Men's World

HELSINKI, Finland - Team USA returned to practice on Friday following a well-deserved day away from the rink yesterday.

“Off day was good, four games in five nights so a little rest was a necessity,” said U.S. forward Ryan Carter. “Family came into town so we were tourists for the day. Saw some churches, boats and restaurants, so it was a good time.”

“Definitely got some rest yesterday during the day,” said Carter’s linemate and New Jersey Devils teammate Stephen Gionta. “Got up, walked around, grabbed a coffee and just people watched.  It’s nice to have a day off and explore.”

For Tim Stapleton, it has been a homecoming of sorts, as the U.S. forward spent two seasons (2006-08) skating for Jokerit, which plays its home games at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki as part of the Finnish Elite League.

“Just being back in the city has been great,” Stapleton said about the Finnish capital, which lies on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. “I’ve got a few friends here and its been good to see them. Yesterday, I just did a lot of walking around. The weather has been good.”

The youthful U.S. squad, which averages just 25.8 years of age, defeated tournament host Finland, 4-1, on Wednesday night, with the help of a hat trick by forward Craig Smith and a stellar effort in goal by 19-year-old, John Gibson.

While Team USA was enjoying having Thursday off, its next opponent, France, pulled a shocking upset over defending world champion Russia, 2-1. France, who has just one National Hockey League player on its roster in the Dallas Stars’ Antoine Roussel, came into the tournament ranked 13th in the world.

“Obviously, they are a tight defensive team,” Carter said about France, who they will see on Saturday afternoon. “If you can hold Russia to one goal, then you can play some defense.”

“Anything can happen in these games,” said Gionta, who contributed a goal to increase the U.S. lead to 3-1 in Wednesday’s win over Finland. “Everyone has a chance to win here and that is what’s fun about this tournament.”

Entering today, the United States and Russia are tied atop the Group H standings, both with identical 3-1 records and nine points.  Russia faces tournament host Finland on Friday night.

“It is a dangerous situation, but we know what is at stake,” Carter said about taking on France (2-2) on Saturday afternoon. “Two days off and then a noon game, so we need to make sure we’re awake from the start. Having France beat Russia is a real wake-up. We know they’re playing well and if we sit back they’re going to have success against us too.”

The U.S. hopes to reverse the trend of giving up the first goal of the game come Saturday, something that they’ve done in all four games in Helsinki thus far.

“We have to make sure we come out with a stronger start,” said Gionta. “We have to get our legs back under us quickly after two days off. They’re a good defensive team and we have to take care of the puck.”

Following France on Saturday, the U.S. plays Germany on Sunday, before closing out the preliminary round versus Slovakia on Tuesday, with the quarterfinal next Thursday. The semifinal and medal games will be contested in Stockholm on May 18-19.