Category Archives: Ice Hockey

Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Daily Previews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Olympics, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 9th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview

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Here’s what’s on tap for today… how about eight different disciplines? How about the first alpine skiing event in Sochi? How about eight more gold medals on the line?

All times below are ET.

Alpine Skiing

Events: The men’s downhill event will take place on Sunday. The event features 50 competitors including four Americans. Everyone will get one and only run on the course. The fastest time wins. The first man off the top will actually be American Steven Nyman setting the mark to beat for everyone. Travis Ganong goes seventh, Bode Miller is 15th, and Marco Sullivan is the last American at 25th.

Bode Miller will compete for the US in the men's downhill on Sunday.
Bode Miller will compete for the US in the men’s downhill on Sunday.

Photo Credit: jonwick04 via Compfight cc

When:

  • Men’s downhill – 2 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The alpine skiing will be included in NBC’s evening Olympic coverage, 7-11 PM ET.

Biathlon

Events: Sunday is the women’s 7.5 km sprint competition. Each athlete will start 30 seconds apart with each missed target during the shooting portions resulting in a 150m penalty loop. The fastest time is the winner, but that probably won’t be the first woman across the finish line due to the staggered start.

Four Americans are in the 84-woman field. Susan Dunklee is the first to go for the US at 9:35:30 AM, Annelies Cook will start at 9:58:30 AM, Hannah Dreissigacker starts at 10:01:30 AM, and Sara Studebaker goes at 10:07 AM.

When:

  • Women’s 7.5 km sprint – 9:30 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The biathlon will be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2-6 PM ET

Cross-Country Skiing

Events: Sunday is the men’s skiathlon. This is a race of 15 km in the classic style, a switch of equipment, and then 15 km in the freestyle. This is a mass start event so the first one across the finish line wins.

Four Americans are in the field of 68: Noah Hoffman, Kris Freeman, Brian Gregg, and Erik Bjornsen.

Below is some video featuring Brian Gregg and giving you an idea what it’d be like to stand near a cross-country skiing race going by. Pretty intense!

When:

  • Men’s 30 km Skiathlon (15 km classic + 15 km free) – 5 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: Cross-country skiing will be shown LIVE on NBCSN during their programming from 5:30 AM – 8:30 AM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2-6 PM ET

Figure Skating

Events: The team event wraps up on Sunday with three last rounds: men’s free skate (10 AM), ladies’ free skate (11:05 AM), and ice dance free dance (12:10 PM). The US is currently in third place with a score of 34. Silver and gold appear to be out of reach but hopefully the US can hold off Italy (31 points) and Japan (34 points) for the bronze.

There is no start list out for these events yet and it’s not officially known who will skate in them for the US. The US could change two of their three choices from the first round but there is no way that Meryl Davis and Charlie White don’t go in the ice dance. After a poor performance by Jeremy Abbott in the short program I expect Jason Brown to get the free skate nod, but it’s unknown if that will happen. Ashley Wagner was good on Saturday in the short program so I imagine she’ll be going again.

Ashley Wagner will compete for the US in the team event on Saturday.
Ashley Wagner competed for the US in the team event on Saturday.

Photo Credit: nabechiko29 via Compfight cc

When:

  • Team event – Men’s free skate – 10 AM
  • Team event – Ladies’ free skate – 11:05 AM
  • Team event – Ice dance free dance – 12:10 PM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The figure skating will be shown LIVE on NBCSN from 10 AM – 1 PM ET. It was also be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2-6 PM ET and NBC’s evening Olympic coverage, 7-11 PM ET.

Luge

Events: The men’s singles event wraps up on Sunday. Three Americans are in the field of 39 but all seem to be out of medal contention. The start order is the same order as the standings. Christopher Mazdzer is 13th and will go 13th. Tucker West goes 23rd and Aidan Kelly goes 26th. I would imagine that run four will have the quickest athletes so far going last, but I’ve been surprised in other events so who knows…

When: 

  • Men’s singles run 3 – 9:30 AM
  • Men’s singles run 4 – 11:30 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The luge will be shown LIVE on NBCSN in their coverage from 8:30-10 AM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s late night coverage, 11:30 PM-12:30 AM ET.

Ski Jumping

Events: The men’s normal hill event wraps up on Sunday with the first round and the final round. In the first round 50 competitors will be competing for 40 spots in the final event. The US has three competitors in the field. Nicholas Alexander will be the first competitor to go, Anders Johnson is going 5th, and Peter Frenette goes 10th. If any make it through to the final that’s where they will take one more jump. The final standings are determined by the total of the two jumps.

When:

  • Men’s individual normal hill – First round – 12:30 PM
  • Men’s individual normal hill – Final round – 1:35 PM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The ski jumping will be shown LIVE on NBCSN as part of their coverage from 1-2 PM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s evening coverage from 7-11 PM ET.

