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Team USA Finish off the Finns! Shoot for Gold on Sunday!
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After being held to only two goals scored on 44 shots against Switzerland
and one of the two being an empty netter the American's bombard Finland
in the first connecting six times on thirteen shots.
The Relentless American attack in the first proved to be their top 15
minutes of the tournament. After their forth straight tally Finland goalie
Miikka Kiprusoff pulled himself from the game and Niklas Backstrum came
in to relieve him. The results would be the same as Team USA Men's Ice
Hockey squad would light the lamp two more times right off the bat.
The first goal of the game would be off a Finland misread as Miikka Kiprusoff
would leave his crease to play a puck at the top of the circle their defenseman
skated away from the puck. The on coming full speed ahead Phil Kessel
made Kiprusoff make a bad decision with the puck that landed on Ryan Malone's
stick as he fired into the empty net for a 1-0 US lead.
From their on Kiprusoff seamed rattled as Parise, Johnson and Kane would
score. Kane would welcome Niklas Backstrom into the game scoring again
only 2:23 later and Paul Stastny would do the same after another 15 tics
for the whopping 6-0 lead.
Miller continues to be on his game! After putting all his 18 shots he
faced aside US coach Ron Wilson gave his wall a break and let Bruins goal
keep get some action. Tim Thomas would get his first action of the tournament
and would allow one goal on seven shots. The lone Finland goal came off
a shot that deflected off of a defesneman's skate and broke the US shut
out streak with only 5:14 left on the clock.
Team USA has not trailed in this tournament and this team has only gotten
better since their lone practice before the games started. A great group
of guys that are playing for each other and not for themselves team USA
captain Jamie Langenbrunner stated. Also stating that this team believed
in themselves as no one else did.
It's Canada vs the United States for Gold on Sunday! A rematch of the
2002 Olympics where Canada would win on American soil. What a great way
to finish off this Olympic run would be for the Americans to do the same
on Canadian grounds.
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