2026 Winter Olympics live updates: USA men's hockey wins 6-2 vs. Slovakia for spot in gold medal game

Behind a flurry of goals and near-constant control of the puck, the U.S. cruised through the men’s hockey semifinal at these Milan Cortina Winter Olympics today to keep alive its dream of winning its first Olympic gold medal since 1980.

The U.S. scored twice in the first period and added three more goals in the second period on its way to dispatching Slovakia, 6-2. It will face Canada on Sunday morning ET.

Read the full story here.

A chaotic end fit for the most chaotic of sports.

After a day — and a tournament — full of uncharacteristic blips and field-altering collisions, short track at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics concluded in historic fashion. 

Corinne Stoddard became the first American woman to make an Olympic short track podium since 2010, skating to bronze in the 1,500-meter.

With six minutes left in the third period, Slovakia got one of its few good opportunities to score of this game and Pavol Regenda cleanly beat U.S. goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to pull within 6-2 of the U.S.

The U.S. leads Slovakia, 6-1, in the men's hockey semifinal after Brady Tkachuk's fake-out in a one-on-one showdown with Slovakia's goaltender resulted in a breakaway goal and what looks to be an insurmountable lead.

The U.S. has received goals from five different players tonight.

Five minutes into the third period, Slovakia was able to draw U.S. goaltender Connor Hellebuyck away from the net and quickly set up a goal that he couldn't skate back fast enough to stop.

Juraj Slafkovsky scored for Slovakia.

The U.S. lead has been trimmed to 5-1 with 15 minutes to play in this semifinal.

The United States men are 20 minutes from advancing to the country's first gold medal hockey game since 2010.

The third period has begun, and the U.S. holds a dominating 5-0 lead over Slovakia.

Canada won today's earlier semifinal. The Canadians have won the Olympic gold medal nine times, while the U.S. would be chasing its third gold — and first since 1980.

Korean speedskaters Gilli Kim and Minjeong Choi took gold and silver medals, respectively, in today's 1,500-meter short track speedskating competition.

Team USA's Corinne Stoddard finished with a time of 2:32.578, earning her a bronze medal in a huge comeback after the American speedskater crashed in her first race at the Milan Cortina Games. This is her first Olympic medal.

When Zach Werenski's shot whizzed wide right of the goal and ricocheted around the boards to Jack Hughes, Hughes immediately fired the shot past the outstretched leg of Slovakia's new goaltender, Stanislav Skorvanek, to extend the U.S. lead to 5-0 in this men's hockey semifinal.

This is where we should mention that the gold medal game will take place Sunday at 2:10 p.m. local time, with Canada awaiting the winner.

The U.S. men have scored twice in 19 seconds with a goal by Jack Hughes followed quickly by Jack Eichel. Brady Tkachuck's beautiful assist from behind the net set up Eichel for a quick shot.

Slovakia has pulled its goaltender, Samuel Hlavaj, in favor of Stanislav Skorvanek, after the brutal sequence.

The U.S. has spent the last several minutes holding possession of the puck in Slovakia's end, endlessly probing for an open shot, and it looked like they'd scored for a third time with 8:42 left in the second period when the goal horn in the arena sounded.

But it was disallowed because the puck was kicked into the net.

Team USA’s Tage Thompson netted a power-play goal to take a 2-0 lead over Slovakia in the men’s Olympic hockey semifinal round.

The Netherlands continued their short track winning streak today with a gold medal in the men's 5,000-meter short track speedskating relay.

This is the country's fifth gold medal in the short track event at this year's Winter Games. But today, the Dutch took home their first gold in the men's relay event.

Friso Emons of Team Netherlands celebrates with his team after winning gold in Final A of the men's short track speedskating 5,000-meter relay today. Sarah Stier / Getty Images

The Korean team finished with silver, while Italy took bronze.

Both teams are down a player early due to penalties early in the second period with Auston Matthews drawing a two-minute penalty for hooking.