Snowboarding

Events: After grabbing a gold in the inaugural men’s slopestyle on Saturday the US hopes to do the same in the women’s event on Sunday. Two Americans (Jamie Anderson and Karly Shorr) are already into the final while two others are looking to get into it from the semifinal. In the semifinal 15 competitors are vying for the final four spots in the final. Each athlete will take two runs with the best run counting. Top four scores go to the final. Ty Walker is scheduled to be the first to compete while Jessika Jenson is scheduled to go ninth. In the final each athlete gets two runs with the best score again counting.

Below is Anderson’s silver medal winning run at the X Games a couple weeks ago.

When: 

  • Women’s slopestyle semifinal – 1:30 AM
  • Women’s slopestyle final – 4:15 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The snowboarding will be included in NBC’s evening Olympic coverage, 7-11 PM ET.

Speed Skating

Events: The women’s 5000m event is on Sunday. This event has athletes going two at a time with the times ranked for the final standings. Two Americans are in the 28-woman field. Anna Ringsred will be in the second pair while Jilleanne Rookard is in the tenth pair.

When: 

  • Women’s 3000m – 6:30 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: Speed skating will be shown LIVE on NBCSN during their programming from 5:30 AM – 8:30 AM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2-6 PM ET

Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Daily Olympic Reviews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Olympics, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 8th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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The first day after the Opening Ceremonies saw the US grab their first medals, a bronze and a gold, and saw the start of the women’s ice hockey tournament. Certainly a lot of bright spots on Saturday for the US.

Biathlon

Events:

  • Men’s 10 km sprint

The men’s 10 km sprint competition was held on Saturday with four Americans in the 87-man field. The competitions involves three 3.33 km laps with two shooting rounds (one standing, one prone) in between the laps. For each missed target the athlete had to ski an extra 100m penalty loop. The final standings in this event are used to set the field for the men’s 12.5 km pursuit event on Monday with each athlete starting behind the leader delayed by as much as they were behind in today’s event.

Tim Burke was the top American in the event and only missed one target in shooting. Burke turned in a time of 25:23.3 to finish 19th, 49.8 seconds behind the leader. The second American across the line was Lowell Bailey who finished 35th, missed two targets, and turned in a time of 26:04.1, 1:30.6 behind the leader. Leif Nordgren was the next across the line in 45th. Nordgren missed none of his targets but his time of 26:17.4 was 1:43.9 behind the top. The final American was Russell Currier. Currier missed four targets on his first round of shooting (tied for the most of any athlete in a round) and finished in 26:58.5. That placed him 61st and since only the top 60 move into the pursuit event he will not be a part of that. He missed a spot in the final by around three seconds.

These times will be used when the pursuit event begins on Monday at 10 AM ET.

Results Summarized:

  • Tim Burke – Missed one target, 19th best time of 25:23.3. Starts pursuit (Monday at 10 AM ET) 50 seconds behind leader.
  • Lowell Bailey – Missed two targets, 35th best time of 26:04.1. Starts pursuit (Monday at 10 AM ET) 1:31 behind leader.
  • Leif Nordgren – Missed no targets, 45th best time of 26:17.4. Starts pursuit (Monday at 10 AM ET) 1:44 behind leader.
  • Russell Currier – Missed four targets, 61st best time of 26:58.5. Did not make pursuit event as he was not in the top 60.

Cross-Country Skiing

Events:

  • Women’s 15 km skiathlon (7.5 km classic + 7.5 km free)

The women’s 15 km skiathlon is a mass start race where the athletes ski 7.5 km in the classic style then switch equipment and ski 7.5 km in the free style. Four Americans were in the field of 61.

In the classic portion of the event the top American was Sadie Bjornsen who was 22nd in 19:56.8. Jessica Diggins followed her up closely in 27th with a time of 20:01.7. Just after her was Liz Stephen who was 31st in a time of 20:14.7 while the final American was Holly Brooks in 38th with a time of 20:22.3.

Not a lot of time is gained or lost “in the pits”. Stephen was the fastest American and second fastest overall in 32.7 seconds. The slowest American was Brooks who took 37.1 seconds for 42nd best. Less than 13 seconds separated all 61 athletes.

In the free style portion both Stephen and Diggins heated up for USA. Stephen posted the seventh fastest time at 19:22.2 and finished 12th overall in 40:09.6. Diggins was just behind her in the free style with an eight place time of 19:29.5 but her overall time was quicker at 40:05.5 and she placed eight overall. Bjornsen posted the 36th best time at 20:37 finishing in 31st overall in 41:09.7 while Brooks had the 50th best time at 21:34.6 and ended up 47th overall in 42:34.

