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Olympics | Men's hockey: Swiss ready for second crack at Americans
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 2:51 AM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Julie Jacobson | Associated Press
Switzerland's Jonas Hiller blocks a shot by Sergei Kostitsyn of Belarus. Hiller, of the Anaheim Ducks, made 20 saves and gives the Swiss a puncher's chance against the U.S.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Call it the Swiss sequel. The United States' men's hockey team will start the medal round just as it began the preliminaries - with a game against seemingly overmatched yet dangerous Switzerland in the Olympic quarterfinals today. The eighth-seeded Swiss earned the right to play the No.1 Americans by beating upstart Belarus 3-2 in a shootout yesterday. The United States will look to take advantage of the favorable draw earned with a 3-0 record in group play, which included a 3-1 victory over Switzerland a week ago. Should the Americans get past the Swiss, they won't have to worry about heavyweights Russia, Canada or Sweden until the gold-medal game. "Those were the three teams everyone was talking about heading into the tournament," U.S. forward Dustin Brown said after practice yesterday. "Finishing first gives us the easier draw." Brown then caught himself. "Is it easier? I think it's a good draw, but you could get a hot goalie in one game and (they) can maybe squeak out a game," he added. Even though Switzerland boasts only two NHL players on its roster, one is Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller. He is the main reason the Swiss can pose a threat to any powerhouse. Hiller stopped 21 American shots in the opener. "Everybody can win one game in this tournament," said Hiller, who made 20 saves against Belarus. "We're the heavy underdog. We have nothing to lose." Bobby Ryan, who scored the Americans' first goal against Hiller in the earlier Olympic meeting, said he saw Hiller - his Ducks teammate - yesterday morning and wished him good luck against Belarus. Consider the pleasantries over. "We know what the Swiss do," U.S. coach Ron Wilson said. "We obviously know their goaltender. There won't be any surprises there. "They're the team that has the least to lose in this tournament. They are playing with house money." Julien Sprunger and former NHL forward Hnat Domenichelli scored power-play goals yesterday for Switzerland, which pushed Canada into a shootout before losing and also beat Norway in overtime during preliminary play. "We're coming at an all-NHL team for the third time. We feel comfortable," Swiss coach Ralph Krueger said. "We were definitely too timid in the first half of that (first game against the U.S.). We gave them too much space. "It's more about being less timid and getting into their faces. We need to bring an absolutely perfect team game to even have a chance."
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