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United States Paralympic hockey goalie Jen Lee posted a video of a man breaking into his car and stealing a bag that contained his Paralympic gold medals.
Fortunately, the medals have been recovered, according to San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus:
Lee was the backup goaltender for the U.S. paralympic hockey team behind Steve Cash at the 2014 and 2018 Paralympics before taking the reins as a starter in 2022. He did not allow a goal in any of his four starts during the 2022 Games, highlighted by a 16-save shutout in the United States' 5-0 win over Canada in the gold-medal game.
The United States has won four straight gold medals at the Paralympics overall.
Great Britain beat the Netherlands in a shoot-out for the women's hockey gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics after a thrilling contest.
The match ended 3-3, and in the shoot-out, onlyĀ Helen Richardson-Walsh and Hollie Webb managed to score.
Earlier in the day, Germany beat New Zealand to the bronze.Ā The Black Sticks dominated large stretches of the match but couldn't keep their cool in front of goal, and Germany used their wealth of experience to punish every mistake, scoring their two goals shortly after half-time.
Here's a look at the final results for the women's field hockey tournament:
| Bronze-Medal Match | Germany | 2-1 | New Zealand |
| Gold-Medal Match | Netherlands | 3-3 (0-2) | Great Britain |
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The final got off to a flying start, as Maartje Maumen nearly gave the Dutch the lead before Lily Owsley opened the score from close range. Sophie Bragley juggled her way through the Dutch defence before putting the ball in front of goal, and some smart work with the stick led to the British lead, via BBC Sport's Ollie Williams:
Kitty van Male tied things up early in the second quarter, and the Netherlands pushed their advantage, wasting several great chances to take the lead. Paumen finally found the breakthrough after 25 minutes, but less than a minute later, Crista Cullen tied things up once again.
Van Male scored her second goal of the match from a penalty corner in the third quarter to hand the lead back to the Netherlands, but Britain continued to threaten. Former cricketer Michael Vaughan was impressed with the level of play:
The Brits equalised once again in the final quarter, as Nicola White converted a rebound after a penalty corner, and no more goals would be scored in regulation, leading to a shoot-out.
In that shoot-out, the first four attempts were saved before Richardson-Walsh gave Britain a 1-0 lead. None of the Dutch players could match that feat, and Webb scored the final goal to hand her team the gold.
The Black Sticks made an excellent start to the bronze-medal match, looking to copy the approach that won Argentina the gold in the men's tournament by aiming for penalty corners early. New Zealand tried their luck with two, but twice, Germany ran out well, and Kristina Reynolds kept her nets clean.
Olympian Valerie Adams was excited:
Germany were overrun in the early stages, but their defence was on point. While New Zealand had their chances, Reynolds dominated her area, and the European giants did well to hold off their opponents until half-time. The Black Sticks should have taken the lead, but their attackers came up short every single time.
As is so often the case, they paid dearly. Charlotte Stapenhorst opened the scoring early in the second half, finishing off a textbook counter-attack, per Rikki Swannell of Radio Sport:
Lisa Schutze missed an excellent opportunity to double Germany's lead, but shortly after, she produced a fine flick to beat Sally Rutherford, making it 2-0.
New Zealand pushed for a goal of their own, and they finally found the breakthrough just before the end of the third quarter, as Olivia Merry converted a penalty corner.Ā
The goal set up a tense start to the final quarter, with the Black Sticks taking their time prodding the German defence.Ā
But the Black Sticks were a little too cautious and didn't throw their full weight forward until the final minutes, at which point it was too late. Germany stood firm, winning the bronze.
The medal round at the men's field hockey competition was set for Thursday at the 2016 Rio Games, with Germany facing the Netherlands for a bronze medal and Argentina and Belgium battling it out for the gold.
Below, we'll break down the day's scores and recap all of the action.Ā
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After shocking two-time defending gold-medalist Germany, Argentina took the gold medal for themselves, defeating Belgium, 4-2.
Pedro Ibarra, Ignacio Ortiz, Gonzalo Peillat and Agustin Mazzilli all scored for Argentina, who took a 3-1 lead into halftime. Belgium pulled one back in the third period but couldn't get the equalizer, asĀ Mazzilli's fourth-period goal iced the win for the Argentines.
Tanguy Cosyns and Gauthier Boccard scored for the Belgians, who took a 1-0 lead in the first period but were unable to hold on to the advantage.
It was Argentina's first gold medal in men's field hockey, according to , while Belgium's silver medal was their best finish in 96 years.Ā ArgentinaĀ had never previously reached the semifinals at the Olympics, per BBC Sport.Ā
It took a penalty shootout, but Germany won the bronze medal by defeating the Netherlands on Thursday.
The two teams managed just a goal apiece during regulation time, leading to the penalty shootout. Martin Haner was Germany's goal scorer in regulation, while Jorrit Croon scored the lone goal for the Dutch.
