BEIJING — David Quinn didn't want to minimize the moment. The U.S. men's hockey team had just earned a 4-2 victory over Canada, one of the pre-tournament favorites at the Beijing Olympics, and the coach recognized it was something worth savoring.
"If you can't enjoy this, then why did we come?'' Quinn said. "So we'll enjoy this game. And then, we'll reset.''
Granted, the celebration didn't last long. The U.S. had only about 30 hours to prepare for Sunday's opponent, Germany, after beating Canada on Saturday afternoon at National Indoor Stadium.
At 2-0, the Americans sit alone atop Group A. Should they beat Germany — which eked out a 3-2 victory over China on Saturday — they would win the group and earn a spot in the quarterfinals, where they could be the top seed. While no one wanted to get too far ahead of themselves, Quinn has found much to like about the way his young team is playing on the Olympic stage.
In its opener against China, the U.S. flashed speed and skill. Against Canada, it proved it has muscle and fortitude, too. The youngest team in the tournament, the Americans rallied from a 1-0 deficit and matched the physical play of the bigger, older Canadians, giving the U.S. a dose of confidence heading into the final game of pool play.
"We've got a bunch of guys that compete. They don't back down,'' Quinn said. "We weren't intimidated at all, and (Canada is) a big, strong team. If we can combine a little bit of grit and heart with hard skill, we're going to have a chance to be successful.''
The U.S. now has its full roster on hand. Defenseman Jake Sanderson — a University of North Dakota sophomore and the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft — arrived in Beijing on Friday at 2:30 a.m. and played nearly 17 minutes Saturday, picking up one assist. Sanderson, a key member of the U.S. blueline corps, had been in COVID-19 protocol in the U.S.
With 15 college players, the U.S. roster is its youngest at an Olympic Games since 1994. Given the skill level, Quinn didn't want to impose too much structure on the group. The goal is to "let them loose a little bit,'' he said, which resulted in a fast, action-packed game Saturday.
Canada controlled the opening minutes, putting five quick shots on net and scoring the first goal only 1 minute, 24 seconds into the game. The U.S. regrouped quickly, tying the game only 70 seconds later when captain Andy Miele ended a beautiful passing sequence with a goal.
The Americans played a strong team game at both ends of the ice. Though Canada pulled within 3-2 on a short-handed goal late in the second period, Miele's takeaway set up another score to restore the two-goal lead. The U.S. penalty kill shut down Canada's best chance to rally, standing strong during back-to-back penalties that gave Canada a two-man advantage for 31 seconds.
"The coaching staff and management did a great job of finding the right players,'' Miele said. "It wasn't just the biggest names. They found the right players who can combine together and build chemistry right away.''
Germany was the silver medalist four years ago, when NHL players also didn't participate. But it struggled to get past China after losing 5-1 to Canada in its opener. The Germans have managed only four goals in their first two games, and their goaltending has been shaky. Mathias Niederberger has a save percentage of .837, which ranks 14th among the 15 goaltenders who have played in the tournament.
Quinn did see a few issues to clean up. He said the U.S. had too many "soft plays'' that gave life to Canada's offense, especially after giving up the shorthanded goal.
That didn't spoil the mood Saturday, when the Americans gave themselves permission to enjoy a meaningful victory before moving forward.
"It feels great,'' Miele said. "But we're going to continue to just focus on trying to get better every game, every practice.''