Results Summarized:

  • Jessica Diggins – 27th in classic style (20:01.7), 8th in free style (19:29.5). Total time of 40:05.5 as she finished in 8th.
  • Liz Stephen – 31st in classic style (20:14.7), 7th in free style (19:22.2). Total time of 40:09.6 as she finished in 12th.
  • Sadie Bjornsen – 22nd in classic style (19:56.8), 36th in free style (20:37). Total time of 41:09.7 as she finished in 31st.
  • Holly Brooks – 38th in classic style (20:22.3), 50th in free style (21:34.6). Total time of 42:34 as she finished in 47th.

Figure Skating

Events:

  • Team event – Ice dance short dance
  • Team event – Ladies’ short program
  • Team event – Pairs’ free skate

The US entered Saturday’s events in a tie for fifth place knowing they needed to make sure they had good results to ensure they’d be in the top five after the short programs when the bottom five countries were cut. Things started off great when Meryl Davis and Charlie White had the top score for the US in the ice dance short dance. Their 75.98 gave the US ten points and made it quite clear the US would be in the top five.

Ashley Wagner went to the top after her short program score of 63.10 but each of the last three competitors topped her as she finished fourth. Still the seven points she secured left the US in third heading into the second half of the event. After the bottom five countries were cut the free program pairs event was held. Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir put up a good score of 117.94 for the US but still ended up fourth. That leaves the US in third with 31 points with three rounds left. The ten point deficit to second place Canada is basically impossible to make up (if the USA finished 1st and Canada 5th in the three remaining events the US would be two ahead of them) and the Russian lead of 13 on the US is literally impossible to overcome. The US has a three point lead on Italy and a four point lead on Japan. It’s a good position for the US but they will still have to fight for the bronze.

Ashley Wagner will compete for the US in the team event on Saturday.
Ashley Wagner was fourth for the US in the ladies’ singles portion of the team event on Saturday.

Photo Credit: nabechiko29 via Compfight cc

On Sunday the final three rounds will be held with the men’s free program at 10 AM ET, the ladies’ free program at 11:05 AM ET, and the ice dance free dance at 12:10 PM ET.

Results Summarized:

  • Meryl Davis and Charlie White – Top ice dance short dance score with a 75.98.
  • Ashley Wagner – Fourth best ladies’ short program with a score of 63.10
  • Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir – Fourth place in the pair’s free program with a 117.94.
  • US Team – Currently in third place with a three point lead on fourth (Italy) and four point lead on fifth (Japan). No real chance of moving up to silver. Three rounds on Sunday: men’s free program at 10 AM ET, ladies’ free program at 11:05 AM ET, and ice dance free dance at 12:10 PM ET.

Freestyle Skiing

Events:

  • Women’s moguls qualification – Round 2
  • Women’s moguls final – Round 1
  • Women’s moguls final – Round 2
  • Women’s moguls final – Round 3

The moguls event continued on Saturday beginning with a second round of qualification. 16 competitors were left competing for ten more spots in the final. Heather McPhie was the only US competitor and her score of 18.85 placed her sixth and got her safely into the final.

In the first round of the final the 20 finalists would be narrowed down to 12 after only one run each. That knocked out McPhie who finished 13th with a 20.05, just .07 behind 12th, when she was bumped down by the final competitor, fellow American Hannah Kearney. Kearney ended up seventh in the round with a 20.95. The top American in the round was Eliza Outtrim who finished second with a score of 21.81.

In the second round of the final the 12 finalists were narrowed down to six after a single run. Kearney made this one a no-doubter as her score of 21.93 was the top in the field. Outtrim had to sweat it out a bit more as her 21.53 placed fifth but both move on to the final.

In the final Outtrim had a rough run and finished with only a 19.37. That left her in sixth place. Kearney was the last to go and needed to top a 22.44 to win the gold. She could only muster a 21.49 and ended up with the bronze.

Results Summarized:

  • Heather McPhie – Sixth in qualifying round two with a 18.85 to reach final. Eliminated in final round one after her 20.05 left her 13th.
  • Eliza Outtrim – Scored a 21.81 in final round one to place second and move into final round two. Scored a 21.53 in final round two to place fifth and move into final round three. Scored a 19.37 in final round three and finished sixth.
  • Hannah Kearney – Scored a 20.95 in final round one to place seventh and move into final round two. Scored a 21.93 in final round two to place first and move into final round three. Scored a 21.49 in final round three to win the bronze medal.

Ice Hockey

Events:

  • Women’s preliminary round – Group A – USA vs. Finland

The US got the game off to a great start as just 53 seconds in they got an even strength goal from Hilary Knight. They doubled the lead 7:42 into the second period with an even strength goal from Kelli Stack assisted by Knight and Megan Bozek. The US took advantage of a power play to score their third goal with 4:01 left in the second period. This one came from Alex Carpenter with an assist to Anne Schleper. Susana Tapani scored for Finland with 4:38 left in the game to make it 3-1 and that was the final. Jessie Vetter got the start in goal and saved 14 of 15 shots.

