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Team USA sent Finland packing on Friday afternoon with a dominant 6-1 win. Then it was Canada's turn to show Slovakia the door in a game that finished 3-2.
The North American neighbors will now meet in a rematch of last Sunday's showdown, won by Team USA. The puck drops at 3 p.m. ET/12p PT.
Canadian fans will fill the stands, bars and living rooms with dreams of watching a sequel to their big 2002 win in Salt Lake and redemption for last Sunday's loss to Team USA. American fans would love to see a carbon copy of that thrilling game, a 5-3 win that millions in Canada have spent the better part of this week trying to forget.
For Canada, it was a foregone conclusion they'd be here. For the United States, it was an attainable but lofty goal.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the gold medal game. After the Americans defeated the Canadians for the first time in Olympic competition since 1960, the U.S. grabbed the number one seed and a bye, only to dismiss the Swiss and Finns on route to the gold medal game. They enter the game having blitzed the defending silver medalist, Finland, 6-1.
Hockey Canada, conversely, put the country in a collective state of panic. The world's number one team had to play in the qualification round just to get to the final eight. Now they've cruised in the consecutive elimination games since losing to the U.S. to set up the showdown the hockey world has been waiting for.
-- Will these changes result in a gold medal for the home nation?
-- Can the Americans muster a repeat performance, led by the hottest goaltender in the world, Ryan Miller?
-- Let's hear it: Who will win the gold medal game?
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