David Backes and Ryan Malone scored in a big second period to lead the United States past Switzerland to kick of men’s hockey in Vancouver.
USA Gets Good Win, Still A Long Way To Go
For a young and inexperienced USA team, getting off to good start was going to be invaluable to their overall success in Vancouver. Opening against a decent but ultimately less-talented Switzerland was a good test for the United States, and after a nice 3-1 win the Americans can now focus on repairing some glaring issues that could be their downfall when the games become much bigger.
From the drop of the puck it instantly apparent that this was a team that is speedy, talented and very green when it comes to Olympic play. The USA started off strong with some amped up play before backing down a bit when the nerves settled down and Switzerland started to take advantage of the American’s mistakes. Yet Ryan Miller made several timely saves and the the United States took advantage with a big goal to end the first period.
Read Article >Switzerland Scores Midway Through Third, 3-1 Now
The United States played a strong and impressive third period to build a three-goal lead, but they seemed to come out in the third period content to sit on the lead. Switzerland came out determined, and Ryan Miller has been forced to make several big saves. Unfortunately, one shot puck handcuffed him a bit as it rode up his stick and slipped over his leg pad to get the Swiss on the board midway through the third period.
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