The United States offered themselves a classic ice hockey game on Saturday, against the Canadian favorite, in the group stage of the Beijing Olympics (4-2), without the stars of NHL (North American League), retained by the league due to Covid-19.
It is the first time that the two nations, ice hockey giants with 27 Olympic medals (11 gold) between them, have met since the semi-finals of Sochi in 2014, where Canada won 1- 0 before being crowned Olympic champion.
“When Canada meets the United States, it’s always eagerly awaited,” summed up the Canadian Maxim Noreau after the meeting. This time however, the two countries had to do without their star NHL players, who are not taking part in the Games due to the postponements of matches caused by the Covid-19.
And if the Canadians opened the scoring in the first period, the Americans, whose group is made up of 15 players playing in the university championships, then took the lead to win in a crucial match in the race for the quarters of final.
Honor to scholars
Something to reassure the double Olympic champions (1960, 1980). “I immediately found chemistry with my line-mates,” savored Sean Farrell, a 20-year-old Harvard student, author of a hat-trick against China in the first victory for the United States (8- 0) Thursday.
In the men’s tournament, the nations represented are divided into three groups of four. Only the first and the best second qualify directly, while the other four places will be awarded after the play-offs.
Canada has won nine men’s Olympic titles, the last being in Sochi. The United States is aiming for its first title since the Lake Placid Games in 1980.