He was sent to the box right after he came within inches of redirecting a pass into the goal for what would have been a 3-0 U.S. lead, but Slovakia survived that scare.

Just 31 seconds into the second period, Brady Tkachuk is getting pushed around to the ice again, this time by Slovakia's Martin Fehervary, in what has remained a chippy semifinal.

The U.S. has the upper hand, at 2-0.

Dylan Larkin scored to give the U.S. men’s hockey team a 1-0 lead over Slovakia in the Olympic semifinals.

With only 40 seconds left in the first period, the U.S. leads Slovakia 2-0 after Tage Thompson's power-play goal. Taking a pass from Jack Eichel, Thompson one-timed a shot from the left side of Slovakia's net with so much power he nearly fell to the ice after ripping it.

The uniforms that the United States and Slovakia are wearing tonight are so similar that it almost makes you wonder whether Dylan Larkin was so open for the game's first goal because Slovakian defenders mistook him for a teammate.

The men's playoff semifinal ice hockey game between the U.S. and Slovakia at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena today. Julien De Rosa / AFP - Getty Images

Both teams are wearing blue helmets and blue pants, with red, white and blue sweaters featuring nearly identical shades of blue.

Not even two minutes after the U.S. took a 1-0 lead, Brady Tkachuck of the U.S. lost his helmet when he took a shot in front of the net and was quickly checked in the back by Slovakian defenders. That brought U.S. players to Tkachuck's defense, and referees had to separate the players.

Zach Werenski's perfect pass to Dylan Larkin created an opening for the American center, and he took advantage with a shot past the left pads of Slovakia's goaltender to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead less than five minutes into this men's hockey semifinal.

In the stands, former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce was shown on the scoreboard roaring his approval.

The U.S. and Slovakia are five minutes from the puck drop here in southeastern Milan, with the winner facing Canada in Sunday's gold medal game.

The train I rode to the arena tonight was full of rowdy Slovakian fans. Since Slovakia took part in its first Olympics as a standalone nation in 1994, it has never advanced to the gold medal game.

American freestyle skier Alex Ferreira is finally bringing home the gold after a near flawless third run today on the Olympic halfpipe.

After a tough first run on the halfpipe across the board, Ferreira launched to second place in the second run with a 90.50. But Estonian competitor Henry Sildaru, the youngest skier in the competition today, outscored him in the second run, taking first place.

Ferreira elevated his high-scoring second run performance with a new double cork trick and a solid grab on his 1620. The veteran competitor and three-time Olympian launched into gold medal position with a score of 93.75 in his final run.

Sildaru took silver for Estonia after improving only slightly in his third run, achieving a score that couldn't quite overtake Ferreira's. Canada's Brendan Mackay finished with bronze after low-scoring first and second runs.

Nick Goepper just barely missed the podium, coming in fourth after a devastating crash in his final run, where the American freestyle skier took a massive fall while attempting a trick that has never been landed on the halfpipe.

American freestyle skier Nick Goepper took a devastating fall in today's competition while attempting a trick that has never been landed on the halfpipe before.

Nick Goepper on his final run during the men's freeski halfpipe final today. David Davies / PA Images via Getty Images

Before his crash, Goepper was delivering a technically perfect run that could have landed him the gold. He was attended to by medical staff before standing up and walking off the course.

Poland's Kamila Sellier is taken away on a stretcher after crashing during the short track speedskating women's 1,500-meter quarterfinal today. Gabriel Bouys / AFP - Getty Images

Terrifying moment during the sixth women’s 1,500-meter short track speedskating quarterfinal. After a crash during one of the final laps, a blade caught the face of Polish skater Kamila Sellier. The race was immediately stopped and Sellier was ultimately taken off on a stretcher.

It was a strong run for Team USA in the men's freeski halfpipe as the American front-runners landed tricks and caught air that evaded them in the first run.

But it wasn't enough to take first place. Estonian 19-year-old Henry Sildaru finished with a score of 92.75, launching him to first place at the end of the second run.

