Loss against USA? It set us up well.

A nation was devastated after Team Canada's Men's Ice Hockey Team lost to its American brothers in the last game of the round robin. The 5-3 loss just sunk a Canadian ship that was already battered from a close call against the Swiss. After the loss it seemed like most of Canada thought we would have no chance at a gold medal, our mission from the start going into the Olympic Games. But Canada quickly proved the critics wrong, they are still in the hunt. A 8-2 victory over the Germans was just the start, helping Canada to gain momentum and get a team that worked as a unit. The game had its fair share of interesting moments, including when Shea Weber shot the puck through the net for a second Canadian goal. So what to think of that game? It was a great team builder, and helped Canada gain confidence going into a date with destiny against the Russians. It was set to be the greatest hockey battle of the century.... what happened? Canada was much stronger right from the start and blew passed the Russians 7-3. The team had its strongest game of the tournament, and looked very much like the blueprint of the team was supposed to look like. Everyone on the team looked good and our passing and defense was at an all time high. And when goalie Roberto Luongo was needed, he was good. The Russians never really looked in the game after Ryan Gezlaf made it 1-0, and Canada fed off that goal to score 3 more before the period was over. The game would set them up for one against Sweden in the semi-finals... or would it? Sweden met up with Jaroslav Halak and the Slovaks. The Swedish team came into the Olympics defending champions from the 2006 Turin games. But that could be the place in which this campaign would end for the Swedes. Going into this game the Slovaks were underrated going into this tournament. But a team that has names such as Marian and Marcel Hossa Zdeno Chara and Zigmund Palffy are a force to be reckoned with. And as Canada started its game against the upstart Slovaks, it looked again like the Big Red Machine was unstoppable. Canada quickly made it 2-0, on goals from Patrick Marleau and Brenden Morrow. And made it 3-0 on a Gezlaf goal going into the third period. That is when the game started to pick up. A lucky bounce saw a lot of wind taken out of Canada's sails as they went into the final couple of minutes, and then after a poor defensive play, the Slovaks made it 3-2. And it was a hockey game. It got pretty scary too as Luongo had to make an incredible save to keep Canada in the lead going into the finals seconds. And it wasn't until the final buzzer that anyone felt Canada had won. Hopefully, Canada will learn from this lesson going into a game of revenge against the Americans, who we have waited a week to get back in our sights. The game will be interesting, as it will be a rematch of the 2002 gold medal game in Salt Lake City. And Canada will look to repeat that history and again take the gold in Men's Ice Hockey. But the Americans are looking to beat us again. But make no mistake this is not the same Team Canada that they saw in the round robin. We have a much more lethal offense as the Gezlaf-Perry-Morrow line look almost as dangerous as the one that has Sidney Crosby. And our defense is much more solid then it was in our first start against the Americans. And i think that we can even count more on the Goal tending in this one, as Luongo has looked pretty good in all of his four starts so far this tournament. But whatever happens, it will be a great game.