Team USA men’s ice hockey squad staged a dramatic comeback to secure a 6-3 victory over Denmark in Group C action at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Trailing 2-1 after a challenging first period, the Americans exploded for three second-period goals to seize control and held firm for their second straight win.
Early Scare Gives Way to Dominance
Denmark struck first at 1:40 when Nick Olesen deflected a shot past Jeremy Swayman in a scramble near the net. Matt Boldy responded swiftly at 3:35, tying the score with a wraparound goal on the rebound. Nicholas B. Jensen stunned the crowd at 11:16, rifling a wrist shot from near center ice that beat Swayman for a 2-1 lead.
The second period belonged to Team USA. Brady Tkach evened it at 2-2 at 9:26, sniping short side off a Jack Eichel faceoff win. Eichel then put the Americans ahead 3-2 just 57 seconds later with a quick-release shot from a similar setup. Noah Hanifin extended the advantage to 4-2 at 17:23, firing twice to squeeze the puck through Mads Søgaard’s pads. Phillip Bruggisser clawed one back for Denmark with three seconds left, slapping home from the point to make it 4-3.
In the third, Jake Guentzel restored the two-goal cushion at 7:24 with a one-timer assisted by Auston Matthews. Jack Hughes sealed the win at 14:27, banking the puck off Frederik Dichow’s skate after Søgaard exited due to injury. Swayman finished with 18 saves on 21 shots, while Denmark managed only 21 shots against 47 for USA.
Standings and Next Matchup
The victory keeps Team USA atop Group C with six points from two games. They face Germany on Sunday to clinch a quarterfinal bye. Denmark, winless, meets Latvia next.
Player Reactions
“He made some huge saves for us at key times,” Eichel said of Swayman. “Funky bounce and you just move on.”
Swayman reflected on Jensen’s long-range goal: “Definitely one I want back, but proud of this group for getting the job done.”
Denmark’s Bruggisser noted, “We’re the underdogs, and we battled hard, but it wasn’t enough.” Eichel added, “We’re an unfinished product, but we’re going to continue to get better.”