A trio of Americans hold second, third and fourth place. Alex Ferreira had a picture-perfect run, scoring a 90.50 that placed him comfortably in second place. Nick Goepper is in third place, and Birk Irving delivered strong landings in the second run that earned him the fourth-place spot.

Estonia's Henry Sildaru competes in the freestyle skiing men's freeski halfpipe final run today. Jeff Pachoud / AFP - Getty Images

The U.S. men’s hockey team will have a chance to reach the Olympic gold medal game for the first time since 2010 when it takes on Slovakia in the semifinals today.

This is the United States’ first time reaching the semifinals since the 2014 Sochi Games. The U.S. lost to Canada in the semifinals that year, then lost to Finland in the bronze medal game. The last time the U.S. men’s team won a medal was at the 2010 Vancouver Games, when it took silver after losing in overtime against Canada in the final. 

The U.S. has not won a gold medal since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid. 

The final three athletes of the men’s 15 km biathlon, U.S.’ Campbell Wright, Italy’s Nicola Romanin and France’s Fabien Claude, did a sprint finish for the crowd.

It was a rocky first run in the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe event today, marked by a number of crashes for the Americans and rough landings.

Alex Ferreira caught the wall on one of his landings, affecting his score and bringing him to third place with a score of 49.50. The two-time Olympic medalist has said that this will likely be his last Games.

Nick Goepper, another medal contender, sits in seventh place. Hunter Hess delivered a massive run, catching huge air on his tricks before crashing at the very end of the first run. Birk Irving scored only slightly higher than Goepper and Hess with a score of 33.00, putting him in sixth place.

Canada has made a habit of making late-game comebacks in these Olympics. In the quarterfinals, the team overcame a one-goal, third-period deficit to beat Czechia 4-3 in overtime. Then in the semifinals today against Finland, Canada trailed by two goals in the second period, only to win 3-2.

Brad Marchand warms up prior to the men's semifinals playoff game between Canada and Finland on Day 14 of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Jamie Squire / Getty Images

"We have an incredible group of guys — guys that have been in every situation," Team Canada's Brad Marchand told NBC after today's game. "When you have that adversity, especially going through it last game together, we know we can overcome a couple-goal deficit. Just got to keep pushing. You could feel it — in the second period we kind of turned it and took over. It was a matter of time.”

Canada took its first lead of the game with 35.2 seconds left, on a power play goal from Nathan MacKinnon, who was set up by a pass from Connor McDavid. MacKinnon and McDavid are two of the best players in the world.

“Those guys are so dominant when they get out there together, especially when they’re on the power play," Marchand said. "You just kind of feel it. You feel it coming. All they need is an opportunity, and those guys, they want to be the guy to get it done. They want the puck on their stick in those moments. And they show up every time.”

Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess has faced the ire of President Donald Trump during these Olympic Games, but the Oregon native fired back, flashing an "L" hand gesture after his run in halfpipe qualifying this morning.

At a news conference before the start of the Olympics, Hess said that representing the United States brought "mixed emotions," adding, "There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t." Those comments brought a fiery response from Trump on Truth Social, with Trump calling Hess a "real loser" and saying it was "hard to root for someone like this."

Hunter Hess flashing an "L" hand gesture after his run in halfpipe qualifying this morning. Christian Stadler / FIS via Reuters Connect

“Apparently, I am a loser. I am leaning into it,” Hess said after qualifying in the men's freeski halfpipe this morning. “I stick with what I said. I love the United States of America. It means the absolute world to me to be able to represent Team USA here. I sacrificed my entire life to make this moment happen. I’m not going to let controversy like that get in my way.”

Hess is one of four U.S. freeskiers to have qualified for the men's halfpipe final, which takes place at 1:30 p.m. ET today.

Alex Ferreira and Nick Goepper have spent much of the last year fighting each other to top the podium on the World Cup halfpipe circuit. They come into today's event among the favorites as they both chase a title that has eluded them throughout their careers — Olympic gold.

