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Olympic Ice Hockey Competition Heads Into Finals VOA Sports 19 Feb 2002 19:22 UTC 
The men's Olympic ice hockey competition is heading into the quarterfinal stage Wednesday, where the knock-out rule applies. One loss puts a team out of medal contention.
There is a lot of pressure on the American team in its opening match Wednesday night. The elimination of Group D's top seed at the hands of Germany would be considered nothing short of a debacle in U.S. Olympic circles.
U.S. coach Herb Brooks is coaching the American team made up of National Hockey League players, and says he is not overconfident heading into the match. He says Germany played very well in a 3-2 loss to Canada.
The Americans are hoping to win the gold medal to erase bitter memories of a sixth place finish in Nagano four years ago. Team USA's optimism has an historical basis. The hosts have a 22-game unbeaten streak on home ice dating to the 1932 Lake Placid Olympics.
Some information for this report provided by AP.
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