MILAN – With two goals from Brock Nelson (Warroad, Minn./Colorado Avalanche), the U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team triumphed over Latvia, 5-1, in their opening preliminary round match of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
“The atmosphere tonight was fantastic,” remarked Mike Sullivan, head coach of the U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team. “This was a crucial victory to kick off the tournament against a challenging Latvia squad. We had great energy on the bench, and I believe our players managed the game effectively overall.”
Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich./Detroit Red Wings) nearly scored just 1:39 into the game, as he retrieved a rebound from a Zach Werenski (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Columbus Blue Jackets) shot, but failed to convert on a close-range opportunity.
Brady Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo./Ottawa Senators) opened the scoring at 5:29, firing a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle past Latvia goalie Elvis Merzlinkins after receiving a pass from his brother, Matthew Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo./Florida Panthers).
Latvia equalized at 7:25, with Renars Krastenbergs scoring from the top of the crease during a scramble in front of the net.
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Brady and Matthew Tkachuk had opportunities in quick succession following an offensive-zone faceoff with 38 seconds remaining, but neither was able to score.
Nelson regained the lead for the U.S. at 10:38 of the second period, receiving a centering pass from Jack Hughes (Canton, Mich./New Jersey Devils), then maneuvering around Merzlinkins to backhand the puck into the net.
Tage Thompson (Orange, Conn./Buffalo Sabres) added a power-play goal at 17:35 of the second period, lifting a backhand shot over Merzlinkins’ shoulder from near the crease to double Team USA’s advantage.
Nelson scored his second goal of the night with just 12 seconds left in the period, tapping in a cross-ice pass from Jack Hughes to extend the U.S. lead to 4-1 heading into the second intermission.
Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz./Toronto Maple Leafs) netted Team USA’s second power-play goal at the 2:34 mark of the third period, firing a shot from the slot into the net after receiving a pass from Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass./Vegas Golden Knights).
U.S. goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce, Mich./Winnipeg Jets) made a remarkable blocker save with 7:08 remaining in the third, stopping a shot from the slot by Latvia. He concluded the game with 17 saves, ensuring the 5-1 victory for Team USA.
Team USA will return to the ice on Saturday (Feb. 14) for a preliminary round matchup against Denmark. The puck drop at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena is scheduled for 9:10 p.m. CET (3:10 p.m. ET), and the game will be available on USA Network and streamed on Peacock.
NOTES: Team USA outshot Latvia, 38-18 … The U.S. converted 2 of 3 power-play opportunities, while Latvia was 0 for 3 … The U.S. Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team improves to 12-0-2-8-3 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) in opening matches of Olympic tournaments.
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