USA had a tough matchup against Canada, after dropping both games to them in round robin it was hard to find confidence against a dominant Canada squad. Aleister Cain came up big, washing away his bad third period against Japan with a huge 2-0 shutout against Canada. Cain and his country have a lot to prove on the international stage, and now they are one step closer here.
The MVP so far through the medal rounds for each team has been their goalie. Blue continues to have an amazing career with both Tampa and Germany, posting unreal numbers against the toughest competition that hockey has to offer. Cain has had a rockier start, but after putting up a perfect game minus 11 minutes he bounced back to have a perfect game against Canada to bring his team where they are now. It will be interesting to see which team is able to solve these goalies or if both will crumble under the pressure and we’ll have a scorefest. Anything goes here in the finals.
Players to watch: For Germany it's gotta be Nickolas Klaus. After making it to the finals in s50, he wants to prove to the league that being runner up is not in his blood and secure his second gold medal in as many years. He makes insane passing plays and can finish as well, and there’s really no weak aspect to Klaus’s game, especially in the two games leading up to now.
Players to watch: For the US no one has been more clutch than Williams. Both game winning goals so far, he is elite defensively and really boosts his line with his smart play. Coming up big in key moments is what Williams has built his game around, and it’s easy to see in these games.
Opening lineups for Germany are Pepperoni, McZehrl and Gotze up front, Koch Schroder and Darrow on the backend and of course Blue in net. For the USA we have Mauldin, Williams, and Manius up front, three s43ers, Driftwood and Moore on defense and Cain between the pipes. They line up for the opening draw…
Germany wins it and takes first possession of the game. Darrow takes it and skates into the US zone. Looks for a passing option. Everyone covered. Wrists it on net!
Three minutes into the first and Germany has been all over the US. Pedersen Jr. took a hooking penalty but the USA PK came up big to kill it off. Cannellinni in the neutral zone, skates to the outside and down the boards. Shovels it back along the boards towards the blue line. Walker picks it up. Has a lane and shoots…
We are now past 5 minutes and we remain scoreless. Cannellinni has the puck again, he’s been very noticeable on the ice tonight. Skating out of his zone.. BOOM. Big hit on Cannellinni by Pepperoni. There’s some physicality in tonight’s matchup that you love to see.
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