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Team USA did what it was expected to do in the group stage of men’s ice hockey, defeating Germany, 5-1, to go undefeated in preliminary round matches at the Milan 2026 Cortina Games on Sunday.
Auston Matthews scored two goals for the Stars and Stripes, while Tage Thompson, Zach Werenski and Brock Faber each found the back of the net in Team USA’s third win in Milan.
After wins in its first two games (5-1 win over Latvia, followed by a 6-3 finish against Denmark on Saturday), Team USA has a bye heading into the quarterfinals, which begin Wednesday.
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American Tage Thompson, second right, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his team’s fourth goal during a men’s ice hockey preliminary round game between the United States and Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Canada and Slovakia also earned byes after winning Groups A and B, respectively.
While Team USA was expected to take care of the three losers in its group in Milan, it wasn’t easy over the 60 minutes, including against Germany on Sunday.
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Even though the US team shot Maximilian Franzreb early in this game, Germany was playing very physical and getting Grade A opportunities on the other side of the ice against US goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
But it was Werenski who found the back of the net first in this game with just nine seconds to spare. He got a pass from Matthews and used the German screen in front of Franzreb to pass the puck over the red line and take the lead heading into the locker room.
Throughout the tournament so far, the first period hasn’t been the smoothest for Team USA, but they eventually made up for it in the next two periods in all three games.
Auston Matthews of the United States, left, scores his team’s fifth goal during a men’s ice hockey preliminary round game between the United States and Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
In this one, Matthews took advantage of a power play opportunity, seeing a shot from Quinn Hughes deflect off his stick and go through Franzreb’s legs for the second goal of the game.
Late in the period, Faber scored his first goal of the tournament, while Matthew Tkachuk picked up his fifth assist and his brother Brady Tkachuk got his first.
Leading 3-0 early in the third period, Thompson scored in less than two minutes. Matthews would later score his third goal of the tournament to make the score 5-0 and all but seal the game for Team USA.
The German Tim Stutzle, who has been having a good tournament, scored his fourth goal, but it was obviously not enough to achieve the comeback at the end.
Auston Matthews of the United States, right, celebrates after scoring his team’s fifth goal during a men’s ice hockey preliminary round game between the United States and Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Now, Team USA will wait to see who they will face in the quarterfinals. The tournament also now moves to single elimination, requiring the United States to win three more games to reach the gold medal game, which is scheduled for February 22.
