USA Men’s Hockey Advances to Quarterfinals at Milan Cortina Olympics
The United States men’s hockey team remained undefeated at the Milan Cortina Olympics, securing a spot in the quarterfinals after beating Germany 5-1 in the final game of the preliminary round.
Seeding and Qualification
Despite a 3-0-0-0 record, the United States finished the round-robin stage as the overall No. 2 seed due to the goal differential tiebreaker. The U.S. Needed to defeat Germany by at least 10 goals to usurp Canada for the top spot.
The top four seeds receive a bye to the quarterfinals, while the remaining teams will compete in the qualification round. Overall seeding is determined by:
- Higher position in group
- Higher number of points
- Goal differential
- Goals for
- IIHF world ranking
When teams have the same number of points within the same group, head-to-head points and head-to-head goal differential are used as the first two tiebreakers. That’s why Slovakia won Group B over Finland and Sweden, and Germany finished ahead of Denmark and Latvia in Group C.
Group C Standings
| Seed | Team | Group | Pts | GF:GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada 🇨🇦 | A | 9 | 20:3 |
| 2 | United States 🇺🇸 | C | 9 | 16:5 |
| 3 | Slovakia 🇸🇰 | B | 6 | 10:8 |
| 4 | Finland 🇫🇮 | B | 6 | 16:5 |
| 5 | Switzerland 🇨🇠| A | 5 | 9:8 |
| 6 | Germany 🇩🇪 | C | 3 | 7:10 |
| 7 | Sweden 🇸🇪 | B | 6 | 11:9 |
| 8 | Czechia 🇨🇿 | A | 4 | 9:12 |
| 9 | Denmark 🇩🇰 | C | 3 | 8:11 |
| 10 | Latvia 🇱🇻 | C | 3 | 7:12 |
| 11 | France 🇫🇷 | A | 0 | 5:20 |
| 12 | Italy 🇮🇹 | B | 0 | 4:19 |
Qualification Round Matchups – Tuesday
The bottom eight teams will participate in a single-elimination qualification round on Tuesday. The winners will advance to the quarterfinals.
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Switzerland 🇨🇠vs. Italy 🇮🇹 | 6:10 a.m. |
| Germany 🇩🇪 vs. France 🇫🇷 | 6:10 a.m. |
| Czechia 🇨🇿 vs. Denmark 🇩🇰 | 10:40 a.m. |
| Sweden 🇸🇪 vs. Latvia 🇱🇻 | 3:10 p.m. |
Quarterfinal Matchups – Wednesday
Teams will not be reseeded before Wednesday’s quarterfinals.
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Slovakia 🇸🇰 vs. Germany 🇩🇪 or France 🇫🇷 | 6:10 a.m. |
| Canada 🇨🇦 vs. Czechia 🇨🇿 or Denmark 🇩🇰 | 10:40 a.m. |
| Finland 🇫🇮 vs. Switzerland 🇨🇠or Italy 🇮🇹 | 12:10 p.m. |
| United States 🇺🇸 vs. Sweden 🇸🇪 or Latvia 🇱🇻 | 3:10 p.m. |
Teams will be reseeded prior to Friday’s semifinals. The bronze-medal game is scheduled for Saturday at 2:40 p.m. ET, and the gold-medal game will take place on Sunday at 8:10 a.m. ET.
FAQ
When do the quarterfinals begin?
The quarterfinals begin on Wednesday.
How many teams are in the qualification round?
Eight teams will compete in the qualification round.
Stay tuned to 247sports.news for continued coverage of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.