PLAYING FOR GOLD!!!!

5 games, 5 wins, 0:00 minutes trailing in this Olympics. If anyone had told you before the Olympics that the US Men's Hockey team would be the best team in the tournament and cruise to the Gold Medal game, you would have said they were insane. The US was hoping for Bronze! Canada, Russia, Sweden...all expected to do better than the US in the Olympics.

But, that's why they play the game!

In today's semifinal match, the final score was in doubt for, oh, 2 minutes or so. 2 minutes in, Malone scored what was essentially an empty netter when Kipprusoff (the goalie) came way out to play the puck and turned it over. 4 minutes later, Parise scored on the power play.



2 minutes later, another goal, this one by Erik Johnson on a sweet feed from the Sharks' Joe Pavelski.



1 1/2 minutes later it was Patrick Kane, and Kipprusoff's day was done, stopping only 3 of the 7 shots he faced. Another 2 1/2 minutes later it was Patrick Kane again. And another 15 seconds later it was Paul Stastny. Yup, less than 13 minutes into the game, the U.S. was winning 6-0, and that was all she wrote!

The next two periods were mostly uneventful. The U.S. worked on their defense, and kept playing hard. Finland got a goal on our backup goalie late in the 3rd to avoid the shutout, and the U.S. is now 5-0 and playing for the gold medal on Sunday.



The U.S. will play either Canada or Slovakia...that Semifinal game is later tonight. However, barring a miracle, Canada should have no problem with Slovakia, setting up a matchup for the ages! A Canada-U.S. rematch, this time for the Gold Medal.

This hockey season, in various international play, the U.S. has faced Canada for gold in two different championship tournaments. Both times in Canada. The Under-18 matchup was in the semifinals of that tournament, and the U.S. won 2-1, and then went on to wax Russia for the Gold Medal. The Under-20 (also known as the World Junior) Championship was back in December and January, and in a very exciting, back and forth game, the U.S. defeated Canada 5-4 in OT to claim the Gold Medal over Canada.

Yup, that's right, including the Olympic matchup in the prelims last week, the U.S. has beaten Canada in international tournaments, on Canadian soil, three times so far this hockey season...twice to win a gold medal.

Here's the amazing chant the U.S. World Jr. Team was taped doing after receiving their Gold Medals. Here's to hoping the Men's Olympic Team gets to follow suit!