The US are out of the men’s ice hockey tournament at the Olympics after blowing a late lead yesterday.
Marek Hrivik scored with 43.7 seconds left in regulation, while Peter Cehlarik had the shoot-out winner as Slovakia ousted the top-seeded US 3-2 in the quarter-finals.
The US led for almost half the game before the tying goal, when Slovakia pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker to play six on five.
Photo: AFP
The US had gotten accustomed to playing tight games in the tournament, beating Canada by two goals and Germany by one, but blown coverage in front allowed Hrivik to knock a loose puck past goaltender Strauss Mann, who had been impressive up until that point.
Coming up empty on four power plays, including three in the third period, came back to bite the US. Matty Beniers hit the post on one of the best scoring chances that the US had in the third, but the team could not crack Patrik Rybar, who was playing a second consecutive day in the net for Slovakia.
Juraj Slafkovsky scored the first goal for Slovakia, the 17-year-old forward’s tournament-leading fifth. He is expected to be a top-10 pick in the NHL draft this summer.
The US goals by Nick Abruzzese and Sam Hentges came on textbook passing plays. Abruzzese’s goal — 7:26 after Slafkovsky scored — tied it, and Hentges put the US ahead near the midway point of the second period.
Top-line winger Brian O’Neill was lost for the rest of the game in the second, when he took a puck off his left foot, while defenseman Jake Sanderson missed a second consecutive game with an undisclosed injury.
Slovakia, coached by long-time NHL assistant Craig Ramsay, next face Finland, Russia, Sweden, Canada or Denmark in the semi-finals tomorrow.
The final is on Sunday.
The US were eliminated in a shoot-out in the quarter-finals for the second consecutive Olympics played without NHL players. The 2018 team was knocked out by the Czech Republic.
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