Well, the Olympics are officially underway, and the USA men’s and women’s hockey teams are off to a great start.

The women kicked off their quest for gold with a massive 12-1 win over China.  Veteran defender Angela Ruggerio picked up the first goal of the game just two minutes into the first period.  It was to set the tone for the game in which the USA heavily dominated the Chinese.  Star forward Jenny Potter picked up a hat-trick, two assists, and put away her 26th Olympic goal, making her the highest scorer on a team full of talent.

They followed their first win with another massive win over Russia.  The USA managed to shut their opponents out with a 13-0 victory.  Again, they dominated the game right from the start with Monique Lamoureux slapping in the first goal at the 2:19 mark in the first period.  This was followed up by 4 more goals in the first.  They also managed to capitalize on a power play with Ruggerio, Kelli Stack, Natalie Darwitz, and Lamoureux all picking up goals.   The USA will now go on to face Finland on February 18.  BetUS is offering the following odds:

USA: -6 ½ -145
Finland: +6 ½ +105

China: pk +115
Russia: pk -155

The men also got off to a strong start by handing Switzerland a 3-1 loss.  In what turned out to be a pretty great matchup, Bobby Ryan got things rolling for the Americans with the first goal of the game at the 18:59 mark.  It was followed by a quick goal by David Backes five minutes into the second.  Ryan Malone wrapped up the game with the third goal for the US in the second while Roman Wick managed to grab the only goal for the Swiss around the middle of the third period.

It was an excellent start for Team USA as many have been wondering how the team would perform. It is the youngest team in the tournament, sporting no less than 16 players under the age of 26.  And, though many of them are making their first appearance in the Olympic games, the pressure doesn’t seem to be a factor.  The USA will play their second game of tournament on February 18 against Norway.  BetUS is offering the following odds:

Switzerland: +5 -130
Canada: -5 -110

Slovakia: +2 ½ -125
Russia: -2 ½ -115

Belarus: +3 ½ -125
Sweden: -3 ½ -120

Czech Republic: -3 -145
Germany: -2 ½ +105

As far as the competition goes, as mentioned in last week’s post, Canada is posing the biggest threat.  Their women’s team has gotten off to an equally big start as the USA as they trounced Slovakia 18-0.  They followed it up with a 10-1 win over Switzerland.  The men have also faired well, starting their Olympic bid off with an 8-0 win over Norway.  There is little doubt in my mind that these two women’s teams will meet up for an excellent gold medal game, but it will interesting to see if the USA men’s inexperience will start to show as the games progress.  Or will their underdog status inspire them?

Check out BetUS to put down a wager before the games get started on February 19.

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