Olympic Ice Hockey: SUI 1 – LAT 0
By Sean
The Olympic Ice Hockey tournament got under way today with two games. Switzerland entered the opening day of the hockey tournament with a matchup against Latvia. This game was lined up to give Switzerland their easiest game of pool play first. It did not turn out that way at all. Despite outplaying Latvia for much of the game, Switzerland found themselves in a goalless draw in the final minute of the third period. A late Latvian turnover led to a break for the Swiss and that would lead to the only goal of the game with just about 7 seconds left on the clock.
Switzerland’s Simon Moser was below the goal line and he sent a pass to the front of the net, looking for Nino Niederreiter who was crashing the net, and the puck hit off the Latvian defenseman in the crease and by Latvian goaltender Edgars Masalskis. Both goalies were the stars of the game. Masalskis was much busier than Jonas Hiller, stopping 38 shots, including a couple with his mask, neck and shoulders. Hiller was solid in net and was not challenged all that much but when Latvia had offensive pressure, he had good positioning and didn’t give up rebounds. Jonas should enjoy it while it lasts because his next two games are against Sweden and Czech Republic.
Scoring Breakdown by Period:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | SO | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| SUI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
- LAT: —
- SUI: Moser (1)
Shot Breakdown by Period
| Period | LAT | SUI |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 6 | 12 |
| 2nd | 10 | 12 |
| 3rd | 5 | 15 |
| OT | — | — |
| Total | 21 | 39 |
Powerplay Efficiency:
| Period | LAT | SUI |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | — | 0/2 |
| 2nd | 0/2 | 0/1 |
| 3rd | 0/1 | 0/2 |
| OT | — | — |
| Total | 0/3 | 0/5 |
So, Hiller gets a 21 save shutout. Not bad a bad birthday present. He turned 32 today.
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