The USA won convincingly. © APA/afp / JULIEN DE ROSA

Dream finale complete: USA meets Canada

The USA are the second finalist in the men's Olympic ice hockey tournament. Matthew Tkachuk and his teammates left no doubt about their dominance in the semi-final against Slovakia.

February 21, 2026

From: dpa

After a commanding 6-2 victory against Slovakia, the US ice hockey team is dreaming of its first Olympic gold medal since the "Miracle on Ice" against the Soviet Union in 1980. The USA put the Slovaks, who had been surprisingly strong at times during the tournament, on the defensive from the outset. Dylan Larkin opened the scoring in the 5th minute. Tage Thompson (20th minute) on the power play, Jack Hughes with a brace (33rd and 39th minutes), Jack Eichel (33rd minute), and Brady Tkachuk (51st minute) also found the net for the USA.

After two periods, the Americans were already leading 5-0, with Juraj Slafkovsky (45th minute) and Pavol Regenda (54th minute) managing to reduce the deficit somewhat in the final period. The bronze medal game will take place on Saturday (8:40 p.m.).

Emotions ran high in the end. © ANSA / FAZRY ISMAIL

Slovakia finished third at the 2022 Beijing Olympics after losing in the semifinals to eventual champions Finland. In the group stage of the current tournament, the Slovaks defeated Finland 4-1.