The USA women's hockey team will take on Finland Saturday to open their Olympic campaign.
The USA women’s hockey team beat Finland 3-1 on Saturday to open their Olympic campaign.

Photo Credit: _becaro_ via Compfight cc

Results Summarized:

  • US Team – They are tied with Canada in Group A with three points each but the US has a GD of just two while Canada has a GD of five. Likely won’t matter though as this group is likely to be determined when the US faces Canada in the final group stage match. The US will face Switzerland next on Monday at 5 AM ET.

Luge

Events:

  • Men’s singles run 1 – 9:30 AM
  • Men’s singles run 2 – 11:40 AM

The US has three athletes in the 39-man field for the men’s singles luge event. This event is four runs with the total time determining the winner. The first two runs were held on Saturday. In run one the top US competitor was Christopher Mazdzer who finished 10th in a time of 52.744, 0.574 seconds behind the leader. Tucker West came in 21st with a time of 53.142 and Aidan Kelly was 26th with a time of 53.275.

Mazdzer was again tops for the US in the second run with a 52.643 that was 12th fastest and left him in 13th with a time of 1:45.387, 1.238 seconds behind the leader. West was 23rd in the run with a 52.966 and is now 23rd overall with a total time of 1:46.108. Kelly was 26th in the run with a 53.192 and is 36th overall with a time of 1:46.467. All three will be back in action when the third run starts at 9:30 AM ET Sunday and in run four at 11:30 AM ET.

Results Summarized:

  • Christopher Mazdzer – Mazdzer was 10th in run one (52.744) and 12th in run two (52.643). He’s now 13th overall at 1:45.387 and will start 13th in run three at 9:30 AM ET on Sunday.
  • Tucker West – West was 21st in run one (53.142) and 23rd in run two (52.966). He’s now 23rd overall at 1:46.108 and will start 23rd in run three at 9:30 AM ET on Sunday.
  • Aidan Kelly – Kelly was 26th in run one (53.275) and 26th in run two (53.192). He’s now 26th overall at 1:46.467 and will start 26th in run three at 9:30 AM ET on Sunday.

Ski Jumping

Events:

  • Men’s individual normal hill – qualification round – 11:30 AM

The individual normal hill event has a 50 man first round. Ten of these spots go to the top competitors based on previous results while the next 40 were awarded in the qualification round today. Four Americans were among the 51 competing for the 40 spots today. Anders Johnson was the top American with a 26th place score of 107.9.

Peter Frenette snuck into the top 40 with a 35th place finish on a score of 105.3 while Nick Alexander grabbed the last spot as his 100.7 was good enough for 40th. The only American not to move on was Nick Fairall who finished 50th with a score of 77.3 The other three are into Sunday’s first round at 12:30 PM ET. If they are in the top 40 after the first round they will jump again in the final round at 1:35 PM ET. The two jumps are combined for a total score to determine the winner.

Results Summarized:

  • Anders Johnson – Finished 26th with a score of 107.9 to qualify for Sunday’s first round at 12:30 PM ET. He will jump fifth in the round.
  • Peter Frenette – Finished 35th with a score of 105.3 to qualify for Sunday’s first round at 12:30 PM ET. He will jump tenth in the round.
  • Nick Alexander – Finished 40th with a score of 100.7 to qualify for Sunday’s first round at 12:30 PM ET. He will jump first in the round.
  • Nick Fairall – Finished 50th with a score of 77.3 and failed to qualify for Sunday’s first round.

Snowboarding

Events:

  • Men’s slopestyle semifinal – 12:30 AM
  • Men’s slopestyle final – 3:45 AM

The men’s slopestyle semifinal began on Saturday with 20 athletes looking to vie for just four spots including three Americans desperate to reach the final. On run one Sage Kotsenburg went big time with an 89 that left him in second after the run. Ryan Stassel also scored in the top four with an 83.25 that left him fourth. Only Chas Guldemond didn’t have a great result as his 13.25 score left him last.

Run two saw Kotsenburg edge his score even higher with a 90.50, though he was still second overall. Stassel couldn’t improve his score after an 81.75 and eventually slipped from the top four to sixth and missed out on the final. Guldemond was last to go and knew beating a 84.75 would get him into the final. He couldn’t do it though as a 79.75 left him in seventh. Only one American would move on into the final.

In the final Kotsenburg put up a huge 93.50 on his first run. He watched as no one matched it on that run. He tried to top it himself but came up short with an 83.25. And he watched as everyone tried to beat it again. No one could match that run and amazingly Sage Kotsenburg finished eighth in his qualifying heat, advanced from the semifinal on Saturday morning, and won a gold medal for the US.

Results Summarized:

  • Chas Guldemond – 79.75 score in the semifinals left him seventh and not in the final.
  • Ryan Stassel – 83.25 score in the semifinals left him sixth and not in the final.
  • Sage Kotsenburg – 90.50 on run two in the semifinals was the second best and qualified him for the final. In the final hit a 93.50 on the first run and no could ever match it as he won gold.

