SPYSUNDAYEO,FEBRUARY 18,2018LNGCHATIMEANS.COM/OLYMPICS G NO U.S. MIRACLES Americans can’t cash in on scoring opportunities against Russia RUSSIA 4 UNITED STATES 0 HELENE ELLIOTT PYEONG- CHANG, South Korea —U.S. men’s hockey coach Tony Gra- nato insisted his team’s 4-0 loss to the Olympic Athletes From Russia on Saturday wasn’t as bad as the final tally suggested, that the Ameri- cans had played well but were unlucky that they couldn’t put away their many scoring chances, especially in the second period of a chippy, emotion- filled game at Gangneung Hockey Centre. “I thought it was a great game. I don’t think it was a 4-0 game, though that’s what the scoreboard says,” Granato said. “It went back and forth at a pretty good pace. It was an NHL pace, that’s for sure. “I’d like to play this team again sometime. I think they realize they were in a fight out there.” But now it’s the Ameri- cans who are in a fight, and it’s for tournament survival. The loss dropped them to third place after prelimi- nary-round play in Group B and consigned them to a playoff qualification game on Tuesday. Their opponent will be determined by the final preliminary-round games involving Groups A and C on Sunday. The team from Russia, the two other group winnersand the team with the best second-place record will advance directly to the quarterfinals. “When your back’s against the wall, I hope we’re going to show our best,” U.S. goaltender Ryan Zapolski said. “We’ve done a lot of good things the first three games. We just haven’t found a way to score enough goals. It’s going to come with time, so we just have to find a way to buckle down now.” They couldn’t find a way to beat Russia goalie Vasily Koshechkin, who made 29 saves. Their chances in the second period included a four-on-three power play Ronald Martinez Getty Images and a breakaway by Brian NIKOLAI PROKHORKIN,top left, of the Olympic Athletes From Russia celebrates after scoring a goal in the first period against the Gionta, but the Russians United States during the preliminary-round match in Group B at Gangneung Hockey Centre. Prokhorkin scored team’s first two goals. [See Elliott, D12] No giant slalom CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE medals for U.S. Ligety has a poor first run and is unable to Gay athletes find greater purpose, reach the podium. Austria’s Hirscher wins and a platform, in performances another gold. D12 know how to handle the Outrage hasn’t By Mark Zeigler story, some outlets refusing to use the word “gay.” The hurt White yet PYEONGCHANG, world, clearly, wasn’t ready South Korea—The first for it. Snowboard gold med- openly gay male athlete at a But it is now. Winter Olympics was British Now you have slopestyle alist appears to have figure skater John Curry, in skier Gus Kenworthy and survived his #MeToo 1976. figure skater Adam Rippon moment, Dylan He won gold in Inns- posting a photo on social bruck, Austria, and the fol- media of the former planting Hernandez writes. D13 lowing morning, unbe- akiss on the latter’s cheek knownst to him, he was while wearing Team USA outed in a newspaper story sweaters at the opening cer- U.S. women from a pre-Games interview emony, with the message: know the score in which he privately dis- We’re here. We’re queer. cussed his sexuality — not Get used to it. They will have to get for publication, he later in- Singer Rachel Platten, of sisted. It came at a time the mega-hit “Fight Song,” past Finland and its when homosexual acts be- was at the USA-Russia tough goalie to reach the tween men were still illegal in hockey game Saturday and Aris Messinis AFP/Getty Images some parts of the United was interviewed on the ADAM RIPPON, who won bronze with the U.S. figure skating team, is one of 15 gold-medal game, likely Kingdom. The media didn’t [See Gay athletes, D12] openly gay athletes in Pyeongchang, two more than 2010 and 2014 combined. against Canada. D13 Watson leads at Riviera, but defending champion Johnson moves up with a 64. SPORTS INSIDE >>> D2 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18,2018 SS LATIMES.COM/SPORTS PYEONGCHANG 2018 AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MEDAL COUNT THE LEADERS --------------------------------------------- NORWAY G 8 S9 24 B7 --------------------------------------------- GERMANY G9 S4 17 B4 --------------------------------------------- CANADA G5 S5 16 B6 --------------------------------------------- NETHERLANDS G 6 S5 13 B2 --------------------------------------------- UNITED STATES G5 S3 10 B2 --------------------------------------------- THE OTHERS Country GSBTot. Austria 42410 Japan 1539 OA Russia 0279 France323 8 Sweden 4307 Switzerland 24 17 Italy 2136 South Korea302 5 Czech Republic122 5 China 04 15 Britain 1034 Slovakia 1203 Jamie Squire Getty Images THIS IS HOW they finished in the men’s 1,000 meters in short-track speedskating, with Canada’s Samuel Girard, left, earning gold, the Australia 02 13 U.S.’ John Henry Krueger (44) winning the silver and South Korea’s Yia Seo the bronze. Hungary’s Shoalin Sandor hit the ice. Finland 0033 Belarus 1102 OLYMPICS BUZZ Spain 0022 Poland 100 1 Slovenia 0101 Kazakhstan001 1 NOT HEAVY ON MEDALS Liechtenstein 00 11 Note — Russia was suspended from the Pyeongchang Games; athletes from the country compete under the Olympic flag ing? in this category. (1) rard of Canada won the gold. fifth in the 14 -team race. as Olympic Athletes From Russia (OAR). By John Cherwa Alpine: Could pick up two Wild cards: Someone un- In the women’s 1,500, medals with Vonn in the expected could medal and Choi Min-jeong gave South Defending the gold This is your daily infu- downhill and Shiffrin in the someone expected to medal Korea its second gold medal Kamil Stoch of Poland MEDALISTS sion of information and combined. (2) won’t. It all evens out. by winning that event. The defended his gold medal in news that you might have Bobsled: The U.S. is likely Blanked sports the rest U.S. had no one make the fi- the large hill ski jumping UPDATE missed. The really big stuff to pick up a medal in the of the way: biathlon, cross- nals. competition. It came as no you’ll find in other stories. women’s race with Elana country skiing, curling, surprise as he wastops in the ALPINE SKIING Meyers Taylor, but Jamie Nordic combined, skeleton, All the medals World Cup standings. Kevin Men’s giant slalom It’s the halfway point in Greubel Poser could sneak short-track speedskating. Slovakia isn’t a very big Bickner was the high fin- G Marcel Hirscher, Austria these Winter Games and in. (1) That gets, by Buzz pre- country, population-wise; in isher for the U.S. in 20th. S Henrik Kristoffersen, time to look at how the U.S. Figure Skating: Alex and dictions, 21 medals, give or fact, it’s about half the size of Norway is doing. And the optics are Maia Shibutani will very take a few. Los Angeles County. But bi- Another sport done B Alexis Pinturault, France not good. Based on expected likely win a medal in ice So, how does that shape athlete Anastasiya Kuzmina Skeleton joined luge as BIATHLON results, the U.S. should fin- dance, but that’s it. (1) up against the past? seems to represent it well. the only two sports to call it Wo men’s 12.5km mass ish with between 19 and 23 Freestyle: The men’s half- 2014 -Sochi (28); 2010 -Van- She has won all three of the aGames for competition. start total medals, its lowest total pipe is likely to get at least couver (37); 2006-Turin (26); country’s medals in South That’s because they have to G Anastasiya Kuzmina, in 20 years. two medals between David 2002-Salt Lake City (34); Korea, finally picking up a leave the course for the bob- Slovakia It’s probably not a break- Wise, Torin Yater-Wallace 19 98-Nagano (13). gold after two silvers. She sledders. S Darya Domracheva, Belarus down in how the different and Alex Ferreira. Maybe Now it would not surprise won the women’s 12.5-kilom- Lizzy Yarnold of Britain B Tiri Eckhoff, Norway governing bodies care for sweep the podium, but if the U.S. Olympic Commit- eter mass start. She hit 19 of was the women’s gold win- and train their athletes but that’s being greedy. Gus tee were to say that the med- 20 targets, which was the dif- ner, and it was a shocker. She CROSS-COUNTRY more a case of some of the Kenworthy could hit in the al total was very close to ex- ference. hasn’t won in international SKIING athletes just not living up to slopestyle and Brita Sigour- pectations. But if that hap- The U.S. was guaranteed competition in three years. Wo men’s 4x5km relay expectations. ney or Maddie Bowman pens, those in the front row not to hit the stand, as it She won by almost a half- G Norway The Alpine skiing team could medal in the women’s of the news briefing should didn’t have an entrant. second, which almost calls S Sweden has been disappointing, halfpipe. These are sports be wary they don’t get poked for the mercy rule if they had B OAR withno men’s medals where things can easily go by officials’ noses growing at one in skeleton.