Team USA secured a 5-1 victory over Team Latvia in their Group C opener at the 2026 Winter Olympics men's hockey tournament. Brock Nelson scored twice, while Connor Hellebuyck made 17 saves in the win at Santagiulia Arena in Milan. The Americans overcame a tied first period to dominate the second.
The United States began their quest for Olympic gold with a convincing 5-1 win against Latvia on February 12, 2026, at Santagiulia Arena in Milan, Italy. This preliminary round matchup marked the opener for both teams in Group C of the men's hockey tournament at the Milano Cortina Games.
The first period was frustrating for the Americans, who saw two goals disallowed by video challenges. Quinn Hughes had a goal overturned at 6:59 due to Brock Nelson being offside, and a Nelson redirection off a Brock Faber shot was nullified at 11:35 for goaltender interference by J.T. Miller. Despite this, Brady Tkachuk opened the scoring at 5:29 with a shot from the top of the right circle after a pass from Matthew Tkachuk, giving the U.S. a 1-0 lead. Renars Krastenbergs tied it 1-1 at 7:25, beating Hellebuyck on a rebound from Zemgus Girgensons.
Team USA pulled away in the second period, outshooting Latvia 17-2 and scoring three unanswered goals. Nelson netted the game-winner at 10:38, tucking the puck in on a pass from Jack Hughes to make it 2-1. Tage Thompson extended the lead to 3-1 at 17:35 with a power-play backhand goal assisted by Jack Eichel. Nelson added his second goal with 12 seconds left, knocking in a cross-slot pass from Jack Hughes for a 4-1 advantage.
In the third, Auston Matthews sealed the victory with a power-play goal at 2:35, roofing a shot past replacement goaltender Arturs Silovs to make it 5-1. Hellebuyck finished with 17 saves, while Elvis Merzlikins allowed four goals on 32 shots before being pulled.
Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Matthew Tkachuk, and Jack Eichel each recorded two assists for the U.S. (1-0-0-0). Latvia (0-0-1-0) got its lone goal from Krastenbergs. The U.S. improved to 38-18 in shots and went 2-for-3 on the power play.
Team USA next faces Denmark on February 14 at 3:10 p.m. ET, while Latvia plays Germany on February 15 at 6:10 a.m. ET.