Speed Skating

Events:

  • Men’s 5000m – 6:30 AM

Three Americans were part of the 26-man field for the 5000m event. Each athlete gets one chance, best time wins. Patrick Meek was part of the first pairing but his time of 6:32.94 was only top after that pair and he finished 20th. Emery Lehman competed in the seventh pairing and put up a time of 6:29.94 and finished 16th. The final American, Jonathan Kuck, was in the tenth pairing and his time of 6:31.53 left him 19th.

Results Summarized:

  • Emery Lehman – Finished 16th with a time of 6:29.94.
  • Jonathan Kuck – Finished 19th with a time of 6:31.53.
  • Patrick Meek – Finished 20th with a time of 6:32.94.
Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Daily Previews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Olympics, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 8th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview

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The Opening Ceremonies are over (even though you haven’t seen them yet) and the Olympics are ready to kick into full gear as the US will have competitors in nine different disciplines today. Things are about to get busy!

All times below are ET.

Biathlon

Events: Saturday is the men’s 10km sprint competition. Each athlete will start 30 seconds apart with each missed target during the shooting portions resulting in a 150m penalty loop. The fastest time is the winner, but that probably won’t be the first guy across the finish line due to the staggered start.

Four Americans are in the field. Lowell Bailey is the first to go for the US (9:43 AM), Tim Burke will start at 9:51:30 AM, Leif Nordgren starts at 10:06:30 AM, and Russell Currier is literally the last one to go, 87th overall, at 10:13:30 AM.

When:

  • Men’s 10km sprint – 9:30 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The biathlon will be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2:30-6 PM ET

Cross-Country Skiing

Events: Saturday is the women’s skiathlon! This is a race of 7.5km in the classic style, a switch of equipment, and then 7.5km in the freestyle. This is a mass start event so the first one across the finish line wins.

Four Americans are in the field of 61: Elizabeth Stephen, Jessica Diggins, Sadie Bjornsen, and Holly Brooks.

When:

  • Women’s 15km Skiathlon (7.5km classic + 7.5 km free) – 5 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: Cross-country skiing will be shown LIVE on NBCSN during their programming from 5:30 AM – 9:30 AM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2:30-6 PM ET

Figure Skating

Events: The team event continues on Saturday morning with the ice dance short dance and the ladies’ short program. After these two programs the top five nations will move on to the free programs while the bottom five are eliminated. The US currently sits in a tie for fifth place with Germany and France. The free programs will begin with the pairs’ free skate on Saturday before finishing on Sunday.

The US ice dancing couple of Meryl Davis and Charlie White will be the last couple to skate while Ashley Wagner will be the ladies competitor for the US and skate seventh. It’s unknown what order the pairs would go for their free skate and while it’s possible that Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir could be replaced (each team can swap out skaters in two events for the free programs) it seems unlikely that they would not compete if the US is still around.

Ashley Wagner will compete for the US in the team event on Saturday.
Ashley Wagner will compete for the US in the team event on Saturday.

Photo Credit: nabechiko29 via Compfight cc

When:

  • Ice dance short dance – 9:30 AM
  • Ladies’ short program – 11:10 AM
  • Pairs’ free skate – 1:05 PM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The figure skating will be shown LIVE on NBCSN from 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s evening Olympic coverage, 8-11:30 PM ET, and the late night coverage, 12-1 AM ET Sunday morning.

Freestyle Skiing

Events: The women’s moguls competition that started on Thursday will be wrapped up on Saturday. Ten athletes moved into the final on Thursday leaving 20 more to compete for the final ten spots on Saturday. We know that the field won’t be a full 20 though as American Olympian Heidi Kloser tore her ACL on Thursday in warm-ups and won’t compete. There are two other athletes that didn’t start on Thursday, not sure if they will be part of the field this time. Heather McPhie will be the first competitor down the slope and is the only American in the field. A top ten score will place her into the final later on Saturday.

We know already that two Americans will begin the final: Eliza Outtrim and Hannah Kearney. The final consists of three rounds that will knock the field down bit by bit. Each round consists of one run for each athlete and the top scores move on. The first round will get us down to the top 12, the second round gets us down to the top six, and the final round of six athletes will be for the medals.

When:

  • Women’s moguls qualification – round 2 – 9 AM
  • Women’s moguls final – round 1 – 1 PM
  • Women’s moguls final – round 2 – 1:35 PM
  • Women’s moguls final – round 3 – 2:10 PM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The freestyle skiing will be included in NBC’s evening Olympic coverage, 8-11:30 PM ET.

