USA Hockey Dominates Latvia 5-1 in Men’s Olympic Debut
Team USA men’s hockey got off to a dominant start at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, cruising to a 5-1 victory over Latvia in their preliminary round opener on Thursday night. Colorado Avalanche forward Brock Nelson led the charge with two goals in the second period, propelling the Americans to a commanding performance on the ice.
The 34-year-old Nelson, the oldest player on the USA roster, opened the scoring for the second time in the game midway through the second period when New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes found him in front of the net. Nelson’s deft stick-handling drew Latvian goaltender Elvis Merzlikins out of position, allowing him to tuck in the game-winner at 10:38 to give USA a 2-1 lead.
Just 12 seconds before the period ended, Nelson struck again. With a beautiful cross-slot pass from Hughes setting up the play, Nelson one-timed the puck home to extend the lead to 4-1. It was a picture-perfect tic-tac-toe passing sequence that left the Latvian defense helpless.
Second Period Explosion Decides Contest
USA men’s hockey exploded offensively in the second frame, outscoring Latvia 3-0 while outshooting them 17-2. Beyond Nelson’s two goals, Tage Thompson added a backhand power-play goal to make it 3-1, giving the team a comfortable cushion.
The Americans, despite being the stronger team overall, faced an early challenge when two potential goals were disallowed in the first period. Quinn Hughes had a goal called back for offsides, and Nelson had another goal overturned due to goaltender interference. Brady Tkachuk opened the scoring for USA at 5:29 of the first period with a crisp wrist shot, but Latvia answered back just over a minute later when Renars Krastenbergs tied it at 1-1.
Auston Matthews sealed the victory with a power-play goal in the third period, making it 5-1 and ending any doubt about the outcome. Connor Hellebuyck, the USA’s goaltender, turned in a solid performance with 17 saves on just 18 Latvia shots, barely breaking a sweat in what became a one-sided affair.
USA Hockey Roster Shows Offensive Depth
Beyond Nelson’s two-goal performance, the depth of the USA men’s hockey team was evident. Jack Hughes tallied two assists, including both on Nelson’s goals, while Quinn Hughes and Matthew Tkachuk also contributed two assists each. Jack Eichel added another assist, demonstrating the team’s balanced offensive attack.
For Latvia, the game proved difficult from the start. Elvis Merzlikins, their starting goaltender, allowed four goals on 32 shots through two periods before being replaced by Arturs Silovs in the third. The Latvia hockey roster struggled to generate offensive chances, managing just 18 total shots against Connor Hellebuyck.
With the dominant victory in hand, Team USA will look to continue their winning ways against Denmark on Saturday. The preliminary round format means this Group C opener sets the tone for the rest of the tournament as the USA men’s hockey team pursues Olympic gold.