The Netherlands' Bill Bakker led off the shootout with a miss, before the two sides made seven straight shots between them. Germany's Tobias Hauke, Mats Grambusch, Timm Herzbruch and Linus Butt all scored in the shootout, whileĀ Robbert Kemperman,Ā Jeroen Hertzberger andĀ Severiano van Ass scored for the Dutch.
But Sander de Wijn missed the fifth attempt for the Netherlands, giving Germany the win.
It was the second Olympics in a row the Germans defeated the Dutch in a medal round, as the Germans won a gold medal over the Netherlands at the 2012 London Games. Coming into Rio de Janeiro, the Germans had won the past two gold medals.
Germany and the Netherlands were the two favorites to win gold in this event, but the Germans were shocked by Argentina in the semifinals, losing 5-2, while Belgium knocked off the Dutch, 3-1.
Those results shocked everyone.
āThis is crazy,ā Ā Argentine midfielder Lucas Rey said after his side defeated Germany, per the Associated Press (via theĀ New Strait Times). āWe knew we could do this, but itās still crazy.āĀ
Argentina kept the madness going on Thursday evening, beating Belgium to earn the gold medal.
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You can follow TimothyĀ RappĀ onĀ Twitter.
Canada 3, Norway 1. That was the score many probably expected after the first five minutes or so. The fact that it was the score Thursday in a preliminary round game in Sochi? Well, commence the worry-warting through all the Canadian provinces NOW.
Canada got the win, but it wasn't supposed to be this tough. Only a two-goal differential, and only a 38-20 shot differential. But let's give a little credit to the Norwegians too.
They played the Canadians tough, not just scoreboard-wise, but physically. They hit the Canadians, they talked a little trash to the Canadians and they put a good scare into the Canadians. Goalie Lars Haugen was solid, making 35 saves.
The one real good part of the day for Canada: they dominated in the period you would have expected them to -- the second. After a scoreless first period, they really took it to the Norwegians in the second. The skeptic will say: wow, look at that final score, Canada is in trouble! Others will say: relax, Canada dominated when they wanted to, and won the game. They'll get better.
The truth is probably somewhere in between. This game, however, didn't go the way anyone thought.Ā
| Line or pairing | After 1st | After 2nd | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Kunitz-Sidney Crosby-Jeff Carter | D | B | C |
| Patrick Sharp-Jonathan Toews-Rick Nash | D | C | C |
| Patrick Marleau-Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry | F | B | B |
| Jamie Benn-John Tavares-Patrice Bergeron | F | A | A |
| Duncan Keith-Shea Weber | C | B+ | B |
| Marc-Edouard Vlasic-Drew Doughty | B | B | B+ |
| Jay Bouwmeester-Alex Pietrangelo | C | A | A- |
| Carey Price | B | B | C+ |
| Special teams | D | C | C |
Final analysis
FORWARDS
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Jeff Carter: A pretty quiet game for Sid. Not that he was bad, but there was nothing on the score sheet. Carter and Kunitz weren't anything special either.
Patrick Sharp - Jonathan Toews - Rick Nash: Nash floated around too much, though he did get a patented third-period breakaway thanks to some of that floating. Toews skated well, but didn't factor in the scoring.
Patrick Marleau - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry: Marleau led the team in shots on goal and assisted on a goal. Getzlaf made a nice crossing pass on Drew Doughty's big third-period goal.
Jamie Benn - John Tavares - Patrice Bergeron: Canada's fourth line was probably its best. Bergeron had two assists, one on a Benn goal that proved the game-winner. Benn also drew the penalty that led to Weber's goal.
Martin St. Louis: He didn't get a ton of ice time. He could be the odd-man out in Canada's next game, with Matt Duchene probably replacing him.
DEFENSE
Duncan Keith - Shea Weber: Weber's big blast early in the second period stopped Canadians from freaking out any further. Keith's late second-period penalty, after dropping his stick, led to Norway's only goal.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Drew Doughty: Great goal by Doughty in the third, which stopped any Norway momentum shortly after they'd just scored. It's hard to judge the defense and goaltending when the shots are so lopsided, but Doughty and Vlasic were fine.
Jay Bouwmeester - Alex Pietrangelo: Strong game from the two St. Louis Blues D-men. They and big and mobile, and Mike Babcock played them a lot.
GOALIE
There was immediate speculation after the game that Canada will give Roberto Luongo the start Friday against Austria. As noted earlier, hard to judge a goalie in a game like this, but the fact that he allowed anything against the weak Norwegian offense will give critics ammunition to say he shouldn't be the No. 1 going forward. Price misplayed the puck before allowing Norway's only goal in the third. Guaranteed that will be replayed plenty on Canadian hockey highlight shows.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The power play didn't look great at all, especially that first one. But the penalty killing was good, and you know Canada's PP woes probably won't last.
