Young, old meshing for U.S. men’s hockey
GANGNEUNG, South Korea – With a mix of college players, European professionals and minor-leaguers and a range of ages from 20 to 39, it was going to take time for the U.S. men’s hockey team to gel.
The question was, would there be enough of it in a two-week Olympic tournament?
The late general manager Jim Johannson’s gambit – that 25 players with varied backgrounds and different levels of experience would mesh – is looking better by the day.
Team USA, steadily growing more cohesive and confident and energized by its “Diaper Line” of 20-yearold Troy Terry, 21-year-old Ryan Donato and old-timer Mark Arcobello (29), is trending upward.
After scoring a total of four goals in its three preliminary games, the Americans went on the offensive in a win-or-go-home qualification game Tuesday at the Gangneung Hockey Centre.
Donato, a junior at Harvard, scored two goals in a 5-1 victory over Slovakia, sending Team USA into a quarterfinal match-up Wednesday with the Czech Republic. Terry, a University of Denver junior, had three assists.
Many wrote off the Americans after they won just one game in their pool and were shut out, 4-0, by the
Olympic Athletes from Russia on Saturday. That meant they would have to get through the qualification round.
Coach Tony Granato said he would have preferred the bye, but maybe an extra game wasn’t such a bad thing for a group of players searching for an identity and figuring out on the fly how to put the puck in the net.
“I think we said it after we lost to Russia, maybe it’s good for us to have another game,” said goaltender Ryan Zapolski. “Tonight, we found a way to score some goals and I think we got a little bit of confidence from that.”
Donato now has a team-leading four goals – no one else has more than one – and Terry leads the team with four assists.
“The first practice you could just see the talent they’ve got,” Arcobello said. “They look like pros. They don’t look like college players. They’re poised, they do the right things and they’re smart players. I knew right away they were going to be pretty good.”
Johannson, a former University of Wisconsin player who died Jan. 21, surmised that the college players’ youthful enthusiasm, when added to a mix of battle-hardened European pros and minor-leaguers, would create synergy.
“We went through a bunch of roster scenarios,” said Granato, who will be back on the bench at Wisconsin after the Olympics. “Take 20 college guys, take 20 European pros, take 20 minor league guys. What’s the right combination?
“This was Jimmy’s plan. Sprinkle three or four or five of the college guys in there, get them the right veteran players, it might be a nice mix.”
Donato has been Team USA’s best player and it’s obvious he has confidence in his shot. Terry sees the ice well and has a pro-ready game.
Kids. They grow up so fast these days.
“I think the college kids have been good for us, Troy and Ryan especially,” Zapolski said. “Those kids are special players and they bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm. They’re fun to be around and they’re not really overtaken by this moment. They’re fearless.
“A lot of guys on our team are 12, 13 years older than them. To see the way that they play and the energy that they bring, it’s been really good for this team. They’re just out here having fun and that rubs off on the rest of us.”
Donato said it was awkward initially to share a locker room with older players, but the veterans made sure the kids assimilated quickly.
“I think they do a great job of including you and making you feel a part of the team and feel important, and that benefits our game and makes us feel more confident on and off the ice,” he said.
Next up are the Czechs, who went 3-0 in the preliminary round. Should Team USA win it is likely headed for a rematch with Russia in the semifinals.
“Obviously, Russia just outplayed us,” said defenseman James Wisniewski, who has played exclusively on the power play in this tournament and scored on a 5-on-3 against Slovakia. “We were sitting back, you know, we don’t want to make a mistake, and that plays right into their hands.
“For us, though, right now we’re worried about the Czechs. They’re undefeated for a reason. After that, we’ll see what happens.”