Both Ferreira and Goepper have won silver and bronze medals at past Olympic Games. Ferreira took silver in halfpipe in 2018 and followed it up with bronze in 2022, while Goepper has won three medals in slopestyle — two silvers and a bronze. The pair are both 31 years old and are likely competing at the Olympics for the final time.

Americans Birk Irving and Hunter Hess have both achieved podium finishes this season and shouldn't be counted out for a medal, either. Goepper, speaking to NBC Sports after qualifying this morning, said he believed the U.S. could sweep the podium. Another gold medal contender, New Zealand's Finley Melville Ives, crashed out of qualifying and won't be competing.

Canada trailed Finland 2-0 for much of today's semifinal game, but from midway through the second period onward, Canada scored three unanswered goals to win this game. Canada outshot Finland 39-17, with goals coming from Sam Reinhart, Shea Theodore and Nathan MacKinnon. Canada was playing today without Sidney Crosby, who was out with an injury.

Canada did not hold a lead in this game, until MacKinnon scored with 35.2 seconds remaining. Canada will play in Sunday's gold medal game and face the winner of the USA-Slovakia semifinal to be played at 3:10 p.m. ET.

Nathan MacKinnon scored on the power play, giving Canada a 3-2 lead, its first of the game, with only 35.2 seconds remaining.

Connor McDavid made a nice cross-ice pass to MacKinnon, catching the defense off guard, and MacKinnon launched a shot past Finnish goalie Juuse Saros.

Finland challenged the play, suggesting the goal might've been negated by an earlier offside penalty. But the challenge was unsuccessful.

Canada will get a power play here, as Finland is called for high-sticking. Just moments earlier, Finland goalie Juuse Saros made an incredible save, hitting a puck away with the knob of his stick to keep this game tied.

With the puck in the offensive zone, a Canadian player was knocked into Finnish goalie Juuse Saros, momentarily pushing him out of position. As Saros regained himself, Canada passed the puck to Shea Theodore, who ripped a shot from the blue line, beating Saros.

Canada and Finland are tied now, with under 10 minutes remaining.

Canada seems to be playing with more urgency here, as time is running out. About 13 minutes remain in the game, and Finland still leads 2-1.

Canada is outshooting Finland, 24-12.

Mitch Marner of Team Canada controls the puck against Esa Lindell of Team Finland in the third period during the Men's Semifinals Playoff match today. Elsa / Getty Images

Canada won gold in 2010 and 2014, the last two times that NHL players participated in the Olympics. Finland won gold in 2022. Only one can advance to Sunday's gold medal game. Finland leads at the moment, 2-1.

Today's 1,500-meter speedskating race marks the third event at the Milan Cortina Games where American speedskater Brittany Bowe has finished fourth.

Team USA came in fourth in the women's team pursuit on Tuesday, where Bowe competed with two other American speedskaters, and Bowe herself finished in fourth place in the 1,000-meter competition earlier in the Games.

Bowe just barely missed the podium today, finishing 0.3 seconds behind the bronze medal winner from Canada, in the last race of her Olympic career.

The American women's curling team suffered a 7-4 loss against Switzerland today in the semifinal — but they're not letting the defeat get in the way of their chance at the bronze.

"We have to process that game. We can take a few, few hours to kind of digest it, and then we got to flush it. We got to get some rest and some good fuel, and we're just going to go out firing tomorrow," Team USA's Tara Peterson told NBC News correspondent Molly Hunter.

Cory Thiesse, who won silver in the mixed doubles event, said that they're ready to "give it [their] all" tomorrow. Team USA women's curling will be facing off against Canada for the bronze medal.

Canada was super aggressive in the second period, outshooting Finland by a wide margin. On the game, Canada has outshot Finland 22-11. But the Canadians still trail heading into the second intermission.

All three goals have been scored on special teams. Finland and Canada both scored power play goals, and Finland added a shorthanded goal, too.