Second-period analysis:Ā
FORWARDS
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Jeff Carter: Crosby started to get his feet moving, but the line remained blanked through two periods.
Patrick Sharp - Jonathan Toews - Rick Nash: Not much going on with this line again, although Sharp went hard to the net a couple times. Nash is floating around too much.
Patrick Marleau - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry: Marleau has four shots on goal after two periods. Getzlaf hasn't looked great at all, looking a bit slow on the big ice.
Jamie Benn - John Tavares - Patrice Bergeron: Very good period for Bergeron, with two assists. Benn withstood an attempted huge hit from Norwegian defender Ole-Kristian Tollefsen to score shortly after.
Martin St. Louis: Only 6:17 of ice time through two periods.
DEFENSE
Duncan Keith - Shea Weber: A great shot by Weber got the Canadians on the board. Keith hurt his team by dropping his stick and taking a a penalty in the final minute.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Drew Doughty: These guys have been fine, though Doughty has looked a bit jittery with puck at times.
Jay Bouwmeester - Alex Pietrangelo: They've been the ice leaders for Canada so far, as Mike Babcock obviously feels confident in them.
GOALIE:
Carey Price: Only faced two shots in the second. Could have used a rocking chair.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Again, not all that great, though Canada did get its first goal on a delayed penalty.
First-period analysis:
FORWARDS
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Jeff Carter: Crosby and Kunitz barely registered. Carter skated hard, including a nice back-check.
Patrick Sharp - Jonathan Toews - Rick Nash: Nash looked lost.
Patrick Marleau - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry: Nothing.
Jamie Benn - John Tavares - Patrice Bergeron: Tavares had a good chance from the left side.
13th forward: Martin St. Louis: He got a shift with Kunitz and Crosby at one point
DEFENSE
Duncan Keith - Shea Weber: Keith was switched with Doughty by the midway mark.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Drew Doughty: Doughty lost a puck at the blue line on the power play.
Jay Bouwmeester - Alex Pietrangelo: They actually moved the puck pretty well, looked like the best D pair.
Seventh defenseman: Dan Hamhuis: Just a guy there.
GOALIE
Carey Price:Ā He had to make one pretty tough save, with the right arm.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Canada's first power play couldn't have looked any worse. But the PK was good after Ryan Getzlaf took a late tripping minor for Canada.
Just like men's basketball highlights the Summer Olympics, the Winter Games will be headlined by the exciting men's hockey tournament. With four legitimate, top-flight contendersāalong with several dark-horse teams that can potentially make a runāthe level of competition in Sochi will be incredible.
Many of the best players from the NHL and around the world will go at it, and it is entirely possible that this will be the final Olympics involving NHL players. Because of that, the players will almost certainly lay it all on the line since this may be their final opportunity to capture Olympic gold.
Along with the entire men's hockey schedule for the Sochi Games, here is a look at the teams that have the best chance to stand atop the podium on Feb. 23.
| Date | Time (ET) | Group | Game | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, Feb. 12 | Noon | C | Czech Republic vs. Sweden | USA |
| Wednesday, Feb. 12 | Noon | C | Latvia vs. Switzerland | MSNBC |
| Thursday, Feb. 13 | 3 a.m. | B | Finland vs. Austria | NBCSN |
| Thursday, Feb. 13 | 7:30 a.m. | A | Russia vs. Slovenia | MSNBC |
| Thursday, Feb. 13 | 7:30 a.m. | A | USA vs. Slovakia | NBCSN |
| Thursday, Feb. 13 | Noon | B | Canada vs. Norway | USA |
| Friday, Feb. 14 | 3 a.m. | C | Czech Republic vs. Latvia | MSNBC |
| Friday, Feb. 14 | 7:30 a.m. | C | Sweden vs. Switzerland | NBCSN |
| Friday, Feb. 14 | Noon | B | Canada vs. Austria | USA |
| Friday, Feb. 14 | Noon | B | Norway vs. Finland | MSNBC |
| Saturday, Feb. 15 | 3 a.m. | A | Slovakia vs. Slovenia | MSNBC |
| Saturday, Feb. 15 | 7:30 a.m. | A | USA vs. Russia | NBCSN |
| Saturday, Feb. 15 | Noon | C | Switzerland vs. Czech Republic | NBCSN |
| Saturday, Feb. 15 | Noon | C | Sweden vs. Latvia | USA |
| Sunday, Feb. 16 | 3 a.m. | B | Austria vs. Norway | USA |
| Sunday, Feb. 16 | 7:30 a.m. | A | Russia vs. Slovakia | USA |
| Sunday, Feb. 16 | 7:30 a.m. | A | USA vs. Slovenia | NBCSN |
| Sunday, Feb. 16 | Noon | B | Finland vs. Canada | USA |
| Tuesday, Feb. 18 | 3 a.m. | Qualification Round | NBCSN | |
| Tuesday, Feb. 18 | 7:30 a.m. | Qualification Round | USA | |
| Tuesday, Feb. 18 | Noon | Qualification Round | NBCSN | |
| Tuesday, Feb. 18 | Noon | Qualification Round | MSNBC | |
| Wednesday, Feb. 19 | 3 a.m. | Quarterfinal | NBCSN | |
| Wednesday, Feb. 19 | 7:30 a.m. | Quarterfinal | NBCSN | |
| Wednesday, Feb. 19 | Noon | Quarterfinal | USA | |
