Phoenix Coyotes in 2014 Sochi Olympics
Feb 13, 2014, 2:04 AM | Updated: Feb 23, 2014, 4:14 pm
Five members of the Phoenix Coyotes — Lauri Korpikoski (Finland), Martin Hanzal (Czech Republic), Mike Smith (Canada), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Sweden) and Zbynek Michalek (Czech Republic) — will be participating in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi over the next two weeks.
Each day, Arizona Sports with update how each of the Olympians are doing for their respective countries.
February 23:
In the final game of the Olympics, Canada beat Sweden 3-0 to take home the gold medal.
Goaltender Mike Smith was a part of the gold-winning Canadian squad, although he did not see the ice Sunday. Smith stayed on the bench while Carey Price saved 24 shots and improved to 5-0 in the Sochi games.
Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Sweden took home the silver after their loss in the contest. The 22-year-old Coyote didn’t see much time on the ice, as he didn’t get any shots on goal and he had a +/- of -1 during his run.
February 22:
Left winger Lori Korpikoski became the first member of the Phoenix Coyotes to medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Korpikoski and the Fins knocked of the USA in convincingly style, taking the bronze medal game by a final of 5-0.
Not only did the 27-year-old capture his first Olympic medal, but he had a hand in the five-goal rout. Korpikoski recorded two assists in the game, each coming on goals by captain Teemu Selanne.
February 21:
It was a bad day for the USA but a good one for the Coyotes.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson advanced to the gold medal game as Sweden knocked off Finland by a score of 2-1. In the game, the Coyotes’ defenseman notched three assists and a plus-five rating in 10:12 of ice time.
For Finland, Coyotes forward Lauri Korpikoski played 16:03 and took two shots on goal.
Goalie Mike Smith’s Canadian team will square off with Ekman-Larsson’s Sunday morning, though Smith did not play in his team’s 1-0 victory over the USA Friday.
Korpikoski will be back on the ice Saturday morning in the bronze medal game, while the gold medal game will be Sunday morning.
February 19:
Wednesday was the end of the road for a pair of Coyotes, while the other three will continue in their quest to win a gold medal.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson saw 9:09 of ice time in Sweden’s 5-0 win over Slovenia. The defenseman had one shot on goal and was a plus-two in the win.
Forward Lauri Korpikoski’s Finland squad knocked off host Russia 3-1, with the Coyote playing 16:49 and taking two shots on goal. He was a plus-one in the game.
And Coyotes goalie Mike Smith, who has yet to appear in a game for Canada, moves on with his team after a 2-1 win over Latvia.
But this was the last we’ll see of Martin Hanzal and Zbynek Michalek, who were on the wrong end of the United States’ 5-2 win over the Czech Republic.
Hanzal, a forward, played 14:38 and took four shots on goal. Michaelek was on the ice for 20:59 and tallied one shot on goal.
February 18:
The Czech Republic beat Slovakia by a score of 5-3, which means both Martin Hanzal and Zbynek Michalek have advanced to the quarterfinals.
IN the game, Hanzal played 16:25 and had two shots on goal, with Michalek tallying 19:28 with one shot on goal.
February 16:
Just two of the Coyotes’ Olympians were in action Saturday, and despite their teams squaring off against each other, neither played much of a role.
Mike Smith continued serving as Canada’s backup and didn’t see the ice as Canada knocked off Finland 2-1 in overtime, while Lauri Korpikoski had an uneventful game, logging a -1 and not getting off a shot on goal.
February 15:
Three Coyotes players were in action Saturday as they represented their countries in the 2014 Winter Olympic games in Sochi, Russia.
Martin Hanzal and Zbynek Michalek both appeared in Czech Republic’s 1-0 loss to Switzerland, with Hanzal winning seven face-offs in 13:07 of ice time and Michalek logging three shots on goal in 16:47 of play.
Sweden’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson, meanwhile, managed to notch a second period assist on a Jimmie Ericsson goal, despite being granted just 7:06 of playing time.
February 14:
Friday was a busy day for Coyotes in Sochi, as all five of their teams were in action.
Lauri Korpikoski scored a pair of goals in Finland’s 6-1 win over Norway, with the first coming at 6:51 in the first period and second at 8:03 in the second.
Both Martin Hanzal and Zbynek Michalek scored via assists in the Czech Republic’s 4-2 win over Latvia.
In Sweden’s 1-0 victory over Switzerland, Oliver Ekman-Larsson tallied 16:32 of ice time and was a +1.
Mike Smith was asked to be Roberto Luongo’s backup for Canada, but he did not play in a 6-0 win over Austria.
February 13:
Thursday saw both Lauri Korpikoski’s Finland team take on Austria and Mike Smith’s Canadian team battle Norway.
Both ‘Yotes were winners, as Finland knocked off Austria 8-4 and Canada got by Norway 3-1.
Korpikoski tallied 15:02 of ice time with two shots on goal and two penalty minutes.
Smith did not dress for the game, as Carey Price started for Canada and stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced.
February 12:
In a battle between Phoenix’s top two blue liners, Ekman-Larsson and Team Sweden got the best of Michalek and the Czechs by a final of 4-2. In the pool play victory, Ekman-Larsson recorded a pair of assists on goals by Erik Karlsson and Patrik Berglund.
Despite falling on the wrong side of the result, Michalek finished with a plus-minus of two. Meanwhile, Hanzal didn’t hit the ice, as he was listed as a healthy scratch.
