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| Continued: Lead by Langebrunner, USA Overcame the Odds in Vancouver to Win Silver | |
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Langenbrunner believed the victory galvanized the team in all areas. "That game solidified our confidence. It gave us an extra day off and the perfect schedule bracket-wise. Everything set up well and that was from playing such a solid first three games that gave us the best chance possible," he stated. "We knew what to expect going into the Canada game with their high-powered offense, balanced with some good defense. We had to come together quickly and execute a game plan. (It's important) having guys like Chris (Drury) and Jamie always talking about the game-plan and going out and leading by example. They both really stood out on the penalty kill and in-zone situations," Miller detailed. Miller himself was outstanding making forty-two saves as Parise hailed his teammate's contribution in net post-game. "He's been the best goalie here by far. Even before this, he was the best goalie in the NHL coming in. I can't say I'm overly surprised, but he's picked it up another level since he's gotten here. There's no secret, he's outplaying all the other guys."  Getty Images After beating the Swiss in the quarterfinals, Langenbrunner celebrates.Coach Wilson was pleased with his team's discipline. "The team stuck to the game plan today. Everyone showed great commitment and I'm proud of them for never losing their cool or allowing our expectations to get in the way of our plan," he told reporters post-game. Miller agreed, "(The Swiss) have pros in the Russian league and Europe who are able play with their national team for months leading up to the Olympics. They have a high-level of organization in knowing how to execute the game-plan they want. You could see that pretty plainly against the Swiss. They played a frustrating style and check hard but we stayed patient both times against them and grinded out a win." Preparation was key for Langenbrunner, "Our coaching staff did an excellent job of preparing us mentally for the type of game it would be. We knew we might have to win the game 1-0 in the third period coming in. Half the battle is being mentally prepared for critical situations and having the right mindset. We knew how good Hiller was and obviously our guy in net was pretty darn good too. Our belief was we could eventually crack them if stuck with it long enough, stayed patient and let the game happen." Jamie praised the work of the Wilson and his assistants during the tournament. "John Tortorella and Scott Gordon were both NHL head coaches at the time and were there for anything Wilson needed. 'Torts' and Scott Gordon were both fiery guys and very competitive but also fun to be around during the time. I have a lot of respect for both of them and what they bring to USA Hockey. We were real fortunate to have such a good strong, well-prepared coaching staff allowing us to focus on the task at hand. Truly believing like Brian Burke did. We weren't there just to show up for the tournament, we were there to win a medal and a gold medal."  Getty Images Langenbrunner congratulates Ryan Miller after defeating Finland in the semifinals.The Americans faced a familiar foe in the Canadians in a gold-medal game that could be described as the truest definition of 'a classic.' Canada seized the early momentum by scoring the opening goals of the contest. Jonathan Toews and Corey Perry each found the net in the first and second periods respectively. The home fans at the Rogers Center went into a frenzy but that did little to affect Team USA's ability to fight back. Five minutes after Perry's goal, Kesler drove to the net and deflected in Kane's effort to begin the comeback. Parise reflected on the moment. "We were really excited about the game. Number one, we were confident we could beat them. We had done it in the round robin. Even though we were down 2-0, there wasn't any doubt we could come back. The group we had really believed that we had the best team there. In our own dressing room we believed we could win that game. Kesler got a big late goal in the second period," he remembered.  Getty Images After deflecting off of Langenbrunner, Zach Parise was able to put the puck in to tie the gold medal game against Canada.The moment left the predominantly Canadian crowd stunned in awe as jubilant cheers went up from the American minority present the Rogers Center. American fans gathered inside their homes and packed inside crowded bars joined in the celebrations. The hard-fought goal was the strongest exhibit of the 'never say die' attitude Team USA displayed all tournament. "It exemplifies the kind of group we had. Obviously, it was a very difficult place to play in Vancouver. It was probably the biggest game on Canadian soil for many years. We could feel how important it was to them and we wanted to take that away from them. We didn't worry about how big of a game it was and played knowing we could do well. It didn't matter what the score was in the game and believed we could come through," Langenbrunner recalled. Seven minutes into overtime, Canada came down ice as Crosby made a strong individual effort carrying the puck into the US zone. Jarome Iginla slid a pass to Crosby as he advanced on net and scored the tournament-winning goal. American hockey fans could hold their heads high knowing that Team USA showed tremendous resiliency and character to earn the silver medal as Miller explained, "Coming into the gold medal game, no one expected us to be here. We had a chance to do something great and came within a whisker of it. One thing that hasn't been talked about is that we had our chances to win in overtime and just missed. Ultimately it was a bittersweet feeling but it was an accomplishment nonetheless and was big for USA Hockey putting us squarely in the right direction." |
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