Czechs knock frustrated US out of men’s hockey
Gangneung — Goaltender Pavel Francouz blanked five US sharpshooters as American dreams of Olympic men’s hockey gold for the first time since 1980 were shattered by the undefeated Czech Republic on Wednesday.
The Czechs ousted the United States 3-2 in a tension-packed shootout thriller and advanced to a semifinal showdown against the Russians, who easily dispatched Norway 6-1.
“Our dream is still on,” Russian captain Pavel Datsyuk said. “We have been called favourites. We have to prove it.”
Czech Petr Koukal scored the only goal in the penalty shootout and the hero Francouz said: “It was our dream before the tournament to go this far, but I really hope it’s not the end.
“We can go farther if we keep playing really good as a team. We haven’t had any easy games... that has made us stronger.”
The sudden ending left the Americans stunned after battling through the game and a 10-minute scoreless over-time.
“It’s a huge disappointment because we were right there,” US captain Brian Gionta said. Former NHLer Jim Slater, whose shorthanded breakaway goal equalised for the Americans, leading to the over-time and shootout, was dismayed.
“Disappointed, frustrated. I feel pretty empty right now,” Slater said. “To lose at the Olympics that way is pretty tough. We thought we were good enough to challenge for a gold medal.”
The Russians, whose last title 26 years ago came as the Unified Team, began pondering what Olympic gold would mean for themselves and their homeland.
They are competing as “Olympic Athletes from Russia” because the Russians are formally banned from the Olympic Games over state-sponsored doping. —