USA Advances to Men’s Hockey Semifinals with Overtime Win

Heart rates were soaring in Milan and across the U.S., but Team USA pulled through to secure the gold medal in men’s hockey.

Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild netted the winning goal in overtime, allowing Team USA to edge out Sweden with a 2-1 victory on Wednesday, thereby advancing to the Olympic men’s hockey semifinals.

Both teams’ goaltenders managed to keep things scoreless until the game’s latter stages. With less than nine minutes left in the second period, Jack Hughes launched a wrist shot that was deflected by Dylan Larkin, leading to a goal from Jacob Markstrom, giving USA a 1-0 lead.

As the third period rolled around, the Swedes ramped up their efforts. But, despite Adrian Kempe’s shot hitting the post with just 2:30 remaining, Sweden struggled to find the back of the net.

Sweden pulled their goalie with about 100 seconds left, and just ten seconds later, Mika Zibanejad scored off a one-time shot from Lucas Raymond, tying the game. Connor Herrivac had already stopped 28 shots by that point, pushing the game into a tense overtime period.

Despite failing to capitalize on their first five shots in overtime, Hughes finally broke the deadlock with a shot on the sixth attempt, sealing the victory for the Americans.

Next up, Team USA will face Slovakia. Meanwhile, Canada, having narrowly escaped an upset against the Czech Republic earlier, is set to face Finland. Interestingly, both Canada and Finland also secured their spots thanks to overtime victories.

Across the four games played Thursday, three chilled fans with overtime excitement.

Looking ahead, the semifinal matchups are scheduled for Friday, with specific times yet to be announced. The winners will compete for the gold medal on Sunday, coinciding with the 46th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice.”