Sanderson playing strong as U.S. men’s hockey advances
KELSEY EVANS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 hours, 5 minutes AGO
United States' Jake Sanderson skates with the puck during a preliminary round game of men's ice hockey between the United States and Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Whitefish-born Jake Sanderson and the U.S. men’s hockey team are on to the quarterfinals.
Team USA finished first in Group C with a 3-0 record in the preliminary at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
The Americans had decisive 5–1 victories over both Latvia and Germany, and a 6-3 win over Denmark.
Sanderson has been a key contributor thus far in his second Olympics.
Against Latvia, the defenseman logged two shots on goal and played over 16 minutes in a steady defensive performance. In the second game, he stopped a key scoring chance from Denmark’s Alexander True.
Against Germany, he recorded two assists — including a primary assist on an Auston Matthews goal.
“I think we got better every single game,” Sanderson said in an interview with ESPN after the win against Germany. “Tonight was a mature game out of our group, and pretty close to a complete 60-minute effort.”
Canada is the top seed going into the quarterfinals and the U.S. is the second seed. Slovakia and Finland also advance to the quarterfinals.
The quarterfinals are Wednesday, Feb. 18. The U.S. plays at 1:10 p.m. MT.
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