Team USA goes undefeated in group stage after win over Germany
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The USA team did what was expected of it in the group stage of men’s ice hockey, defeating Germany 5-1 at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games on Sunday and going undefeated in the qualifying matches.
Auston Matthews scored twice for the Stars and Stripes, while Tage Thompson, Zach Werenski and Brock Faber found the back of the net in Team USA’s third win in Milan.
After winning its first two games (a 5-1 victory over Latvia and then a 6-3 victory over Denmark on Saturday), Team USA received a bye into the quarterfinals, which begin on Wednesday.
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Tage Thompson of the United States, second from right, celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s fourth goal during the men’s ice hockey qualifying match 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 bid farewell by winning Groups A and B respectively.
While Team USA was expected to deal with three underdogs in its group in Milan, that didn’t come easy throughout the 60 minutes, including Sunday’s game against Germany.
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Although Team USA had a shot on Maximilian Franzreb earlier in this contest, Germany was playing very physical and had Grade A chances against US netminder Connor Hellebuyck on the other side of the ice.
However, in this match, it was Werenski who found the goal first with only nine seconds left. He received a pass from Matthews and used the German screen in front of Franzreb to advance the puck over the red line and towards the locker room.
The first period hasn’t been very smooth for Team USA so far throughout the tournament, but they made up for it in the next two periods in all three matches.
Auston Matthews (left) of the United States scores his team’s fifth goal during the men’s ice hockey preliminary round match between the United States and Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Sunday, February 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
In this game, Matthews made the most of his power play opportunity, seeing a shot from Quinn Hughes bounce off his stick and through Franzreb’s legs for his second goal of the game.
Towards the end of the period, Faber scored his first goal of the tournament, Matthew Tkachuk scored his fifth assist, and his brother Brady Tkachuk scored his first goal.
Thompson entered the third quarter with a controlled 3-0 lead and scored in less than two minutes. Matthews then scored his third goal of the tournament to make it 5-0 and nearly seal the game for Team USA.
German Tim Stutzle, who had a good tournament, scored his fourth goal, but it was not enough to mount a comeback in the end.
Auston Matthews (R) of the United States celebrates after scoring his team’s fifth goal during the men’s ice hockey preliminary round match between the United States and Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, February 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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Now the USA team will wait to see who they will face in the quarterfinals. The tournament now includes a single elimination method, and the USA must win three more games to reach the gold medal match, scheduled for February 22.
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