To The Final Four and Copenhagen: Pionk's Journal from Worlds

Our goal of gold is still alive.
We were able to get by the Czech Republic on Thursday in what was a heck of a game. The Czechs have a ton of great players and made a push towards the end of the game after we jumped out early to a 2-0 lead.

We held strong after they tied the game in the second, and Patrick Kane scored his second of the game in the third and we prevailed 3-2.
You never want to blow a lead, but in those moments, leaders step up and ours sure did yesterday. We have a few older players who have been in that spot before, in this very tournament. They said to just stay with it and stay focused on getting the next goal, and sure enough Kaner did just that.
It was fun to play against a teammate like Filip Chyil. We both went through a lot this past year, having met way back at development camp last June and of course spent time together in Hartford before closing the year out with the Rangers in New York. Now, we're lining up on opposite sides of the faceoff in Denmark, representing our countries in a tournament like the World Championships.
After the game, he wished us luck in the handshake line and I told him I'd be seeing him soon at training camp.

Friday's been a long one for us. We made the trip three-hour bus ride east to Copenhagen for the final two games of the tournament. The city is huge compared to Herning. It has a vibrant downtown area with plenty of people hanging out down by the canal.
There's a buzz in the city about the tournament, and it's really exciting.
Sweden stands between us and our first goal of making it to the gold medal game on Sunday. They have a fantastic team with a roster that doesn't joke around, including our Ranger teammates Mika Zibanejad and Lias Andersson.
The move to Copenhagen makes it even more of a road game for us, as the city is right on the border with Sweden. We dealt with it against Denmark and we will again tomorrow.
I'll check in once I'm back stateside, hopefully with a Gold Medal around my neck.