BEIJING — Building their roster around college kids, while giving those kids enough freedom to be creative and enough structure to feel secure, paid off again with a victory for the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team.
A clever backhander by Brendan Brisson of Manhattan Beach, Calif., and the University of Michigan held up as the winning goal Saturday as the U.S. defeated Canada, 4-2, in preliminary-round play at National Indoor Stadium and improved to 2-0. Brisson, drafted 29th by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020, is one of 15 college players on the U.S. roster. They've brought enthusiasm, energy and impressive skills to a team that's coming together more cohesively than they might have imagined when the withdrawal of NHL players in December left little time to create and execute a Plan B.
"We have a really good coaching staff, and all the older guys have been really important to us so far, just teaching us things," said Brisson, a former L.A. Junior King. "And it's all about just dialing in, knowing where to be on the ice and just trusting the process.
