As the first game of the tournament began, Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller got the start between the pipes. It has been his dream ever since he was a kid, and now he has the opportunity to live that dream.
Jonas Hiller received the start for the Swiss team, while Miller was at the other end. Both teams started the game with a few chances each and then some hitting.
It didn’t take long for the crowd to start chanting “USA! USA! USA!”. The Americans had the first power play opportunity, but they were unable to capitalize.
Late in the first period, Bobby Ryan scored the first goal of the tournament. He took the hit in order to make the play and eventually beat Hiller, his own teammate in the NHL.
Early in the second period, David Backes added a goal for Team USA. Just a couple of minutes later, Ryan Malone jammed in a rebound on the power play to put the Americans up by three.
Halfway through the third period, Miller’s shutout was broke when he attempted to poke check the puck, resulting in a bouncing puck that found its way to the back of the net.
Switzerland has plenty of chances in the third, but they were only able to score once on Miller. The Americans got off to a good start in the tournament as they defeated Switzerland by a 3-1 score.
USA’s next game will be against Norway on Thursday at 3 p.m.