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Team USA did what it was expected to do in the group stage of men’s ice hockey, beating Germany, 5-1, to remain undefeated in preliminary round play at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games on Sunday.
Auston Matthews scored twice 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 victory in Milan.
After victories in their first two matches – 5-1 victory over Latvia, followed by a 6-3 victory over Denmark on Saturday – the U.S. team has a bye ahead of the quarterfinals, which begin Wednesday.
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Tage Thompson of the United States, second from right, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his team’s fourth goal during a men’s ice hockey preliminary 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 earned byes after winning Groups A and B, respectively.
While the U.S. team was expected to take care of the three underdogs in its group in Milan, it wasn’t easy throughout the 60 minutes, including against Germany on Sunday.
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Even though Team USA took shots at Maximilian Franzreb early in this contest, Germany played very physical and got some prime chances on the other side of the ice against American goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
But it was Werenski who found the net first in this match with just nine seconds left. He got a pass from Matthews and used the German screen in front of Franzreb to get the puck over the red line and give the player the lead heading towards the locker room.
Throughout the tournament thus far, the first period hasn’t been the smoothest for Team USA, but they eventually made up for it over the next two periods in all three matches.
Auston Matthews of Team USA, left, scores his team’s fifth goal during a men’s ice hockey preliminary match between the United States and Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, February 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
In this one, Matthews took advantage of a power play opportunity, seeing a Quinn Hughes shot deflect off his stick and through Franzreb’s legs for the second goal of the game.
Late in the period, Faber added his first goal of the tournament, while Matthew Tkachuk got his fifth assist and his brother Brady Tkachuk got his first on goal.
With a 3-0 lead entering 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 virtually seal the match for Team USA.
The German Tim Stutzle, who had a good tournament, scored his fourth goal, but it was obviously not enough to finally come back.
Auston Matthews, right, of the United States, celebrates after scoring his team’s fifth goal during a men’s ice hockey preliminary match between the United States and Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, February 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Now, Team USA will wait to see who they face in the quarterfinals. The tournament also now moves to single elimination, requiring the United States to win three additional matches to reach the gold medal match, scheduled for February 22.
