Americans through in men’s hockey
PYEONGCHANG, Korea, Republic Of
The United States men’s hockey team advanced to the quarter-finals with a 5-1 win over Slovakia, South Korea won a penalty-filled final in the women’s 3,000-metre short-track relay and Martin Fourcade became the first athlete to win three gold medals at the Pyeongchang Olympics Tuesday when he anchored France to victory in the biathlon mixed relay. Germany swept the Nordic combined Large Hill event podium with Johannes Rydzek winning gold, Fabian Riessle taking silver and Eric Frenzel earning bronze.
Ryan Donato scored two goals and Troy Terry had three assists to jumpstart the Americans’ offence in their impressive hockey win over Slovakia.
The U.S. had a scary moment in the second period when Donato and goalie Ryan Zapolski took almost simultaneous blows to the head, but both were able to stay in the game. The Americans took advantage of the ensuing 5on-3 power play with a quick goal that pushed its lead to 20.
Zapolski stopped 21 shots in arguably his best game of the tournament. The U.S. will play the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
“We all had to show up,” Zapolski said. “We know we have to win now to keep moving on. I think that’s something that shows how strong this team is and how resilient we are. We had, I think, our best game today.”
Donato’s two goals helped him tie his father, Ted, with four in a single Olympics. The elder Donato scored four goals in the 1992 Albertville Olympics.
Norway beat Slovenia 2-1 in overtime — its first win in Olympic men’s hockey since 1994 — to reach the quarterfinals for the first time.
DOPING DRAMA
Slovenian hockey player Ziga Jeglic became the third athlete at the Pyeongchang Games to test positive for doping.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Jeglic tested positive for fenoterol in an incompetition test. Fenoterol is a drug designed to open the airways to the lungs.
It’s the second straight international tournament from which Jeglic has been suspended. He was banned two games at the world championships last year after swinging his skate at a Switzerland player.
The other two athletes who have tested positive for doping are Japanese short-track speedskater Kei Saito and Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky, who won bronze in mixed doubles. The Russian delegation confirmed a second test for Krushelnitsky is positive for the banned substance meldonium.
WILD SHORT-TRACK FINAL
South Korea won the penalty-filled women’s 3,000-metre short-track relay final while Italy took silver and the Netherlands earned bronze. China and Canada were penalized, meaning Italy moved from bronze to silver and the Netherlands was elevated from the B final, which they won in a world-record time of four minutes 3.471 seconds.