Workforce USA didn't safe a spot within the males's ice hockey semi-finals after a nail-biting loss to Slovakia on the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Slovakia edged out the U.S. 3-2 in a penalty shootout, changing into the primary staff to advance to the ice hockey semi-finals.
Workforce USA's defeat means there might be no rematch of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" towards the Russian staff.
A Russia v U.S. sport in Beijing had been hotly anticipated due to the rising political tensions between the 2 nations.
Hundreds of Russian troops are nonetheless massed on the border with Ukraine, with President Joe Biden vowing to "rally the world" towards Moscow if President Vladimir Putin orders an invasion.
It is going to be Slovakia transferring on to the semi-finals, nonetheless, after a formidable efficiency on Wednesday. There was lower than a minute left of regulation time when a late purpose by Slovakia's Marek Hrivik tied the sport 2-2.
Neither staff scored within the sudden-death 3-on-3 time beyond regulation, so the sport went right into a shootout. The purpose drought continued for the primary seven penalty photographs—till Peter Cehlarik of Slovakia scored. Workforce USA had been unable to attain from any of their 5 penalty photographs.
The Russian Olympic Committee additionally received their quarter-final on Wednesday, beating Denmark 3-1. The opposite quarter-finals are Finland v Switzerland and Canada v Sweden. The boys's semi-finals are scheduled for Friday in Beijing.
Slovakia are returning to the medal spherical for the primary time since Vancouver 2010, after they misplaced to Finland within the third-place match.
For Workforce USA, that is the third consecutive Olympics america won't be on the rostrum for males's ice hockey. Workforce USA received a silver medal in 2010, dropping to Canada within the closing.
The Nationwide Hockey League pulled its gamers from the Beijing Video games due to the COVID pandemic. This left Workforce USA to place collectively a unit of largely school athletes, with some gamers from Europe and the North American minors.
Earlier than the quarter-final match, Workforce USA males's ice hockey coach, David Quinn, praised his gamers for changing into a strong unit so rapidly. "[We] actually turned a staff in a brief time period," he mentioned.
"We had been very aware of the kind of individuals we had been selecting. We're very lucky that the gamers we wished from a expertise standpoint actually checked the packing containers from the individuals standpoint.
"While you've received all that, you've got received a a lot better likelihood to have success."
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