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Zach Werenski's 1st Winter Olympics goal helps US down Germany
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- Zach Werenski's 1st Winter Olympics goal helps US down Germany
Zach Werenski 's first Olympic goal gave the United States a 1-0 lead and helped the U.S. down Germany 5-1 on Feb. 15 at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena to earn a bye into the quarerfinals of the 2026 Milano-Cortina men's hockey tournament.
More: Zach Werenski, U.S. top Denmark at 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics
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Werenski scored with 8.7 seconds left in the first period to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead following a tightly-contested first period. It was the Blue Jackets star's first goal and second point in the tournament, sparking the U.S. to 3-0-0-0 and the top spot in Group C of the preliminary round.
Werenski is the first Blue Jackets player to score in the Winter Olympics for the United States and first to score one for any team since Rick Nash scored two goals for Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews led all U.S. scorers with three points on two goals and the primary assist on Werenski's goal. Brock Faber and Tage Thompson also scored for the U.S., which heads into the quarterfinals as the No. 2 seed behind No. 1 Canada, which topped Group A with a higher goal differential of +17 to +11 for the Stars and Stripes.
Slovakia (2-0-0-1) topped Group B to earn a bye into the quarterfinals and that group also produced the tournament's fourth quarterfinal team, Finland (2-0-0-1), which advanced with the highest remaining goal differential (+11).
Zach Werenski of the United States shoots against Moritz Seider of Germany on Feb. 15.
Next for the U.S. is a Feb. 18 quarterfinal matchup against either Sweden or Latvia, which will play Feb. 17 in the playoff qualifying round to determine the final four advancing teams.
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Canada and the U.S. were considered heavy favorites to play for an Olympic gold medal, and those are the only two undefeated teams after the prelimary round. Canada defeated the U.S. in overtime of a gold medal game last year to win the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off, so a rematch at the 2026 Winter Olympics would be widely viewed and hotly contested.
As for Werenski, his impact has been hampered by a U.S. coaching staff that continues playing him mostly on the third pairing despite the Blue Jackets star leading all NHL defensemen with 20 goals. Against Germany, U.S. head coach Mike Sullivan ( New York Rangers ) played Werenski on the top pairing for select shifts with Quinn Hughes ( Minnesota Wild ), and it paid off with the game's first goal.
Zach Werenski of United States celebrates after scoring against Germany on Feb. 15.
After making a play at the offensive blue line to hold the puck in Germany's zone, Werenski slid down the right wing and eventually got it back from Matthews. His wrist shot from the right faceoff circle snuck past a defender and goalie Maximilian Franzreb to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead after a tough first period.
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It was Werenski's first of two shots while skating 19:30 on 21 shifts, his highest ice time of the tournament. Barring an injury, however, it doesn't look like Sullivan or U.S. assistant coaches John Tortorella and John Hynes ( Minnesota Wild ) will change their defensive deployments for upcoming single-elimination games.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Zach Werenski's first Winter Olympics goal helps US down Germany
