Wednesday’s 2-0 win by the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team will likely be remembered as the game in which Zach Parise led the team by getting both goals.
There’s nothing wrong with that interpretation. Parise is a wonderful player, toiling for the New Jersey Devils during the NHL season and making that team one of the top four or five teams in that league.
But there’s another reason why the U.S. team is now just two wins from a gold medal.
Around 30 times in that game U.S. players sacrificed their bodies to block a shot, taking a great deal of pressure off goalie Ryan Miller.
Those who aren’t hockey fans might not think that stopping a puck with your body is that big a deal. But the shots from pro players come in at a high rate of speed and when that frozen piece of rubber hit even a padded body, it leaves a sore spot.
It shows that the U.S. players are more than willing to get into harm’s way to help the team win. It is a testament to the dedication of the players. It is a reason why I’ve been watching as many minutes of the team’s games as I can.
Whether this run by the U.S. team, watched by millions in this country on network television, will be enough to help propel the sport to higher popularity levels in areas where there isn’t an NHL team nearby is certainly open to question.
But it should be an indication to all who are watching the U.S. team right now that there is a lot of excitement and great players in pro hockey.
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Lance Paddock is certainly making a big name for himself in small coaching circles, and it can only be a matter of time before he will get a chance to work his magic at some larger venue.
Paddock, an Alexandria native, moved from being an assistant at Grand Valley State to the head coach at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Mich. Davenport only had men’s basketball for five seasons prior to Paddock being named the head coach and the record had been 28-123.
Since Paddock became head coach the team has had just over 20 wins each season. On Wednesday night the Panthers played Madonna University in the opening round of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. Davenport won that game 84-62. The semifinals are Saturday and the finals on Monday.
Davenport is the No. 2 seed in the tourney.
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Lapel graduate Molly Fields is off to a quick start for Butler in the women’s golf season. She shot a 79-81-160 earlier this week in the Ann Rhoads/Birmingham South Shootout.
That total was good enough for eighth and made her the top Butler finisher. She was eight strokes off the winner’s pace.
She is a junior and a pharmacy major. She is the daughter of Bobby and Rhonda Fields. She is certainly an athlete to be admired.
Contact sports editor Rick Teverbaugh at 640-4886 or rick.teverbaugh@herald
bulletin.com.
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U.S. hockey team sacrifices bodies
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