Team USA played amazingly and didn’t let their opponent, location or situation intimidate them. They stuck to their game plan and came out on top. The player of the game was goalie Ryan Miller. He absolutely stood on his head (hockey phrase) and stopped all but three of the 45 shots he faced. It was a great display of technique, athleticism, pride and a little luck. Then on the other ice of the red line, the US offense put the pressure on the Canadians early in the game when Brain Rafaliski scored just 41 seconds into the game. That first goal stunned the crowd and the noise level dropped by several decibels. The crowd was right back in it once Eric Stall scored for the home team only to have the Rafaliski score again just 25 seconds later.
It was a great game and I was very impressed by the way the Americans played. Looking at the two teams on paper, the Canadians have an all-star team while the Americans have a good mix of seasoned veterans and young upstarts. But the game is played on the ice not on paper and on that night, Team USA was better. There is a chance there could be a rematch and I assure you it would be another tough ticket and hard fought game. But for that to happen, both teams would have to win out until the Gold Medal game. If that happens, talk about a tough ticket!
Go USA!
No comments:
Post a Comment