The U.S. Men’s Olympic hockey team went 3-0 to grab first place in Group A, setting up their quarterfinal matchup against Slovakia.
The Americans face a tough test against the upstart Slovaks, who shut out 2018 silver medal-winning Germany Monday and have a nice balance of experience, depth and youth. The two teams will face each other Tuesday (11:10 p.m. EST, CNBC) to determine who moves on to the medal round.
The New England region has enjoyed a significant impact on the roster thus far. In net, Drew Commesso (Norwell, Mass.) and Strauss Mann (Greenwich, Conn.) have combined to give Team USA a formidable one-two punch, as the two bring contrasting styles, but have been effective in providing their squad with timely saves and strong situational play between the pipes. Forwards Sean Farrell (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Matty Beniers (Hingham, Mass.) have leveraged their playing time into team-leading production in the former’s case, while Beniers has been an important two-way center and defacto top pivot head coach David Quinn (Cranston, R.I.) trusts to deploy in all situations.
Here is a quick breakdown of how we got here and what will be key to beating Slovakia to secure a medal opportunity.
Success starts from the net out
Commesso and Mann, despite their relative inexperience in international play, have both been a stabilizing force.
It started with the BU sophomore’s shutout of China in the opening game and continued with Mann securing USA’s first win against Canada in the Olympics in 12 years after falling behind early. Quinn went back to Commesso for the final preliminary round game against Germany, and although it was a tighter 3-2 final, the former St. Sebastian’s star did a good job of making the saves in key moments of the game once the U.S. came back from an 0-1 deficit to build a 3-1 lead. He’s big, explosive laterally and playing with a lot of swagger right now.
Getting the key saves at the right moments has been part of the winning formula thus far. Mann surrendered an early goal to Canada on a shot he should have stopped, but then closed the door and allowed his team to collect themselves and build confidence. Unlike Commesso, who established himself as a top goaltender in his 2002 birth year early on, Mann had to scrap for playing time, not making his Brunswick varsity team until his junior season and having to battle it out to secure the No. 1 starting role as a senior. He not only did it but went on to win top goalie honors. He then did the same thing at the USHL level in Fargo as an undrafted tryout player who seized the starting role and went on to be a league champion and playoff MVP.
USA can’t go wrong with either player, but Commesso has the NHL draft pedigree and physical tools to give him the inside track for the nod against Slovakia.
Team speed a key factor
One of the things USA GM team of John Vanbiesbrouck and Marc Boxer prioritized in putting together the roster was skating, and it has showed with the way the forwards and defense can get pucks up the ice so quickly.
Farrell epitomizes that collective speed approach well, as his ability to generate offense off the rush has been a major factor in his tournament-leading 3 goals and 6 points. One of the things the Harvard sophomore does better than anyone is how he uses his quickness to get to loose pucks generated by turnovers and counterattacking before defenses can react and get into position.
Farrell and linemate Ben Meyers are two of college hockey’s more electrifying players, with Farrell being a superb draft value for the Montreal Canadiens in the fourth round (2020). Meyers, an undrafted free agent who won the 2018 Clark Cup as one of Mann’s Fargo Force teammates, is going to be in great demand with NHL clubs when his University of Minnesota season ends later this spring.
Quinn, coaching staff getting most out of roster
Quinn said it best when Team USA was unveiled when he talked about the importance of building a team with the various components required for success. He used the analogy that when you form a band, you don’t bring in five lead singers, and his team’s performance thus far reflects that mantra.
The young collegiate players have keyed the team’s production up front, but veteran contributions from former Yale standouts Brian O’Neill and Kenny Agostino have been important as well.
On defense, a pair of longtime pros with New England ties in former Boston and Providence Bruin Steven Kampfer and current Providence staple Aaron Ness have been integral to team success. Kampfer scored USA’s first goal against Germany after getting the puck and walking down from the blue line to rifle a shot into the back of the net. He’s played a lot of production two-way minutes on the backend, while Ness’s mobility and experience make him an effective puck transporter.
Marshfield, Mass., native David Warsofsky, who was part of the 2009 national championship at BU when Quinn was an assistant coach, has his coach’s trust. He’s had some tough puck luck, but expect him to make some plays going forward.
Quinn and former BU teammate, assistant coach Scott Young (Clinton, Mass.) along with Minnesota St. Mankato and St. Cloud State head coaches Mike Hastings and Brett Larson are pushing the right buttons. They have this team executing at a high level in all facets of the game, where the details can be the difference between winning a medal or going home empty-handed.
Slovakia’s balance and depth a challenge for USA
Slovakia has some familiar faces on the roster, including former Bruins winger Peter Cehlarik and head coach Craig Ramsay was an assistant coach for the B’s from 2006-10.
6-foot-4, 223-pound power winger Juraj Slafkovsky is a prodigy who doesn’t turn 18 until the end of March. He has 4 goals in as many games for the Slovaks and joins longtime NHLer Eddie Olczyk as the youngest player at age 17 to score goals in an Olympic hockey competition. He moves well for his size and has a powerful shot that handcuffs goalies. Playing in Finland for TPS Turku, he will be a top pick in July’s NHL Entry Draft, likely landing inside the top-5 after his showing in Beijing. Defenseman Simon Nemec is another 2022 NHL first-round draft prospect as a mobile two-way puck mover with size, mobility and intelligence.
With a nice mix of veteran talent and youthful skill and upside, USA will need to be prepared and a better start will be a good way to set conditions for success to reach the semifinal round.
