The United States of Hockey

Eight seconds. That was all that separated the U.S. from the end of regulation and a chance in the overtime period against defending champion Finland. Alas, Jesse Joensuu was left open on the doorstep of the American net and he slammed the puck past Jimmy Howard for what stood to be the game-winning goal, eliminating the U.S. from the 2012 IIHF Men’s World Championship. A heartbreaking 3-2 loss for Team USA.

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It was a bitter end to what was a pretty successful tournament for Team USA. Having won six of its first seven games, the U.S. was off to its best start at the Worlds since 1939. The Americans were riding high coming out of a preliminary round that included wins over Canada and Finland, but they don’t hand out medals for the preliminary round.

Despite that disappointing exit in the quarterfinal, USA Hockey can still be happy about the team they put on the ice. For the first time in years it seemed like the vast majority of players not only wanted to be there, but wanted to win. Badly.

In Bobby Ryan’s post-game interview, the frustration and disappointment seeped through as he chastised the officiating. It sounds silly to praise a player for squawking about the refs after a game, but it’s a sign that the game mattered to the 2010 Olympian. He cared.

More after the jump.

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Single elimination changes everything. Every shot, every goal, every mistake drastically increases in importance. An off night may cost a team its shot at a medal. With a thin margin for error and a medal well within reach for both teams every shift matters and that’s what makes international hockey so fun. It’s unpredictable and because it’s unpredictable, it’s dramatic.

The U.S. Men’s National Team, for the first time in a long time, looks like it is a legitimate contender. Team USA has been in this spot before, but fallen short so many times. However, it has been decades since an American squad has come into the medal round so hot.

Team USA will meet Finland at 11:30 a.m. EDT on NBC Sports Network with a shot at the semifinals and the winner of Russia-Norway.

Finland is a veteran team playing on home ice in Helsinki. The defending champs have plenty of guys who know what it takes to win at this level and won’t go lightly playing in front of its countrymen. Though the U.S. beat Finland 5-0 in the prelims, it would not be wise to expect a similar result Thursday.

The U.S. comes into the game with the confidence of the best start to a tournament since 1939, winning six of its first seven games at the tournament. Team USA has scored 32 goals in tournament play and seems to be clicking.

Coming up after the jump, an in-depth look at the USA-Finland match-up, U.S. players to watch, quick notes on the other quaterfinal match-ups and some pre-game links.

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The U.S. Men’s National Team overcame a lackluster start to earn a 5-2 win over Switzerland and clinch second place in the Helsinki Group, setting up a quarterfinal rematch with Finland.

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The U.S., which finished with a 4-2-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, will take on the defending champ and tournament co-host Thursday at 11:30 a.m. EDT. The game will air live on the NBC Sports Network.

Against the Swiss, Team USA got better as the game went on and made sure the third period was its best period. As a result, the U.S. dominated down the stretch and finished the preliminary round on an extremely high note.

The U.S. has struggled a bit against teams that hadn’t been having a great tournament. The loss to Slovakia, going to overtime against Kazakhstan and the close game against Belarus all started flashing before Team USA’s eyes as it fell behind early in the second period.

After regrouping, the U.S. scored three unanswered goals to put the game out of reach and show just how good they can be.

Coming up after the jump, more notes on Team USA’s 5-2 win over Switzerland, the U.S. player of the game and a quick look at the quarterfinal match-ups for the World Championship.

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Though the U.S. has secured its spot in the quarterfinals at the Men’s World Championship, the game against Switzerland still carries some significance in terms of seeding. Team USA sits in third place, just two points behind Finland, three points behind first-place Canada and one point ahead of Slovakia.

There are a variety of scenarios that can play out Tuesday (which I’ll get to after the jump), which means the game against Switzerland is not to be treated as a warm-up. With that added motivation and coming off a rousing 5-0 victory over Finland, the U.S. should bring nothing less than its best.

Switzerland, meanwhile, has little to play for besides final placement. They aren’t relegated, but they aren’t moving on to the quarterfinals either. With that in mind, Team USA can only focus on itself and take care of some pretty important business.

Closing out the preliminary round on a high note is important, in terms of showing that the U.S. can actually string together a consistent effort from game-to-game. More importantly, shooting for that second- (or highly unlikely, but possible first-) place finish is the goal.

Coming up after the jump, a look at the different seeding scenarios, more notes on Team USA heading into Tuesday’s match-up and links.

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The U.S. Men’s National Team did their mommas proud on Mother’s Day. A 5-0 win over defending champion Finland showed what Team USA looks like at its very best. The win vaulted Team USA into second place in the Helsinki Group and, more importantly, clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.

I’ve been following the tournament closely for the last five years and, hands down, Sunday’s win was the gutsiest performance out of a men’s national team that I’ve seen.

HHOF/IIHF Images on Ice

Team USA played with speed and grit against the often pesky Finland. The forecheck was as intense as we’ve seen out of the U.S. squad and the result was a goal parade.

Meanwhile, Team USA’s defense was as strong as it’s been all tournament. The U.S. was able to beat Finland at its own game in the defensive zone, by collapsing to the net and completely taking away the slot. Finland wasn’t able to do a thing offensively in this game, only managing 18 shots.

It was the most complete performance the U.S. has put together and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Going against Finland, who had a 4-0-0-1 record coming into the game, this was a game the U.S. came in as the underdog. The Americans beat the defending champion in its own building. Talk about a confidence builder.

Coming up after the jump, some more notes on Team USA’s 5-0 win over Finland, the U.S. Player of the Game and some post-game links.

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When is a win not a win? Team USA’s 3-2 overtime win against Kazakhstan is probably a good place to start. The U.S. started out OK, but faded as the game went on and lost leads  twice in the game. Until Justin Faulk scored the overtime game-winner, nothing looked assured for the United States. At this stage of the tournament, it’s an unacceptable result.

The U.S. improved to 2-2-0-1 in tournament play, and now has 10 points in the standings, which keeps them in the playoff round. However, with a close game against Belarus and now barely surviving Kazakhstan’s upset bid, doubt has to be creeping in.

HHOF/IIHF Images on Ice

Somehow, the U.S. has four wins, but has not looked at all like the team that started the tournament with wins against France and Canada. You normally expect teams to get better as the tournament goes on, as players familiarize with each other and jet lag wears off. That has not been the case for Team USA. They may not have regressed entirely, but clearly have lost whatever it was they had in a 5-4 win over Canada early in the tournament.

What makes it scarier for the U.S. now, is that it will play a pair of games that could have significant implications for the medal round. Finland and Switzerland will both provide incredibly difficult challenges for the U.S.

Coming into today, Finland is the tournament’s top team, while Switzerland is still clawing for a spot in the medal round. If the U.S. plays as it did the last two days, beating either of those two clubs might be too tall an order to expect Team USA to handle.

Coming up after the jump, a look at Team USA’s 3-2 win over Kazakhstan, Team USA’s player of the game, links and more.

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