And Here We Go..

Got the first look at Team USA today as they took on Switzerland. Right out of the gate the Swiss were bringing the hits and they did not stop throughout the whole game. First period was sloppy but that was to be expected for a team that had just started playing with each other. Bobby Ryan drew first blood and sent the team up 1-0 going into the 2nd.

2nd period was the same as the first, USA skated well but there were some careless passes that led to some odd man rushes. Switzerland didn't give up and had some really good looks this could have easily been a 3-3 game if they would have capitalized on some of the chances they got. Backes had the goal of the game as he brings it from the USA zone all the way down to make it 2-0 USA. Then the Swiss get called for a penalty. A shot is taken and stays out in from on the Swiss goalie and then Malone just powers the puck into the back of the net making it 3-0 as the 2nd comes to an end.

3rd period starts and the Swiss come out firing on all cylinders. They get a bunch of shots but Miller is holding strong. Swiss get their first goal, on a goal Miller should have had, but just rolled down his stick and deflected off his pads past the goal line. The US really picked up the hitting in the 3rd and I was really impressed because you could tell as the period was almost over the Swiss looked tired. The score would remain 3-1 as the US get their first win of the 2010 campaign. I tip my hat the the Swiss because they skated well and hit the young team the whole game. My prediction of 4-1 was pretty close and that makes me feel better about this team.

I was hoping that the US would come out of the gates strong and get the win. They did do that, but there are some parts of their game that they're going to have to fix if they don't want to get buried by Team Canada this Sunday. As I said earlier that they need to clean up the passes to keep the odd man rushes because if that happens against the Canada, Thornton and Heatley will bury those chances all game. Overall though, the defense was solid in front of the net. The defensemen blocked a good number of shots and Miller played well. Miller did however get a bunch of help from the Swiss not putting the pucks in net when they had the shots. So he'll get better as they play more and get more time on the ice.

Next up 11th ranked Norway. This should be another win for the US. What I want to see is this young team mesh together and show their true potential. They did play well but the big line with Zach Parise and Patrick Kane was held scoreless. It's that line that needs to set the tempo of the games and put points on the board. Norway should be less of a test than Switzerland but it is a good draw because it gives the US time to get use to playing with each other. I'm gonna go 5-2 and then that will bring up the big match versus home team Canada.