Ice Hockey

Events: The women’s ice hockey competition will kick off on Saturday with the US taking on Finland in Group A. Remember that all four teams in group A will move into the knockout round, but the top two get byes to the semifinals while teams three and four have to play quarterfinal matches. The US will be looking to open up the Olympics with a win and get an early leg up on one of those byes.

The USA women's hockey team will take on Finland Saturday to open their Olympic campaign.
The USA women’s hockey team will take on Finland Saturday to open their Olympic campaign.

Photo Credit: _becaro_ via Compfight cc

When:

  • Women’s preliminary round – Group A – USA vs. Finland – 3 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The game will be LIVE on NBCSN at 3 AM ET.

Luge

Events: The men’s singles event starts on Saturday with the first two runs out of four. Three Americans are in the field of 39. Christopher Mazdzer will be the fourth competitor to drop in, Tucker West goes 25th, and Aidan Kelly is 27th off the line. The second run will be started in the order of the times from the first run with the fastest competitor going last.

When: 

  • Men’s singles run 1 – 9:30 AM
  • Men’s singles run 2 – 11:40 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The luge will be included in NBC’s late night coverage, 12-1 AM ET Sunday morning.

Ski Jumping

Events: The men’s normal hill event begins on Saturday with the qualification round. 51 competitors will be competing for 40 spots in the main event. Ten other competitors are already qualified from their past results and will automatically be in the main event. The US has four competitors in the field. Nicholas Alexander will be the first competitor to go, Anders Johnson is going 13th, Peter Frenette goes 19th, and Nicholas Fairall goes 20th.

When:

  • Men’s individual normal hill – qualification round – 11:30 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The ski jumping will be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2:30 – 6 PM ET.

Snowboarding

Events: Thursday is the end of the men’s slopestyle competition. First will be a semifinal round that will qualify four more athletes into the final that already has eight competitors. These four spots will be contested among 21 competitors including three Americans: Chas Guldemond (21st and last to go), Sage Kotsenburg (14th to go), and Ryan Stassel (12th to go). The start order is based off of the results from the qualification and will be the same for both runs. In the semifinals each competitor gets two runs and their best score counts. The top four scores move into the final.

If any Americans do get into the final they will be part of a 12-man field that will each take two runs. The top scoring run is all that counts and each athlete gets two runs to get their best score. The run order will start with the four from the semifinal in the reverse order they finished followed by the eight already into the field in the reverse order of their scores from Thursday. The second runs will be done using the reverse order of the scores from the first run. The top scoring athlete on the first run will get the chance to see what everyone else has done before his second run.

When: 

  • Men’s slopestyle semifinal – 12:30 AM
  • Men’s slopestyle final – 3:45 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The snowboarding will be included in NBC’s evening Olympic coverage, 8-11:30 PM ET.

Speed Skating

Events: Speed Skating gets underway Saturday with the men’s 5000m event. This event has athletes going two at a time with the times ranked for our final standings. Three Americans are in the 26-man field. Patrick Meek will be in the first pair while Emery Lehman is in the seventh pair. Finally Jonathan Kuck will be in the 10th pair.

When: 

  • Men’s 5000m – 6:30 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: Speed skating will be shown LIVE on NBCSN during their programming from 5:30 AM – 9:30 AM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2:30-6 PM ET

Ice Hockey, Olympic Previews, Olympics, Sochi 2014

Ice Hockey Preview

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It’s been a gold medal drought of 34 years for US men’s hockey and 16 years for US women’s hockey. After grabbing silver in both in Vancouver can the US finally overcome their neighbors from the North and take home a gold, or maybe even two, in Sochi?

Ice Hockey’s Olympic History

Ice hockey is one of the original Winter Olympic sports and, like figure skating, actually began at the Summer Olympics! Ice hockey was held for the first time at the 1920 in Antwerp before making the move to the Winter Olympics when they began in 1924. It’s been held ever since then but somewhat surprisingly the women’s event was not held until 1998 due to cost concerns.

Not surprisingly ice hockey has been dominated by two places known as hockey countries… Canada and the Soviet Union. Canada won six of the first seven men’s gold medals and has won three of the four women’s gold medals. Overall their 11 gold medals and 18 overall can not be matched. The Soviet Union competed in nine Olympics and medaled in all of them with seven gold medals and their only time not finishing in the top two came in 1960, not the 1980 “Miracle On Ice” tournament. The US does have the 2nd most total medals (15) though they have only won gold twice on the men’s side (and not since 1980) and once on the women’s side (16 years ago in the debut event in Nagano in 1998).

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union the men’s tournament has been wide open with four different teams winning it and three others finishing with the silver. The women’s tournament has seen less parity with the US and Canada taking home all but one of the golds and silvers in the four Olympics so far.

How the Ice Hockey Competitions Work

The men’s and women’s ice hockey competitions don’t work the same at the Olympics so we’ll have to discuss them separately. We’ll start with the women’s tournament as it will start four days before the men’s tournament.

