BEIJING — The quarterfinal game between Team USA and Slovakia ended where no one wanted it to end on Wednesday — with a shootout to determine who would advance to the medal round of the men's Olympic hockey tournament.
You know why? Those who have been involved say that losing a shootout doesn't feel like they have lost a game, which is hard to accept. So missing a chance to win an Olympic medal because of shootout loss will likely sting for a very long time.
And that's where Team USA's ride came to an end at the National Indoor Stadium. It was 47.3 seconds away from a trip to the semifinals when Marek Hrivik poked in a rebound to tie the game at 2-2 and force a 10-minute 3-on-3 overtime. After neither team scored in overtime, the game went to a shootout. And now Team USA has exited the tournament in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive Olympics.