| Wednesday, Feb. 19 | Noon | Quarterfinal | MSNBC | |
| Friday, Feb. 21 | 7 a.m. | Semifinal | NBCSN | |
| Friday, Feb. 21 | Noon | Semifinal | NBCSN | |
| Saturday, Feb. 22 | 10 a.m. | Bronze Medal Game | NBCSN | |
| Sunday, Feb. 23 | 7 a.m. | Gold Medal Game | NBC |
Top Teams to Watch
Canada
As is always the case, Canada enters Sochi as the prohibitive favorite to win the gold medal. Canada held off a stiff challenge from the United States in the 2010 gold medal game, and things won't get any easier in 2014, especially since Russia will be playing on home ice. With that said, no team is deeper than Canada from top to bottom. Not only do the Canadians boast the best player in the world in the form of Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, but they also feature a ton of depth both up front and on the blue line, so there aren't many weaknesses to speak of.
There is one area in which a few other teams have the advantage over Canada, though. There are definite goaltending question marks with Canada bringing Carey Price, Roberto Luongo and Mike Smith to Sochi. Luongo led Canada to the gold medal in Vancouver; however, he looked shaky at times. Price is the projected starter, but he has struggled mightily as of late. Because of that, Damien Cox of the Toronto StarĀ views the netminder situation as a concern:
It has been proven often in the NHL over the past several years that an elite goalie isn't necessarily needed to win it all as long as he has a ton of talent in front of him. Canada is certainly hoping that a similar philosophy manifests itself in Sochi. As long as Price, Luongo or Smith don't embarrass themselves between the pipes, Canada is going to be a contender.
Russia
No team was a bigger disappointment in the Olympics four years ago than Russia. The ultra-talented squad failed to medal, although it did receive an unlucky draw that forced it to face Canada in the quarterfinals. It's impossible to say how the draw will shake out this time around, but there is no doubt that Russia has the horses necessary to win gold. That is especially true when it comes to the skill it possesses at the forward position.
Canada may have more depth of scoring than Russia, but the Russians are the type of team that can potentially pot 10 in one game. The likes of Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, Alexander Semin and others make Russia the most dynamic team in the tournament. Not only will they be dangerous at even strength, but their power play should be a well-oiled machine. Although the skill level drops off on the third and fourth lines, Rob LaPlante of theĀ Wright County Journal-PressĀ feels as though the upper-tier talent that Russia does have will make life miserable for the opposition:
Like Canada, though, there is some concern when it comes to Russia's ability to stop the opposition from scoring. Defending Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets is likely to get the starting nod; however, he doesn't enter Sochi in great form. Also, Russia's defensive corps is lacking when it comes to elite players, and many of them are offensive minded. If there is one thing that can prevent Russia from reaching its full potential, it is an abundance of defensive lapses.
United States
Few expected Team USA to make it as far as it did back in 2010, but the element of surprise is no longer present in 2014. The United States is behind Canada, Russia and Sweden when it comes to betting favorites, according to Bovada, but there is every reason to believe that the Americans will be a major factor. They caught a tough break by getting stuck with Russia in Group A; however, Team USA absolutely has what it takes to win the gold in Sochi.
Some combination of Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick and Buffalo Sabres netminder Ryan Miller will handle the goaltending duties, which gives Team USA a huge advantage over Canada and Russia. At the same time, the United States doesn't have as much top-end talent at forward. Team USA didn't struggle to score in 2010 with a similar cast, though. Chicago Blackhawks superstar forward Patrick Kane has taken a huge step forward since 2010 and could be a Crosby-esque player for the Americans. As evidenced by his comments during a recent Associated Press interview, Kane has a singular focus heading into Sochi:
I'm very happy about where I am at in my career, but at the same time, you never want to be satisfied. You want to keep winning and keep having that taste of success in your mouth because there's no better feeling. I'm sure that if you could accomplish that with your country, it would be pretty unreal.
Team USA is built upon balance, as many of the players have strong two-way games, and it will be interesting to see what bearing the Olympic ice has on that. The 2010 Olympics were contested on an NHL-sized rink, so it's entirely possible that the United States' strategy won't be quite as effective. Whatever the case, opposing teams can't afford to sleep on the Americans.
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