Men's Ice Hockey : Schedule and Results : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

Olympic Ice Hockey: and then there were four (or, in the case of the chicks, two)

The men's quarterfinals were filled with surprises:

• The #2 seed, previously unbeaten Sweden, lost to Slovakia. The Slovaks only managed 14 shots on goal during the entire game, but they managed to get just enough of those into the net for a narrow victory. (In the second period they managed to score three goals with only four shots on goal!)
  
• The #3 seed, Russia, was knocked out of medal contention by a humiliating loss to Canada. The Canadians took 21 shots on goal in the first period alone, en route to a 6-1 lead after only 24 minutes of play. Russia's Alexander the Great was a total non-factor.
  

With three powerhouses like Sweden, the Czechs and Russia now eliminated, the only remaining teams are the USA, Canada, Finland and Slovakia. Finland got there by beating the Czechs in the game between the 4th and 5th seeds.

Three of the four remaining teams will medal. The only way to avoid a medal now is to lose both the semi-final and the consolation game. The USA will play Finland in the semis, and Canada will play Slovakia. Do not underestimate the underdogs from Slovakia. Although they were only seeded 7th, they already have victories over the #2 seed (Sweden) and the #3 seed (Russia) in this very Olympiad.

Women's hockey: The USA and Canada play for the gold today. Those are definitely the right teams playing for the gold and silver, since they are both undefeated and won every game in a romp.

• Canada outscored its opponents 46-2; the USA 40-2. Slight edge to Canada, but only very slight because of unbalanced schedulaes.
  
• The USA beat Finland 6-0 and Canada beat them 5-0, but the Canadian offense managed more shots on goal, 50, versus 42 for the USA. Have to call that one about even.
  
• The one time when the Canadians established a clear edge was when they totally blew Sweden out of the water 18-0, with 67 shots on goal. The Americans could manage only a 9-1 squeaker against Sweden, and could only muster 46 shots in that game. Edge to Canada there, and therefore overall edge to Canada.
  

Should be a great game!