Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 16, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B5 SPORTS B5 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2014 SOCHI, Russia - American hockey fans will always have Lake Placid and now Slovenia will always have Sochi. While Slovenia's 3- 1 win against Slovakia doesn't match the magnitude of the USA's 1980 Miracle on Ice, it is highly unexpected and clearly cause for major celebration in a smaller country with a population of roughly two million people. Slovenia is ranked 18th in the world in hockey and is making its first Olympic appearance in the men's tournament. " This is like a gold medal for us," said Slovenia forward Bostjan Golicic. The pride was evident in the Slovenia players as they headed to their dressing room - USA Today OLYMPICS TODAY: Canada takes to the ice vs. Finland at 11 a. m., CBC SOCHI, Russia - Forward Alexander Radulov fractured his relationship with the Nashville Predators when he was in the NHL and now he has at least temporarily fallen out of favour with Russian coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov. " Yes, he needs to be scratched among other things," Bilyaletdinov said through a Olympics- supplied translator. Radulov was in the penalty box for both of the USA's power play goals in its 3- 2 win against the Russians ( 1- 0- 1). He played almost 21 minutes and produced one shot on goal. His two penalties were for hooking and cross- checking. " We expected more of Radulov," Bilyaletdinov said. " He didn't live up to our expectations. - USA Today S OCHI, Russia - T. J. Oshie's magic in shootouts was a frequent topic of conversation when general manager David Poile and his selection committee chose the U. S. Olympic team roster. " You know at some point we are going to end up in a shootout, and we are going to want T. J. Oshie," Poile said more than once. Coaches had the same mindset about Oshie's specialty. The Americans appreciated what he brought to the team in general, but they loved his shootout process. He was like the team's ace in the hole, a guy who habitually hits it out of the park when it was needed most. The " some point" Poile talked about came Saturday when Oshie converted four of six shootout chances against Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Americans a wildly entertaining 3- 2 shootout win against the Russians. " I've never seen anything quite like that," said U. S. defenceman Ryan McDonagh. " I never knew he had that in his repertoire, all of those moves." Oshie scored right after U. S. goalie Jonathan Quick stood his ground to force Ilya Kovalchuk to miss for the second time in four chances. " I think I aged two years in that shootout," U. S. coach Dan Bylsma said. In the NHL this season, Oshie is 7- for- 10 in shootout attempts, with two game- deciding goals. U. S. captain Zach Parise said he felt nervous for Oshie. Unlike in the NHL where a player shoots only once, international rules allow for using the same player over and over once three different players have been used. At one point, Pavel Datsyuk scored to give Russia a 2- 1 lead in the shootout. Oshie had to score on his next shot, or Russia would have won. He did. " It was somewhat of a chess match - he kept him guessing," said U. S. centre Joe Pavelski, who missed his shootout attempt. Oshie doesn't recall ever facing Bobrovsky in a shootout. " I was just trying to think of something to do," Oshie said. U. S. goalie Jonathan Quick wasn't surprised by Oshie's performance. " I've faced him a few times in the shootout and I didn't do well against him," he said. St. Louis teammate David Backes said he has seen that move 1,000 times in Blues practices. " It kind of makes me chuckle when I see it," Backes said, adding, " His hockey sense is off the charts and he makes plays. Today, he got to do it in front of a lot of spectators here and back home." A crowd of 11,678, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, was on the edge of their seats for the entire game that was intense and hard fought from the opening faceoff. Russia's hockey players probably have more pressure on them than any other athletes in the Games because they are expected to win the gold medal. It's been said the Russian people won't view the Olympic Games as a success unless the hockey team wins a gold medal. " Everything is OK, nothing terrible has happened," said Russian wing Ilya Kovalchuk. " We played good and showed our character by equalizing the game at the end." Since this was only a preliminary round game, Russia still has a chance of winning the gold medal. But the win helps the Americans because it puts them in an excellent position to earn a bye into the quarterfinals. To win their group, the Americans only need a win against Slovenia today. On Saturday, Slovenia upset Slovakia. Slovenia lost 5- 2 to Russia in its first game. The Russians thought they had produced the game winner on a shot by Fedor Tyutin with 4: 40 remaining in the game, but the goal was disallowed because the net was slightly dislodged. Even the Americans admitted it was a big break. " I saw it was off, but I didn't know if it was before or after the puck went in," Quick said. With Dustin Brown in the penalty box, Datsyuk tied the score with a power- play goal with 7: 16 remaining in the third period. It was his second goal of the game. Midway through the third period, Joe Pavelski scored a power play goal to give the U. S. a 2- 1 lead. Patrick Kane set up the goal by threading a perfect pass through bodies in the slot. The game was as tight and hotly contested as it was expected to be. The symbol of intensity came early in the game when U. S.' s Ryan Callahan and Russia's Evgeny Medvedev stood nose- to- nose jawing each other after a whistle. That level of intensity continued throughout the game. Backes was a beast for the Americans, using his big body to be a physical force. At one point, he threw heavy body checks against both Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin on the same shift In the past, the Russians could be spooked by physical play. Not this era of Russians. They mixed it up push for shove against an American team built with the idea they needed an edge to their game to succeed. - USA Today Oshie U. S.' s ace in the hole Sniper proves worth with four shootout goals against Russians By Kevin Allen Radulov still burning bridges Slovenia basks in glory of win over Slovaks MARK HUMPHREY / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS T. J. Oshie was the hero for the U. S. Olympic hockey team Saturday, bulging the twine on four of six attempts in the American's shootout victory over the Russians. BRIAN CASSELLA / CHICAGO TRIBUNE / MCT The deciding factor in T. J. Oshie, left, ( with Ryan Callahan) making the U. S. Olympic team was his success in shootouts, which paid off against Russia. B_ 05_ Feb- 16- 14_ FP_ 01. indd B5 2/ 15/ 14 8: 31: 15 PM ;