Team USA Wins Group C with Victory Over Germany

For Team USA, free bird is really flying high.

A 5-1 win over Germany in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 15 means the U.S. has now won Group C and will advance to the Feb. 18 quarterfinals.

The four-goal win over the Germans came after Team USA tallied points from 13 different players in their most recent 6-3 victory over Denmark. Against Team Germany, Brock Faber, captain Auston Matthews (2x), Tage Thompson and Zach Werenski were the goal scorers for the red, white and blue.

The game marked the 11th time in history the U.S. and Germany have met in the Olympic Winter Games, with the USA winning nine of the 10 prior meetings. It also marked the final men's Olympic hockey group stage game for 2026.

Team USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck — Feb 12, 2026; Milan, Italy; Connor Hellebuyck of United States walks into the arena before the match against Latvia in men's ice hockey group C play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck — a three-time Vezina Trophy winner and current member of the Winnipeg Jets — got the nod in net, saving 23 from the Germans after originally making 17 saves on 18 shots in his Olympic debut.

Team USA Advances to Winter Olympic Quarterfinals

The U.S. also defeated Latvia, 5-1, and Denmark, 6-3, in the previous preliminary action.

.@usahockey stays hot. 🔥

Next up: Quarterfinals. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/jbcesbdbWt
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 15, 2026

Jack Eichel led Team USA with a goal and an assist in the win over Denmark, with him recording _ against the Germans. Matthews also had an assist, putting up three total points over Germany.

As previously reported by Breakaway On SI, Team USA includes two sets of brothers— Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, and Quinn and Jack Hughes. The only other time a U.S. Olympic men's hockey team had two sets of brothers in history was on the 1960 gold-medal winning team (Bill and Roger Christian, Bill and Bob Clearly). Brady, a forward, was wearing a mic for NBC during the matchup against Germany.

Quinn led the statsheet in TOI for skaters across the U.S. roster. He finished the game with 21:59. Against Denmark, Quinn also had 23:06, which was the highest of all skaters from both Team USA and Denmark.

The Germans got on the board with 8:38 remaining in the final frame; Tim Stutzle had the score for his fourth goal of the tournament — putting him tied with young Canadian star Macklin Celebrini for most goals in the ongoing Olympics.

Team Canada dominated France 10-2 in the Canadians' Feb. 15 game, beating the French 10-2. Celebrini scored twice (one on a penalty shot) and Tom Wilson had a Gordie Howe hat trick after scoring, posting an assist and fighting defenseman Pierre Crinon.

The Americans now turn their attention to the quarterfinal game, to be played at Milano Santagiulia Arena on Feb. 18 at 3:10 p.m. EST. The U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team plays in the semifinals on Feb. 16 against Sweden.

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