USA vs. Spain: 29-28

Halftime: SLO 13:17 POL

boldhound8 said:Wait—so if the Canadians pull it off, we’re heading to the States? Is that right?

Exactly.

And they’re going to steamroll us because they’ve got nothing left to lose. It’s the same deal with the Americans; they’ll beat us regardless because they’re screwed from every angle—their offense, their defense, their goalie, even the fans in the stands and people out on the streets. They're getting hit from all sides.

A few years back, I ran into Dinart and Karabatich in Miami, and man, those guys look absolutely terrifying now. They’re going to crush us.

Yeah, well, crush you then. 😁

boldhound8 said:Wait—so if the Canadians pull it off, we’re heading out to see the Polajkos? Is that the plan?

Exactly
but there is a massive, glaring IF

Jeremy Phillips54 said:Exactly. The French are coming for us next. 😉

Personally, I think facing the Germans afterward would be the bigger embarrassment. But hey, pressure makes diamonds.

Better to take out the Germans in the semifinals than in the finals.

the ambassador said:👋

Winner😂 - damn right we are!!!😬 👍 👍 👍 👍

Alexander Campbell7 said:yeah
but there's a massive IF

What "IF"? There's zero chance John's guys pull this off if you ask me.😉

rapidbison42 said:I'd much rather lose to the Germans in the semifinals than in the championship game.

Seriously, now you’re starting to talk nonsense too. 😬

Look, if you make it to the finals, you made it to the finals. 😬 Who cares who you have to face next?

frozentiger6 said:Exactly.

They’re gonna wreck us because they're just built different. It's like those French guys—they're gonna beat us regardless because they've got it covered everywhere. Offense, defense, goalie, the fans, even on the streets... they're winning from every single angle.

A few years back, I saw Dion and Karabatic out in Charleston, and man, they looked absolutely terrifying. They're gonna crush us.

Crush you, my ass. 😁

For a second there, I actually thought you were being serious.

It’s a joke if they try to take it through Poland.
Give me the French, Germans, and Dan in the finals so I can grab a drink with my old buddies from Chicago.😁

And just to throw some more cold water on your optimism: if we drop this game against the Frenchmen, our Olympic dreams are dead in the water. 😉

That goes both ways.

Bottom line? It’s war on the court.

feralbison62 said:Winning gold through Poland is a joke.
Give me a final with the Frenchmen, Germans, and Dan so I can grab a drink with my old buddies from Chicago.😁

You’re a total megalomaniac, aren't you? 😁 😉

Jeremy Phillips54 said:Now you’re talking nonsense too. 😬

If you make it to the finals, you made it. 😬 Who cares who's on the other side?

The Germans don't stand a chance against us in the semis... but they won't let themselves lose in the finals. It'll be a refereeing massacre unlike anything we've seen. That's why I think it's better if we take them out in the semifinals.

Sarah King25 said:You’ve got quite the ego, don't you? 😁 😉

Modest as ever.😉

hmmm.... does anyone happen to have a link to the current standings?!?

feralbison62 said:Low-key as usual.😉

That kind of "humble" is just pure megalomania. 😍 😉

I’ve got one question that just isn't sitting right with me: how on earth are the Germans pulling off back-to-back wins when they're playing with only three and a half players left?

Look, I can wrap my head around the Canadians, but those famous Frenchmen? Please. Aside from Baur, Zeitz, Kehrman, and Fritz, the rest of them are total washouts. Then you've got Rogisch—who barely counts as a player—or that greasy guy Hens. Honestly, every time I see Hens, I get this sudden, intense urge to toss a brick at his head.

feralbison62 said:Winning through Poland is absolute garbage.
Give me a bracket with the French, Germans, and Dance in the finals so I can actually hang out with my old buddies from Mannheim.😁

If we run into Dance, it's game over.😁
They wreck us every single time we play them in a two-game series.😁

SLO 16:18 POL

Come on, John!

frozentiger6 said:And just to really throw a wrench in things, if we lose to the Frenchmen, there's zero chance of us seeing the Olympics. 😉

That goes both ways, too.

So, it all comes down to what happens on the field.

Yeah, but let them worry about us instead. 😬

I’m not too stressed about that first matchup. They just need to play high-pressure defense against the Russians for those first fifteen minutes—and honestly, having our current goalkeepers in the mix gives us a massive edge.

It just irritates me because it feels like someone upstairs is intentionally rigging the bracket to make our path to the finals and the gold medal as brutal as possible.

And when I say "upstairs," I'm definitely not talking about any government agencies. 😉

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