Team USA’s journey took a new turn today as the team set off for Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia that includes some 430,000 people and is located on the western edge of the country, just about 45 minutes from Vienna, Austria. Bratislava is the site of the U.S. quarterfinal game tomorrow against Russia and also will be the location for the semifinals and medal games in this 83rd IIHF Men’s World Hockey Championship.
After returning to its hotel late last night following a tough 3-0 loss to Canada that foiled Team USA’s attempt to win Group A, the players, staff and their guests re-grouped and got set for a journey by train with Team Germany to Bratislava. The almost five-hour train ride commenced promptly at 9:22 a.m. as scheduled and traversed through the Slovakian countryside, a beautiful ride that included rolling green hills, the Tatras mountain range, quaint Slovakian towns, some light fog, and rain, which has been frequent during Team USA’s stay in Slovakia.
The ride to Bratislava included sleep, movie watching, card playing, family time, coaches working on the game plan vs. Russia and first-rate service from the cabin staff with sandwiches, salads, and a variety of Corny Big bars (chocolate, white chocolate and cranberry) served alongside plates of fresh fruit that included apples, bananas, pears and strawberries and finished off with apple strudel.
Unfortunately, both Dylan Larkin and Derek Ryan were injured in last night’s game. The two made the trip with Team USA to Bratislava, but are unlikely to be available to play in any further games for the U.S. in this year’s world championship.
TRAINING STAFF HAS A DIFFERENT JOURNEY
Team USA’s training staff returned to the hotel approximately 2 a.m. this morning after packing up the locker room and all that goes with a hockey team (which is a lot). After a couple hours of rest, the group set off for the train station at 4:30 a.m. to hitch a ride so they could arrive in advance of the coaches and players and set-up a brand new home for Team USA at Ondrej Nepela Arena.
TEAM ARRIVAL TO BRATISLAVA
The train pulled into the station in the heart of Bratislava at 2:15 p.m. and after loading up a couple of charter buses, the players, staff and guests arrived at their host hotel at approximately 2:35 p.m. and had a chance to get settled.
The team departed its hotel at 4:45 p.m. and arrived at Ondrej Nepela Arena for an optional skate and to get acquainted with their new home for the remainder of the tournament. A team dinner and rest wrapped up the day.
The world championship journey that began when players and staff gathered back on May 4 in Newark, New Jersey, is now to the elimination round and Team USA is looking to advance to the semifinal round for the third time in the last four years.
