Russians blank US in Olympic hockey clash

GANGNEUNG, South Korea: Ilya Kovalchuk and Nikolai Prokhorkin each scored two goals and the Olympic Athletes from Russia blanked arch-rival United States 4-0 in an electric atmosphere on Saturday at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic men’s hockey tournament.

Russia has not won Olympic hockey gold since 1992 but an all-star OAR lineup from the country’s two top clubs showed the skill and tenacity that made them 2018 favourites, securing a quarter-final berth with the win.

Slovakia, which upset the Russians 3-2 in their opener, faced Slovenia in a later match, but the emotional and hard-hitting USA-Russia showdown was the day’s marquee event.

The political rivals stirred passions long before players began warming up as rowdy fans waved Russian and US flags with chants of “U-S-A” and “Russ-i-a” — screaming that only grew louder as the game unfolded in an intense setting.

While US coach Tony Granato played down any “Miracle on Ice” repeat talk, there were echoes of the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic upset of the Soviet Union by a collection of US amateurs.

With NHL talent absent for the first time since 1994 over money issues and injury fears, a young US squad with four college stars and mostly Europe-based talent faced an all-star lineup from Russia’s two best clubs, including five-time Olympians and ex-NHL stars Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk.

But these Americans found no goals, much less miracles.

Bobby Sanguinetti and Datsyuk traded early hits against the boards to set a physical tone, with rock music during breaks and crowd noise feeding into the game’s quick-pace tempo.

Two shove-filled melees exchanged near the Russian goal heated player emotions until they boiled over 91 seconds before the end of the second period.