Canada is playing without its captain, Sidney Crosby. But the Canadians still have lots of firepower: Macklin Celebrini, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon have combined to score 10 goals and tally 17 assists at these Games.

Dutch skater and six-time Olympic medalist Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong just won her first gold in the 1,500-meter speedskating race. She won with a time of 1:54.09, just 0.06 seconds ahead of silver medal winner Ragne Wiklund.

Dutch speedskaters are no strangers to the podium, with today's gold medal win by Rijpma-de Jong marking their 11th Olympic medal in speedskating.

Valerie Maltais of Canada finished with bronze, while American speedskater Brittany Bowe finished fourth in her last Olympic race.

Gold medalist Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong of Team Netherlands reacts after the Speed Skating Women's 1500m today. Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images

On a power play, Cale Makar fired a shot on net, where Sam Reinhart was standing in front of the Finnish goalie. The puck ricocheted off Reinhart's stick and into the net.

Finland still leads Canada 2-1 with about five minutes left in the second period.

Brittany Bowe competes in the women's speedskating 1,500-meter during the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Daniel Munoz / AFP - Getty Images

Team USA's Brittany Bowe finished with a time of 1:54.70, putting her out of medal contention in the 1,500-meter race.

During a Canada power play, Canada turned the puck over and Finland cleared it down the ice, toward the Canada end. Erik Haula outraced everyone to reach the puck first. With only Canada goalie Jordan Binnington to beat, Haula deked him and buried the puck in the net.

About 15 minutes left in the second period, Finland leads Canada 2-0.

There are just three pairs left to go until American speedskating star Brittany Bowe takes her final Olympic laps in the women's speedskating 1,500-meter race. The four-time Olympian has never made it to the podium in the 1,500-meter event.

A few days ago, Bowe got engaged to women's hockey star Hilary Knight, who just won gold with Team USA yesterday.

Late in the first period, as Finland began a power play, Sebastian Aho won a faceoff in the offensive zone. The puck slid to Mikko Rantanen, who immediately ripped a wrist shot past Canada goalie Jordan Binnington, who never really stood a chance.

At the end of the first period, Finland leads Canada 1-0 in this men's hockey semifinal game.

The Olympic Games have a new golden couple. China’s Xu Mengtao and Wang Xindi both won aerial skiing gold medals in the men's and women's events this week, earning them a matching set of hardware to take home from the Milan Cortina Games.

Wang Xindi won his first Olympic gold earlier today after landing a trick with five twists in the aerial event. Just a few days ago, his wife, Xu Mengtao, made history as the first skier in Olympic history to defend her gold in aerials.

Canada was just called for a penalty, for having too many men on the ice. But Team Canada limited Finland to no shots on goal and successfully killed the penalty. With about eight minutes left in the first period, Canada and Finland are still scoreless.

Switzerland defeated Team USA, 7-4, in today's women's curling semifinal. The Swiss are guaranteed at least silver at this year's Games.

Switzerland's Carole Howald celebrates with teammates after winning the women's curling round-robin semifinal against the U.S. today. Stefano Rellandini / AFP - Getty Images

The United States was trailing Switzerland for most of the match, unable to deliver any high-scoring ends to overtake the Swiss. They'll play in the bronze medal match on Saturday.

Canada won the gold medal in 2010 and 2014, the last time that NHL players played in the Winter Olympics, and Finland won gold in 2022. Canada is also playing without its captain, Sidney Crosby, who's out with an injury.

Five minutes into the game, still no score.

Team USA competes in the women's semifinal match against Team Switzerland on Day 14 of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Team USA women's curling scored in the ninth end of this semifinal match, cutting into the Swiss lead with one end to go. But the Americans fell short of a multipoint scoring end and still have some work to do. There's now only one end to decide who goes to the gold medal match.

Canadian captain Sidney Crosby, injured in his team's quarterfinal win, will not play in today's semifinal contest, Hockey Canada announced.

Teammate Connor McDavid now assumes the "C" on his sweater while Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon will serve as the alternate captains for Canada's 10:40 a.m. ET game against Finland.

