Two Goals and a Visit From Mom: Pionk World Championships Journal

I found the back of the net for the first time this tournament on Friday against Korea. Then, I did it again on Sunday in a game against Norway.
The first one came towards the end of an uncompetitive game, but I'd be lying if I didn't feel awesome scoring for the first time. It's so special to wear that US jersey, and to score while representing your country, no matter what game or what the score is, is something I won't forget.

I'm feeling really good about my game at this point in the tournament. The hardest part was adjusting to the larger rink in Europe. I've played on it before, but after a season in Hartford and then in New York, it was a change for me. There's so much more ice out there, and that gives forwards more space to work with. It was a challenge, but I think we're settled in now and feeling confident in that aspect.
This weekend my mom Karen came over to spend some time in Denmark. Like me, this was her first time in Europe, and it was cool to show her around Herning a bit. It's been cool to share the experience with her and act as a bit of a tour guide.
We and about nine or 10 other guys and their families or girlfriends took a bus to a city called Aarhus. We spent the day walking around and exploring, and had lunch by the river. We went on what I'd call a catwalk that had a glass floor and had beautiful views of the city.

It's hard to believe that we're wrapping up the preliminary round and there's just a few days left in the tournament. It feels like just yesterday we came over on the flight, but it's been two weeks and we're coming down the home stretch.
Arguably our biggest test is awaiting us tomorrow when we take on Finland, who like us are undefeated in the tournament. They have a great roster and they've been having a bunch of success, including a win over Canada this weekend. We have to be ready from the start.
We feel confident. We want to be the first USA team to win Gold at the World Championships since 1933. We feel we have the team to do it. It's something we're aware of and we're going to do everything we can to do it.