BILLINGS — The United States men’s hockey team dismantled Latvia 5-1 on Thursday in its Olympic opener at the Milan Cortina Games.
Whitefish native Jake Sanderson, a 23-year-old defenseman for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, registered two shots on goal and had an even plus/minus rating in 16:35 of ice time for Team USA. Matthew Tkatchuk had two goals and two assists to lead Team USA on the stat sheet, while Brock Nelson also scored twice. Jack Hughes had three assists.
Sanderson is one of eight defensemen on the United States roster. Team USA coach Mike Sullivan used all eight in the game versus Latvia.
The Americans will play their next preliminary round game on Saturday against Denmark at 1:10 p.m. Mountain time. The playoff round begins next Tuesday with the gold medal game scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 22.
Sanderson is currently in his second Olympic Games with Team USA. He appeared in one game for the Americans in 2022 in Beijing. He was born in Whitefish in 2002 and grew up playing in the Glacier Hockey Association. He later moved with his family to Calgary, Alberta.
A former collegiate player at the University of North Dakota, Sanderson is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. Sanderson’s father Geoff scored 355 goals in 17 NHL seasons.