The women’s tournament features eight teams in two groups of four. The US is in Group A with Canada, Finland, and Switzerland. Now if you know a lot about international women’s ice hockey you might notice those four nations are all ranked in the top five right now and includes all of the top three. Group of death you ask? Nope. The Olympics is structured in such a way that all four of these teams will advance to the knockout rounds where they will be joined by only two teams from Group B. In addition to that the top two teams from this group will be given byes to the semifinals while the bottom two teams from this group face the top two from Group B in the “quarterfinals”. The US will be tested in the group stage, but if they can finish in the top two they will have the inside track to the final.

On the men’s side we have 12 teams in three groups of four and no group is given an advantage over any other. After the group stage is complete all 12 teams will be ranked to seed the knockout round. The teams that win their groups will be the top three with the runner-ups four through six, and so on. Those groups of three are seeded based on the points in the group (three for a regulation win, two for an OT/shootout win, one for an OT/shootout loss, zero for a regulation loss) and goal differential is the tiebreaker. The top four will get byes to the quarterfinals while the bottom eight have to face off in the qualification playoffs first. From there on it’s just your standard tournament to get us to our medalists.

On the men’s side the US (IIHF ranking of #6) is joined in their group by Russia (#3), Slovakia (#8) and Slovenia (#17). The US will be fighting hard to try and top the group to make sure they get that bye into the quarterfinals.

US Team

The US men’s team is 25 strong with 13 returning from the silver medal team in Vancouver. The women’s team is 21 strong with 11 returning from their silver medal team in Vancouver and one player, Julie Chu, a three-time medalist looking to finally grab that gold medal.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

US Ice Hockey

Men:
David Backes* – Forward
Dustin Brown* – Forward
Ryan Callahan* – Forward
John Carlson – Defender
Justin Faulk – Defender
Cam Fowler – Defender
Jimmy Howard – Goalie
Patrick Kane* – Forward
Ryan Kesler* – Forward
Phil Kessel* – Forward
Paul Martin  – Defender
Ryan McDonagh – Defender
Ryan Miller* – Goalie
Brooks Orpik* – Defender
T.J. Oshie – Forward
Max Pacioretty – Forward
Zach Pairse* – Forward
Joe Pavelski* – Forward
Jonathan Quick* – Goalie
Kevin Shattenkirk – Defender
Paul Stastny* – Forward
Derek Stepan – Forward
Ryan Suter* – Defender
James van Riemsdyk – Forward
Blake Wheeler – Forward

Women:
Kacey Bellamy* – Defender
Megan Bozek – Defender
Alex Carpenter – Forward
Julie Chu*** – Forward
Kendall Coyne – Forward
Brianna Decker – Forward
Meghan Duggan* – Forward
Lyndsey Fry – Forward
Amanda Kessel – Forward
Hilary Knight* – Forward
Jocelyne Lamoureux* – Forward
Monique Lamoureux* – Forward
Gigi Marvin* – Defender
Brianne McLaughlin* – Goalie
Michelle Picard – Defender
Josephine Pucci – Defender
Molly Schaus* – Goalie
Anne Schleper – Defender
Kelli Stack* – Forward
Lee Stecklein – Defender
Jessie Vetter* – Goalie
* – Was on team in Vancouver
*** – Was on team in Vancouver, Turin, & Salt Lake City

A Sochi 2014 Ice Hockey list on twitter including all of these athletes

US Team’s Olympic History

The team the US is bringing to Sochi has a lot of experience with 13 members of the team returning from Vancouver. The US brings back the top goaltender from Vancouver, Ryan Miller. Miller had a GAA (Goals Against Average) of 1.35 which was second best by .01… not bad. He also led the Olympics with a 94.56% save percentage, recorded one shutout, was named to the all-tournament team and was named MVP. Jonathan Quick didn’t make an appearance in Vancouver but was part of the team.

On the defensive side Brooks Orpik appeared in every game for the US but didn’t register a goal or an assist. Ryan Suter got some defense started from the defense as he had four assists in the tournament.

Up front the US returns nine forwards from Vancouver, this should be a strong area for the US in Sochi. Dustin Brown didn’t score for the US at all but was an assistant captain there and returns as one of the veterans on this team. The multiple goal scorers for the US were Patrick Kane (3 goals, 2 assists), Zach Pairse (4 goals, 5 assists), and Ryan Kessler (2 goals). David Backes also scored (1 goal, 2 assists), as did Phil Kessel (1 goal, 1 assist) and Paul Stastny (1 goal, 2 assists). Ryan Callahan had 1 assist for the US while Joe Vaelski added 2 assists. Pairse was named to the all-tournament team as one of the top forwards.

On the women’s side the US returns all three goalies from Vancouver. Molly Schaus and Brianne McLaughlin each played in the 12-1 win over China before Jessie Vetter started the final four games for the US recording two shutouts and posting a 0.75 GAA and a 95.77% save percentage.

