The United States men’s Olympic hockey team might be one of the younger squads competing in Beijing, but they are opportunistic and mentally tough. That showed when they overcame a quick hole to beat Canada 4-2 on the strength of goaltender Strauss Mann’s 35-save effort on Saturday morning.
Team USA 2-0 in Group A preliminary-round play and secured an important win after falling behind early in the game. Mann, a native of Greenwich, Conn., keyed the U.S. victory with his athletic style and ability to shake off the goal scored on the first shot he faced in the tournament. Between Mann and Drew Commesso (Norwell, Mass.), New England has accounted for both of the USA’s wins between the pipes.
Here’s the breakdown of Mann’s performance, along with several other New England storylines to digest before the next test comes against Germany on Sunday.
The main Mann
The 23-year-old and former prep hockey goalie of the year for the Brunswick Bruins is one of the most inspiring stories on the U.S. team. Against Canada, he showed everyone on the international stage what he’s been doing to teams since his prep hockey and USHL days, which led to three years at the University of Michigan. He turned pro after the 2020-21 season and is playing in Sweden for Skelleftea AIK, where he made a seamless transition from NCAA play.
Although he has just average size (6-foot, 174 pounds), Mann has made a career out of frustrating shooters and winning games. He doesn’t look all that impressive when compared to some of the behemoths he goes head-to-head against at the other end of the ice, but Mann is a winner and has been for years.
He led the Fargo Force to the 2018 Clark Cup championship (along with Team USA teammate Ben Meyers) with a memorable 11-3 run when he stopped north of 93 percent of the shots he faced en route to playoff MVP honors. Having seen Mann at that level firsthand, he is a throwback goalie to the 1980s with his cat-quick reflexes and battling mentality. Even when you think he might be out of the play, he finds a way to get a piece of equipment on the shot. Some goaltenders have the ability to steal energy and hope from opponents, and Mann has been able to do that at every level. He won 29 games in his final two seasons with the Wolverines, posting a .935 save percentage. He was captain of the team his junior season, which speaks to his character and leadership by example. Anyone who didn’t take this player seriously coming into the Olympics wasn’t paying attention.
Against Canada, Mann got off to a tough start. He gave up a Mat Robinson goal from the outside (stick off the ice, right through the wickets) that could have crushed his confidence and deflated his team. The key play for Mann came with the next shot he faced after getting behind, off a giveaway from Jake Sanderson in his first game after traveling to Beijing some 36 hours earlier. Mann stood tall against former Michigan teammate Kent Johnson, the fifth overall selection by Columbus in 2021, and steered his shot from the slot aside to keep it 1-0.
Captain Andy Miele got it back seconds later (1:10 after the first goal was scored), allowing the U.S. and Mann to settle in. Battling against 31-year-old Eddie Pasquale, a veteran pro who saw NHL action with Tampa Bay, Mann got stronger as the game went on. He did give up a 2-on-1 shorthanded goal to Corban Knight in the second period that narrowed the U.S. lead to 3-2, but a 17-save third period along with one more goal by former Yale star Kenny Agostino closed out the 4-2 win.
What makes Mann such an interesting X-factor in the net is how he can shake off bad goals and raise his competitive drive even higher than it is going into a situation. He’s smooth and composed, but you got the sense that scoring early on him with a questionable, even soft, goal was the worst thing Canada could do, because it provided Mann with the impetus and laser focus to lock things down.
That’s exactly what he did, outplaying Pasquale and proving to his teammates that he and Commesso are the right guys to be the last line of defense. The latter likely gets the start against Germany, but both players have proven themselves up to the task thus far.
Farrell, Beniers continue to make impact
After five points in the opening game against China, Sean Farrell (Hopkinton, Mass.) added to his tournament-leading scoring totals with a helper on Ben Meyers’ goal to give the Americans a 2-1 lead. The Harvard sophomore in his first season of ECAC hockey is fast and slick with the puck. He sees and thinks it so well, but his pace and ability to get a step on defenders has shined through in both games. Team USA has a lot of speed as a group, but when you watch No. 26 in action, it isn’t hard to see why he’s so dangerous.
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Matty Beniers (Hingham, Mass.) played more than any other U.S. forward which, given his youth and some of the veteran experience up front, says a lot about the level of trust head coach David Quinn (Cranston, R.I.) has in him. He did make a mistake by pinching down on the power play, which led to Canada’s second goal of the game. Despite the miscue, he played in all situations in this one and did not have his ice time cut after the potential game-changing play. That is an important show of faith, and watch for it to pay dividends as the tournament goes on.
McLaughlin providing depth, options
Boston College captain Marc McLaughlin (North Billerica, Mass.) has played sparingly as the extra forward, but he’s a solid two-way player who will be capable of playing an increased role if Quinn and Co. need his big body and nifty hands.  He’s going to be an NHL free agent signing this spring whenever his season ends, and as the Hockey East’s top goal scorer, he has it in him to contribute some offense here. However, with Team USA rolling right now, he’ll have to bide his time.
