USA 'never got deflated,' overcomes disallowed goals to down Latvia

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MILAN - Brady Tkachuk tried to put into words what he had just experienced.

The Americans had just come off the ice at Milano Santagiulia Hockey Arena, where festive and loud fans ensured a fabulous atmosphere for the match against Latvia. Brady Tkachuk had the first goal, set up by his brother, Matthew, en route to a 5-1 victory over Latvia on Thursday, Feb. 12 in the preliminary round of the 2026 Winter Olympics men's hockey tournament.

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"It was amazing, and it was great to see the flags, the chants, and just the support that you have here," Brady Tkachuk said. "Just a little example of the support you have back at home. You're playing in front of millions of Americans, and you just want to represent them well, and it's always an honor to put this jersey on."

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The ice received so-so reviews.

"I honestly didn't think it was that bad," defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. "I mean, you certainly notice it when it gets later in the period. I had a pretty solid toe pick in the third up top where I had to test my balance pretty good. There are some times where you're like digging in, getting stuck a little. But both teams have to play on the same ice, so you make do."

One of biggest pluses to come out of the game for the Americans may have been the second goal they had overturned. That was a lesson in the zero tolerance policy of international hockey when it comes to making contact with a goaltender in the crease.

"I don't know that I agreed with the call, but it doesn't matter what I think," coach Mike Sullivan said.

The Latvians also successfully challenged Brock Nelson was offside when Quinn Hughes put the puck in the net shortly after Tkachuk's goal. Latvia tied the game after the overturned goal. It could have been a tough stretch, but the Americans didn't falter.

"The energy on the bench is terrific," Sullivan said. "They never got deflated. They just, the self-talk and the talk amongst themselves about just staying with it and keep playing, that, we're going to be fine. And, of course, we were. But those types of moments, they can be game-changing moments."

Latvia never really posed a threat, even after making it 1-1. In the second period, shots favored the Americans, 17-2.

"I thought it was a hell of a first, but a couple of goals called back, and then it's just 1-1, but there's never any panic," Matthew Tkachuk said. "The second period on, we just wanted to make sure somebody was out of the net at all times. They were playing pretty tight. The skill and possession and strength that we have, we knew we were going to win some battles, but somebody had to be at the net, so we tried to make it harder on the goalie. We tried to make him haul us down."

Brock Nelson scored twice in the second period, nestled around a goal by Tage Thompson. Nelson's second goal was off tic-tac-toe passing from Jack Hughes.

"I was skating up the ice with Jack, a little bit of 2-on-1," Nelson said. "I just tried to give him a little bit more time and try to drive the back post. I peeled out, saw him make a drop pass and another guy come in and I thought maybe one of those guys was going to rip a one-timer, so I just kind of looped around. And then a couple great passes and poise by those guys. I find myself on the back side with space and an open net."

After Auston Matthews scored in the third period, the Americans eased off a bit. It was, all in all, an excellent first outing for them.

"I mean, just an unbelievable experience," Nelson said. "I tried to soak it all in. I thought our line was good and made a lot of great plays, good chances, good support and a good team win overall to get it going."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: USA adjusts after disallowed goals to beat Latvia: 'Never any panic'

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