IIHF: Team USA loses to Russia, will play for bronze medal

By Austin KnoblauchSenior Editor, Sports

May 8, 2009 10:54 AM PT

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Despite coming off an impressive victory over Finland on Wednesday, the United States will have to wait another year before it can earn a gold medal in international play.

The United States lost to defending champion Russia, 3-2, in the IIHF World Championship semifinals in Switzerland today after Konstantin Gorovikov scored the winning goal on a power play with 1:47 left in the game.

The Americans can still win a bronze medal with a victory over either Canada or Sweden on Sunday. If it wins, it’ll be USA’s first medal since 2004. You can watch the game live on Universalsports.com.

Kings forward Alexander Frolov has a goal and an assist for the Russians, and former Ducks goalie IIya Bryzgalov made 18 saves in the win. Kings captain Dustin Brown scored for the Americans, giving him three goals and eight points through eight games.

Considering that the United States lost to Russia on Saturday, 4-1, and was playing in front of a very pro-Russian fan base, the Americans should take pride in competing with a more-experienced team (the United States has 13 players under 25).

-- Austin Knoblauch

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Austin Knoblauch

Austin Knoblauch is a senior editor in Sports at the Los Angeles Times, overseeing NFL coverage and digital initiatives. He previously worked as an editor and writer at NFL.com. He initially joined The Times in 2005, serving in various web editing and reporting roles. Knoblauch’s favorite sports are football, hockey and auto racing. He is a native of Southern California and graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles.