MILAN – The American men's hockey team goes into their last preliminary round game of the 2026 Winter Olympics having earned a measure of resilience.
Much as their Group C play so far has been against underdogs – and that won't change in the final preliminary game on Sunday, Feb. 15, at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena – the Americans' 2-0 record hasn't come without challenges. The Danes twice forced the U.S. to play from behind, and kept Saturday's game close going into the third period before the U.S. pulled away, 6-3. Against Latvia, the Americans had to deal with two called-back goals.
"I think it can serve us well moving forward," U.S. coach Mike Sullivan said after the victory over Denmark. "Because when you hit bumps in the road and you're able to overcome those types of things, I think it says a lot about your group. And I think it galvanizes the group in a lot of ways.
"It also provides hard evidence that we're able to overcome anything that comes our way. And that's an important part of success in this type of a tournament."
MICHIGAN TO MILAN: Meet Mitten State's 2026 Olympic athletes