In defense the US has two returning players. Kacey Bellamy and Gigi Marvin. Marvin was a forward with the team in 2010 who had three assists while Bellamy is the only returning defender from a team that only gave up four goals. Bellamy had an assist herself in Vancouver.

Up front the US returns six players, all of whom scored for the US in Vancouver. The top goal scorers returning are Meghan Duggan who had 4 goals and Monique Lamoureux who had 4 goals and 6 assists. Kelli Stack had 3 goals herself to go along with 5 assists. Both Jocelyne Lamoureux and Julie Chu had 2 goals and 4 assists in Vancouver. Finally Hillary Knight had a whopping 7 assists but only registered a single goal.

Julie Chu is the only player on either the men’s or women’s team who has been to multiple Olympics. She was part of the bronze medal winning team in Turin where she had five assists for the US. She also won a silver in Salt Lake City when she had two goals and two assists for the US.

Schedule


All Times ET, * indicates medals awarded
Saturday, February 8th
3 AM – Women’s Preliminary Round – Group A – USA vs. Finland – Ice Hockey

Monday, February 10th
5 AM – Women’s Preliminary Round – Group A – USA vs. Switzerland – Ice Hockey

Wednesday, February 12th
7:30 AM – Women’s Preliminary Round – Group A – USA vs. Canada – Ice Hockey

Thursday, February 13th
7:30 AM – Men’s Preliminary Round – Group A – USA vs. Slovakia – Ice Hockey

Saturday, February 15th
7:30 AM – Men’s Preliminary Round – Group A – USA vs. Russia – Ice Hockey

Sunday, February 16th
7:30 AM – Men’s Preliminary Round – Group A – USA vs. Slovenia – Ice Hockey
Women’s Quarterfinals – TBD

Monday, February 17th
Women’s Semifinals – TBD

Tuesday, February 18th
Men’s Qualification Playoffs – TBD

Wednesday, February 19th
Men’s Quarterfinals – TBD

Thursday, February 20th
7 AM – Women’s Bronze Medal Game
12 PM – Women’s Gold Medal Game

Friday, February 21st
Men’s Semifinals – TBD

Saturday, February 22nd
10 AM – Men’s Bronze Medal Game

Sunday, February 23rd
7 AM – Men’s Gold Medal Game

US Recent World Championship History

The most recent world hockey championships were held in 2013. The men’s tournament was held in Sweden and Finland in May 2013 while the women’s tournament was held in Canada in early April.

The US men’s team was part of a eight-team group with Russia, Finland, Slovakia, Germany, Latvia, France, and Austria. The US came in as the fourth highest ranked team in that group but impressed by going 5-2 with the only losses to Russia (5-3) and Slovakia (4-1) to finish 3rd in their group and reach the playoff round. In the playoff round the US was forced to square off with Russia again and responded with a thumping 8-3 victory. The US then faced a Switzerland side that had come into the tournament ranked ninth but who had won every game they played in the tournament. The US fell 3-0 to fall into the bronze medal game against Finland. That game finished 2-2 but the Americans won a shootout to grab the bronze. Paul Stastny was named to the All-Tournament Team for the US with 15 points in the ten games.

The women’s tournament was conducted with the same format as the Olympics will be, so the US was in Group A with the other top three teams in the world. The US opened with a 2-2 game with Canada which they lost in a shootout before knocking off Finland 4-2 and Switzerland 5-0. That gave the US a 2nd place finish in their group and a bye into the semifinals. In the semifinals the US beat Finland 3-0 to advance to a rematch with Canada on their home turf. Three minutes into the third period with the score tied 2-2 Amanda Kessel scored for the US. The US held on for the 3-2 win and won the world championship over Canada. Amazingly despite winning the gold medal the US only placed one player, forward Brianna Decker, on the All-Tournament Team.

US Olympic History

On the men’s side the US has been to 21 Olympics (the most of any country out of 22 that have been held) and have had varying levels of success. The US has medaled in 11 of those 21 Olympics, including silvers in both Salt Lake City and Vancouver, but seven of those medals came in the first nine Olympic hockey tournaments. Before Salt Lake City the US went through a stretch of 22 years where they never finished higher than 4th and only once higher than 6th. In all the US has only medaled four times in the 13 Olympics since 1960. Their last medal away from North America was a silver in Sapporo, Japan… 42 years ago. Their last time with medals in consecutive Olympics was part of a stretch of three straight from 1952-1960. Needless to say the US can make some history on the men’s side in this Olympics.

On the women’s side the US has never finished worse than third and won the inaugural event in 1998. Still the US hasn’t been able to top Canada when it matters since that first tournament 16 years ago losing the gold medal games to them in 2002 and 2010. In 2006 the US lost their semifinal to Sweden 3-2. The US has an all-time record of 18-3 at the Olympics.