Sochi Winter Olympics Recap — U.S. Men’s Hockey Team Advances To Quarterfinals
The U.S. men's hockey team remained undefeated, and The Netherlands claimed the overall medal lead at the Winter Olympics. Here's a recap of this weekend's action in Sochi.
U.S. Men's Hockey Team Has Perfect Weekend
The American men's hockey team clinched a spot in the quarterfinal round after going undefeated through three games in the Olympic tournament. Phil Kessel scored a hat trick as the U.S. beat Slovenia, 5-1, on Sunday. The resounding victory came a day after T.J. Oshie scored on four of six attempts in the shootout round to fuel the Americans to a dramatic 3-2 win over the host Russians.
With the game tied 2-2 after regulation, U.S. coach Dan Bylsma went to Oshie five straight times after the first three shootout shots, as is allowed by Olympic rules. Oshie, a center for the St. Louis Blues of the NHL, beat Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky several times, including the decisive goal in the eighth round of the shootout. American goalie Jonathan Quick was spectacular in net at the other end of the ice.
The Canadian and Swedish men's teams also remained undefeated. Sweden will be the top seed in the medal round. The winner of Tuesday's Czech Republic - Slovakia game will play the U.S. on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.
Meryl Davis and Charlie White Take Ice Dancing Lead
American ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White captured the short program at Sochi on Sunday and led the competition with 78.89 points heading into Monday's finals. Vancouver gold medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada were in second place, with Russians Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov in third.
Davis and White will attempt to become the first Americans to win an Olympic gold medal in ice dancing during the free skate on Monday.
Russian Skicross Racer Maria Komissarova Fractures Spine
Russian skicross racer Maria Komissarova fractured her spine during a practice run on Sochi's jump-filled course on Saturday. A Russian team official said the 23-year-old Komissarova broke the 12th dorsal vertebrae in her lower back. She underwent extensive surgery on Saturday night to address the injury, and she was transported in "grave but stable" condition to a German clinic for further treatment on Sunday.
Andrew Weibrecht and Bode Miller Medal in Super-G
Norway's Kjetil Jansrud won his nation's fourth straight Olympic gold medal in the super-G ski event on Sunday with a time of 1 minute, 18.14 seconds. American Andrew Weibrecht finished second, and Bode Miller of the U.S. and Jan Hudec of Canada tied for third to fill out the medal podium.
Miller's bronze was his sixth Olympic medal. The 36-year-old became the oldest Alpine medalist in Olympic history. Weibrecht added the silver to the bronze he won in the event in Vancouver in 2010.
Medal Count
The Netherlands continued to have a tremendous Olympic showing, including a sweep of the women's 1500-meter speedskating event on Sunday. The Dutch led the overall medal count with 17. The United States was tied with Russia for second place with 16 total medals.
Netherlands (17)
5 gold; 5 silver; 7 bronze
Russia (16)
4 gold; 7 silver; 5 bronze
United States (16)
4 gold; 4 silver; 8 bronze
Norway (14)
5 gold; 3 silver; 6 bronze
Canada (14)
4 gold; 6 silver; 4 bronze