Team USA's Next Hockey Game To Be Played Wednesday At 12 p.m. ET Against Czech Republic
BOSTON (CBS) -- The thrill of Saturday's shootout win over Russia and the drubbing of Slovenia that followed on Sunday has had Americans geared up to watch Team USA take the ice again in the Olympics, and now they know the next opponent.
The U.S. will take on the Czech Republic at 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
By winning twice in regulation and once in a shootout during the preliminary round, the U.S. earned a bye through the qualifying playoff round.
The Czech Republic fended off a Slovakian comeback on Tuesday in the qualification round of the tournament, which is now single elimination. Thanks to an empty-net goal, the Czechs beat neighboring Slovakia 5-3.
While the U.S. will be the favorite against Czech Republic, things could get a bit more difficult after that. Provided the U.S. and Canada both win their quarterfinal games, the two North American powerhouses would be due to meet on Friday in the semifinals. That means that there is no chance of the U.S. and Canada repeating as the participants in the gold medal game this year.
The gold medal game will take place on Sunday, with the bronze medal game taking place a day earlier.
But for the U.S., first there is the Czech Republic. The Czechs are 2-2 thus far, beating Latvia and Slovakia while losing to Sweden and Switzerland. The U.S. is 3-0, beating Slovakia, Russia and Slovenia by a combined score of 14-4.
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