway’s Tore Vikingstad was whistled for holding, but teammate Marius Holtet went end-to-end and slapped one past goalie Ryan Miller for Norway’s first and only goal of the night.
Norway was a completely different team after Holtet’s shorthanded goal, playing aggressively rather than just physically.
“It’s one of those things,” said Langenbrunner about the shorthanded goal given up in the second period.
As the buzzer sounded to end the second period, the shots were more even with the U.S. holding an 8–7 second period edge and the score was 3–1 in favor of the U.S.
The U.S. stepped it up in the third and final period, making it clear that it really did own the ice on Thursday.
Ryan Malone made it 4–1 with the most spectacular goal of the night. Jack Johnson’s shot deflected off Grotnes’s glove and was swatted out of the air by Malone right into the net.
Making sure it hurt a little more, Brian Rafalski of the Detroit Red Wings, took a pass from behind the net and blasted it past Grotnes making the score 5–1.
Rafalski sent another one in just moments later and the game ended 6–1.
There were moments when Norway threatened, but the Americans did what they were expected to do—win convincingly.
Norway played its best hockey in the second period but the U.S. was clearly the better team outshooting their opponents 39–11. The U.S. was very effective with the man advantage, scoring twice.
Team USA leads Group A after Canada needed a shootout to get by the Swiss team 3–2. The two hockey neighbors meet on Sunday in the Group A decider.
“We haven’t played our best and that’s a good thing. We’re going to see a different level of game on Sunday and we realize that,” said Langenbrunner.
“We know the importance of Sunday’s game and we’re excited for it.”
But the Americans knew that they had to jump on Norway early and they did so in a 6–1 win.
U.S. captain Jamie Langenbrunner said they didn’t make the most of their opportunities.
“We did some good things, we just got to settle down and keep it simple,” said Langenbrunner.
“It is unfortunate we had too many breakdowns and couldn’t get him [goalie Ryan Miller] a shutout today.”
The first goal of the game came at 2:39 when Phil Kessel, who plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs, scored for the U.S. His burst of speed and quick shot are his trademarks.
New York Ranger Chris Drury followed up Kessel’s goal a little over 12 minutes later. Fellow Ranger Ryan Callahan fired off a shot that was stopped by Norwegian goalie Pal Grotnes only for Drury to stuff in the rebound.
Team USA went into the first intermission with a decided advantage, up 2–0 and with a 15–2 edge in shots on goal, but play evened out in the second.
The Norwegians failed to capitalize with their man advantage in the second period and the hole got a little deeper for them when Patrick Kane sent one home despite Grotnes’s best effort.
Down by three, the game was starting to look like a washout, but then something interesting happened.
Forced to kill a penalty after Norway’s Tore Vikingstad was whistled for holding, but teammate Marius Holtet went end-to-end and slapped one past goalie Ryan Miller for Norway’s first and only goal of the night.
Norway was a completely different team after Holtet’s shorthanded goal, playing aggressively rather than just physically.
“It’s one of those things,” said Langenbrunner about the shorthanded goal given up in the second period.
As the buzzer sounded to end the second period, the shots were more even with the U.S. holding an 8–7 second period edge and the score was 3–1 in favor of the U.S.
The U.S. stepped it up in the third and final period, making it clear that it really did own the ice on Thursday.
Ryan Malone made it 4–1 with the most spectacular goal of the night. Jack Johnson’s shot deflected off Grotnes’s glove and was swatted out of the air by Malone right into the net.
Making sure it hurt a little more, Brian Rafalski of the Detroit Red Wings, took a pass from behind the net and blasted it past Grotnes making the score 5–1.
Rafalski sent another one in just moments later and the game ended 6–1.
There were moments when Norway threatened, but the Americans did what they were expected to do—win convincingly.
Norway played its best hockey in the second period but the U.S. was clearly the better team outshooting their opponents 39–11. The U.S. was very effective with the man advantage, scoring twice.
Team USA leads Group A after Canada needed a shootout to get by the Swiss team 3–2. The two hockey neighbors meet on Sunday in the Group A decider.
“We haven’t played our best and that’s a good thing. We’re going to see a different level of game on Sunday and we realize that,” said Langenbrunner.
“We know the importance of Sunday’s game and we’re excited for it.”
