USA men's hockey overcomes challenging start, cruises past Latvia
- - USA men's hockey overcomes challenging start, cruises past Latvia
Helene St. James, Detroit Free PressFebruary 12, 2026 at 10:52 PM
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USA men's hockey overcomes challenging start, cruises past Latvia
MILAN — The U.S. men's hockey team overcame a challenging first period to cruise to victory in the first of three preliminary games at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Americans had two goals called back, learning a valuable lesson to start the tournament that there is zero tolerance for contact in the crease with a goaltender. But they wrapped up their outing on Thursday, Feb. 12 with a 5-1 victory over Latvia at Milano Santaguilia Hockey Arena, securing three points in the Group C standings.
The Americans next play Denmark on Saturday, and then Germany on Sunday.
The U.S. came into the tournament with a roster shaped by NHL skill at every position. Connor Hellebuyck, the USA's top guy at last year's 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, got the start in net, but it was a slow night after the first period, when he made six saves. He saw just two shots in the second period.
More: U.S. men's hockey team ready to play after soaking up Olympic life
A dominant second period put the Americans well in the lead.
A 1-1 score grew to a 2-1 lead when Vincent Trocheck found Jack Hughes with a pass behind the net, Hughes found Brock Nelson in the low slot, and he maneuvered the puck past Elvis Merzlikins and into the net. Merzlikins had a busy period trying to give his teammates a chance as the Americans took command, swarming around with the puck.
Brady Tkachuk delivered a big hip check and made a nuisance of himself around the crease as the Americans took control in every aspect. A power play led to a 3-1 lead when Tage Thompson took a pass from Jack Eichel by the net, pivoted and got the puck on his backhand. There was 11.1 seconds on the clock when the Americans made it 4-1 on a tic-tac-toe goal by Nelson.
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Jake Sanderson of United States in action with Zemgus Girgensons of Latvia in men's ice hockey group C play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/NvVfp1PXmLhhXUfGoQNQEQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mzg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/1aab6e8ddbc184572407a7b222a802de class=caas-img data-headline="High‑Powered US ice hockey roster takes on Latvia in first Olympic test" data-caption="
Jake Sanderson of United States in action with Zemgus Girgensons of Latvia in men's ice hockey group C play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
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1 / 9High‑Powered US ice hockey roster takes on Latvia in first Olympic test
Jake Sanderson of United States in action with Zemgus Girgensons of Latvia in men's ice hockey group C play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
That made up for a first period that saw Latvia successfully challenge two goals. There was no issue with the first one: Brady Tkachuk sniped the puck behind Merzlikins at 5:29. A couple minutes later Quinn Hughes put the puck in the net, but after reviewing video, officials deemed the play offside. Latvia challenged J.T. Miller interfered with Merzlikins while deflecting Brock Faber's shot from the point soon after, a good learning experience for NHL players used to looser rules in the crease. Nestled between those reviews, Latvia made it 1-1 on a goal from Renars Krastenbergs.
Down by three goals going into the third, the Latvians put Arturs Silovs in net. Auston Matthews scored on a power play as the Americans continued their rout.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA men's hockey team score, what to know about win vs Latvia
Source: “AOL Sports”
