Top 10 Hockey Moments from Winter Olympics – Round Robin

Well the 2014 Winter Olympics from Sochi, Russia are into week two and mens and womens hockey is in full swing.  There have been some exciting games thus far and The Hockey Fanatic is counting down the top ten moments in Olympics hockey from round robin play of the 2014 Sochi Games.

Top 10 Hockey Moments from Winter Olympics – Round Robin

  1. USA vs Russia in Mens Hockey – or should we say TJ Oshie vs Alex Kovalchuk?  With the United States and Russia tied after regulation and overtime, the two rivals went to a lengthily shootout after a tightly-contested preliminary game, where the St. Louis Blues centre took six shots, scoring four times, to lead his team to a 3-2 victory.  Over on Twitter the hastag #TJSochi became an instant hit.
  2. Canada vs USA in Womens Hockey – ah yes another great game between the two rivals.  This was in fact one of the best games that we have seen in years period.  Canada had a strong third period in which they trailed one nothing to start the third period.  The Canadian squad coached by Kevin Dineen put together a tremendous final 20 minutes, scoring three goals while outshooting the favoured American side 12-3 on their way to a 3-2 win.  This game had it all and in the end Canada’s passion shone through.  We cannot wait to see more of this in the medal round.
  3. Canada defeats Finland in OT – on an OT winner from Canada by Drew Doughty allowed Canada to get the victory over a very poised Finnish team.  The 2-1 victory for Canada seems them ranked third overall as they move into the medal round.
  4. Japanese Women’s Hockey Team Enjoying the Sochi Games with a big game vs. Russia – Earlier this week the womens Japanese hockey team played Russia giving the Russians a bit of a scare.  With Russia leading 1-0 early in the third period, Japan’s Ayaka Toko floated a fluttering knucklepuck toward the net. Bobbing and weaving over and around teammates and Russian opponents, the puck found its way between goaltender Anna Prugova’s glove and pads. The goal was the first Olympic goal from a Japanese player in 16 years. To celebrate the monumental feat, the players engaged in hockey hugs before circling up and bowing in unison. Russia went on to win 2-1.  It’s the second time the Japanese squad has qualified for the Olympics – the first was when they hosted the 1998 Nagano Games.
  5. Slovenia gets first Olympic hockey win over Slovakia -Slovenia beat Slovakia 3-1 in a massive upset.  Slovenia earned a spot in the Sochi Games by beating Belarus, Ukraine and Denmark in last year’s qualification tournament.  The hockey team is ranked 17th in the world from a nation with fewer than 2 million people, seven hockey rinks and only one professional team. Scoring for Slovenia was Rok Ticar who broke a scoreless tie 3:23 into the final period. Teammate Tomaz Razingar scored midway through the third and Anze Kopitar, the team’s only NHL player had a goal 23 seconds later.
  6. Goaltender Jan Laco of Slovakia’s great performance vs Team Russia – the Slovakian goaltender turned aside everything he saw with the exception of shootout goal from Alexander Kovalchuk.  A brilliant efforts as Laco stopped 36 Russian shots.
  7. Sweden upsets Finland in Women’s Hockey – technically this was not a round robin game as the Swedes upset the Finns in the Women’s quarterfinal game.  This game was a nasty affair as these two teams definitely do not like each other.  Sweden won the game 4-2 and will now meet the US in the semi-finals.
  8. Phil Kessel nets a hat-trick as the US defeats Slovenia by a score of 5-1.  Team USA complete the round robin with a 3-0 record having outscored their opponents 15-4.
  9. Austria claims it first Olympic win in 12 years in win over Norway – the Austrians beat Norway 3-1 to earn their first win at the Olympic games in on over a decade.  Michael Grabner scored twice for the Austians in the win.
  10. Team USA opens their Olympic tournament with a 7-1 win over Slovakia – Team US is focused on Gold and they just might take it at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.  The team has a lot of firepower and solid goaltending.  Should they make it to the final, they will be a formidable foe.  Phil Kessel is on fire and continue to pile up the points.  Team USA is looking strong after round robin play.

Next up is the elimination round.  Is Russia playing possum?  We will have to wait and see as the next round of mens hockey begins this week. The elimination round for the Men’s side looks like this:

2014 Sochi Mens Hockey

Image:  Courtesy of the Globe and Mail

On the womens side a Gold medal rematch between Canada and the US is expected.  Should be another great game. #CANvsUSA

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