The face of Canadian hockey is still producing at the age of 38, with 27 goals in 56 games this season for the Pittsburgh Penguins. His 652 career goals is 15th best in NHL history and 1,094 assists is No. 8 on the all-time list.

Crosby won gold with Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. This is the first Winter Games since 2014 that has involved NHL players.

It came down to the final stone in the eighth end, as Switzerland widened its lead over Team USA in this women's curling semifinal. The Americans now trail Switzerland 5-3, as the ninth end begins.

In the women's curling semifinals, at the end of the seventh end, the U.S. trails Switzerland 4-3. The match has been tied for two ends.

Johannes Dale-Skjevdal of Norway was the only biathlete to hit all 20 of his targets in the 15-kilometer mass start race today and skied his way to gold, Norway’s 17th gold medal of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics — breaking the record for the most gold medals won by a nation at a single Winter Olympics.

Norway had set the record at the 2022 Beijing Olympics with 16 gold medals.

Dale-Skjevdal was followed by teammate Sturla Holm Laegreid, who won silver.

In an update posted on X, Lindsey Vonn says she has undergone another round of surgery as her recovery continues following her horror crash 13 seconds into her run during the women's downhill on Feb. 8.

Vonn underwent four rounds of surgery in Italy following the crash before flying back to the United States. In an update on Wednesday, Vonn said her injuries were "a lot more severe than just a broken leg" and that she was still wrapping her head around the road ahead.

China's Wang Xindi narrowly beat out Switzerland's Noe Roth to take gold in the men's freeski aerials. Li Tianma, also of China, claimed bronze. Earlier in the competition, Roth landed a trick known as the 'hurricane', one of the hardest tricks in aerial skiing. But on the final medal run, Wang and Roth went for the same trick, with Wang having a small edge with the judges. Wang joins his wife, Xu Mengtao, as a gold medalist in these Games — she took gold in the women's aerials event yesterday.

Hilary Knight and Evan Bates have been chosen as Team USA’s flag bearers for the closing ceremony of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Both athletes are making their fifth Olympic appearance — and final one, in Knight’s case — and are earning the honor for the first time.

Knight learned she’d serve as a flag bearer live on "TODAY" while appearing on the show alongside her teammates.

“Are you serious?” Knight said after her team told her the news and presented her with a white Team USA coat.

Ice dancer Bates won a gold medal in the figure skating team event and silver in ice dance. His partner is his wife, Madison Chock, who delivered the flag bearer news to him in front of their team, with "TODAY" on hand.

Gold medal winner Alyssa Liu and her teammates Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito, known as the "Blade Angels," join "TODAY" after closing out their run at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Liu opens up about her historic medal win in the women’s singles event saying, "It was a dream."

Figure skater Alysa Liu on winning gold: 'It was a dream'

04:16

Yesterday, Team USA secured their spot in the women's curling semifinals with a dramatic 7-6 victory against Switzerland, and now it's time for a rematch with the two teams taking to the ice again with a spot in the gold medal match on the line.

Tara Peterson and Cory Thiesse of Team USA compete during the Women's Curling semi-final match against Team Switzerland today. Richard Heathcote / Getty Images

Victory in the semifinal would guarantee the United States a first-ever medal in women's curling. Sweden is facing Canada at the same time in the other semifinal.

The men's aerials finals are underway, with three Americans having come through qualifying this morning.

Connor Curran, Derek Krueger and Chris Lillis are the American representatives here — Team USA has not won a medal in this event since Jeret Peterson took home silver in 2010.

It's a pretty open field. Switzerland's Noe Roth is the reigning world champion and won the pre-Olympics test event on this jump. China and Canada also have deep squads in this event, and Ukraine has hopes of winning its first medal at these Games with Oleksandr Okipniuk.

