The United States men’s hockey team will compete for the Olympic gold medal on Sunday after defeating Slovakia 6-2 in the semi-final round of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. The victory sets up a highly anticipated final against Canada, who narrowly defeated Finland 3-2 in a dramatic contest earlier Friday.
The American squad, seeking their third Olympic championship (previously won in 1960 and 1980), demonstrated offensive firepower against the Slovaks. Dylan Larkin opened the scoring for the U.S. At 4:19, followed by Tage Thompson later in the first period. Jack Hughes added two goals, while Jack Eichel and Brady Tkachuk likewise found the back of the net for the Americans. Juraj Slafkovsky and Pavol Regenda scored for Slovakia.
The win comes after a challenging quarterfinal match for the U.S., where they overcame Sweden 2-1 in overtime. Canada also faced a tight quarterfinal, edging out the Czech Republic 4-3 after a similarly extended period.
Canada’s path to the final was far from straightforward. They were without captain Sidney Crosby due to an injury sustained during the quarterfinal match against the Czech Republic. Despite Crosby’s absence, goals from Shea Theodore and a last-second tally by Nathan MacKinnon secured their 3-2 victory over Finland. The game required a video review to confirm MacKinnon’s goal wasn’t offside.
The final between the U.S. And Canada is scheduled for Sunday at 15:10 local time. The presence of former U.S. President Donald Trump at the final remains a possibility, having indicated plans to attend the games if the American team reached this stage.
Prior to the gold medal game, Finland and Slovakia will compete for the bronze medal on Saturday evening. Finland suffered a 6-1 defeat to Slovakia in the bronze medal match.