SAY IT AIN’T SOCHI
U.S. hopes dashed by Canada yet again
SOCHI, Russia — By the time another grim night in the American house of hockey horrors — the Bolshoy Ice Dome — was complete, a thoroughly familiar scene was playing out on a Russian rink.
Canadian players were hugging and smiling. U.S. players were commiserating and not smiling. This has been going on since the start of Olympic ice hockey almost 100 years ago, Canada prevailing over its massive neighbor to the south, reminding everybody that the game is a national treasure. Their national treasure. And here it came again, four years after the U.S. suffered a heart-wrenching overtime loss to Canada in the gold-medal game in Vancouver, the determined campaign for payback ending with a dispiriting 1-0 loss in the Olympic semifinals on Friday.
That the defeat came on the same ice where the U.S. women suffered a brutal overtime loss to the Canadians one night earlier made it just a little worse.
The U.S. is now 3-12-3 against Canada in Olympic play, and has never beaten the Canadians in an elimination game. For sure, the U.S. is among the elite hockey-playing nations, and its hockey curve is heading steadily north.
It’s just that beating Canada seems harder than swimming across Niagara Falls.
“We didn’t show up to play and it’s just very frustrating,” said Ryan Suter, the Wild defenseman who’s been one of the best U.S. players throughout the tournament. “We had motivation. We just didn’t take it on the ice.”
The Canadians (5-0) play Henrik Lunqvist and Sweden (victors over Finland, 2-1, in the earlier semifinal) for the gold medal on Sunday. The U.S. goes against Finland in the bronze-medal game on Saturday.
The Americans (41) had scored 20 goals in four games here, an offensive juggernaut with skill and speed and depth. The only trouble was that they ran into a team with almost equal speed, and a stubborn, defensive mindset, backchecking and forechecking zealously from start to finish..
The Canadians have given up only three goals in five games, and goaltender Casey Price, by way of the Montreal Canadiens, was strong in net again, turning aside all 31 U.S. shots.
“It seems like we had a tough time sustaining any pressure in their end,” the
Rangers’ Ryan Callahan said. “They outnumbered us in their zone, came up with it quick and as we expected, they were quick on transition.” Added David Backes of the Blues, “We did not get enough traffic in front of their goal and find second chances to score.”
U.S. goaltender Jonathan Quick made 16 of his 36 saves in the opening period, which was played at breakneck pace on both sides. Indeed, U.S. coach Dan Bylsma said the entire 60 minutes “was as fast a game as I’ve ever been a part of.”
Phil Kessel, the standout winger and leading scorer in the tournament with five goals, used his vaunted speed to get off a blast in the opening minute, and set up defenseman John Carlson for a wide-open blast between the circles that was gloved by Price.
But the U.S. attack had little continuity, and Canada had the better of the play, and then scored the only goal on a gorgeous give and go just 1:41 into the second period, Stars’ captain Jamie Benn threading a pass out to Jay Bouwmeester, who then snapped it cross-ice, back to Benn, who steered it past Quick.
“We knew it was going to be a tight hockey game. We found a way to get one,” Benn said.
U.S. captain Zach Parise had a prime chance on a redirection in front later in the second, but Price kicked it away. About five minutes into the third, James van Riemsdyk, of the Leafs and Middletown, N.J., took aim but Price handled it. Even on their three power plays, the Americans could not keep consistent pressure on in the face of suffocating defense.
Quick, meanwhile, had big stops early on Sidney Crosby and Patrick Sharp. He was equal to every Canadian shot, but one.
“Our goalie was our best player on the ice,” Bylsma said. “We just couldn’t turn it back the other way.”
Even with an extra skater with Quick out of the net, even with end-game urgency, the Americans could never get their vaunted attack going.
So now they go for the bronze, and wonder what they have to do to beat Big Brother to the north.
“I don’t think we quite laid it all on the line the way we needed to do in order to win,” Backes said. “A 1-0 game in the semifinal against your rival country, it’s a sour taste for sure.’’ Canada’s Jamie Benn celebrates his second-period goal against Jonathan Quick that stands up in semifinals, the Americans once again left frustrated by their rivals to the north, who head to gold-medal game vs. Sweden.