The U.S. Men’s Hockey Team defeated Russia in a sudden-death shootout in Sochi as the rivals went head-to-head on the ice Saturday, with Hamden’s own Jonathan Quick protecting the goal for Team USA.
Quick, who lives in Hamden and serves as goaltender for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, started the game and played aggressively throughout, stopping 29 of 31 shots on goal and denying Russian shooter Ilya Kovalchuk in the final round of the shootout to help bring home the win for Team USA.
American T.J. Oshie sunk the final goal, and the U.S. men’s team edged out Russia 3-2 in a game that was teeming with tension.
“I just appreciate all the support,” Quick said in an interview after the game. “You know, we have a few guys from Connecticut on the team here, so it’s great for Connecticut youth hockey.”
Quick said he hasn’t been told whether he’ll start again tomorrow in the match up with Slovenia.
He’s one of three Team USA players representing Connecticut. He’s joined by Max Pacioretty, who was born in New Canaan and later moved to Watertown, and Greenwich-born Kevin Shattenkirk.
With a total of 18:32 minutes on the ice, Shattenkirk had the third-longest playing time of all Team USA defensemen. He played a solid game and made an assist.
Local
Pacioretty played 8:31 and took a penalty for holding.
Halfway through the second period, Russia’s Pavel Datsyuk scored the first goal, and it wasn’t long the before 22-year-old Cam Fowler, the youngest American on the team, tied up the score. Team USA’s Joe Pavelski and Datsyuk both scored in the third period and the game was deadlocked 2-2.
Russia seemed to pull ahead again when Fedor Tyutin’s shot got past Quick with 4:40 left to play, but the net was determined to be off its pegs and the goal didn't count.
After 65 minutes, the stalemate continued into overtime. Russia’s Sergei Bobrovsky, a first-time Olympian, scored in a breakaway.
Datsyuk and Russian defenseman Andrei Markov were the highest scorers with two points each, while seven Americans scored single points in the overtime session.
The game then progressed to an eight-round sudden death shootout. Oshie scored four times in six attempts, giving the Americans an edge. Team USA's Pavelski and James van Riemsdyk took the other two shots on goal.
Russia’s Ilya Kovalchuk scored twice after being sent out four times and Pavel Datsyuk sunk two out of three attempts. Quick deflected Evgeni Malkin’s one shot on goal.