Think of aerials as the snow equivalent of the vault in gymnastics. Skiers launch themselves off a jump, known as the "kicker" and flip and twist through the air, with judges awarding points for a skier's form, landing and air. Each athlete gets two jumps in this final, with their best score counting. The top six on the leaderboard after the two jumps advance to the medal round. For that, the scores are reset, and each of the six gets one jump for glory.

Look out for if any of the competitors pull out a trick called the 'hurricane'. Created by Peterson, it sees skiers take on three flips and five twists during their jump. It's a huge move that could propel an athlete to gold if they land it.

Japanese figure skater Kaori Sakamoto discusses her life off the ice as a junior instructor where she helps coach young skaters and guide them in reaching their dreams.

The first medal event of Day 14 of these Games is underway, and it is a wild one — women's ski cross.

Sandra Naeslund of Team Sweden leads Mylene Ballet Baz of Team France and Veronika Redder of Team Germany in the Women's Ski Cross 1/8 Finals today. Patrick Smith / Getty Images

This sees four skiers at a time race down a course with epic overtakes and some big crashes to be expected. Sweden's Sandra Naeslund is the defending champion and has come back from severe knee injuries to be a contender for gold once again. There are no Americans in this event.

We're now into the quarterfinals of this event.

After gold medal favorite Finley Melville Ives crashed out of contention, the top American contenders, rather sensibly, backed off in their second runs in men's freeski halfpipe qualifying.

Alex Ferreira of Team USA warms up for the Men's Freeski Halfpipe Qualification today. Michael Reaves / Getty Images

Nick Goepper has qualified in second spot, with Ferreira in fourth after both played it safe with their finals spot assured after their first runs. Canada's Brendan Mackay, though, has laid down the gauntlet. After putting down the second-biggest score in the first round, Mackay goes even bigger this time around, scoring a huge 92.75 to top the qualifying leaderboard.

Hunter Hess and Birk Irving will make it four Americans in the final. They qualify fifth and sixth, respectively.

The final of the men's freeski halfpipe will be held under the lights in Livigno later today at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Kendall Coyne Schofield joins Maria Taylor to discuss U.S. women’s hockey’s gold medal win, the thrill behind Megan Keller’s game-winner and what being a mother means to her.

Take a look back at Alysa Liu’s epic figure skating victory at Milan Cortina, where the 20-year-old American made history and seized the moment in dramatic fashion.

After crashing on his first run, all the pressure was on reigning world and X-Games champion Finley Melville Ives to land his second run. But the 19-year-old has crashed out again, and this time his fall is much harder as he stays down for several minutes. He is stretchered away on the medical sled after several minutes of attention.

Finley Melville Ives lies on the snow after crashing today. Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP via Getty Images

Finley Melville Ives is evacuated by a medical team after crashing today. Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP via Getty Images

Ives came into the men's freeski halfpipe as the main rival to Team USA's Nick Goepper and Alex Ferreira's hopes for gold, but he is officially out of contention now.

After the U.S. women's ice hockey team won Olympic gold last night, the Empire State building shone red, white and blue to celebrate the overtime 2-1 win over Canada.

Team USA's Nick Goepper made an emphatic statement to the rest of the halfpipe field in the first qualifying run — a score of 90.00 will send him to the top of the leaderboard after the first of two qualifying runs.

It looks as though all four U.S. skiers in the field will safely make it through to the final after putting down solid runs. Alex Ferreira, a two-time medalist in halfpipe, sits in third place with Birk Irving and Hunter Hess in fourth and fifth with scores that should be more than good enough to qualify.

Nick Goepper competes in run one of the Men's Freeski Halfpipe Qualification today. Michael Reaves / Getty Images

Their main rival for gold, reigning world champion Finley Melville Ives of New Zealand, made an uncharacteristic error to fall on his first run. Having gone big on his first two jumps already, Ives went for an alley-oop grab with his third, but he accidentally pulls his foot out of the ski's binding, sending him tumbling to the ground on landing. Fortunately, he's okay and is quickly back up on his feet, but there is now no room for error for the New Zealander.

Each freeskier will now have one more run on the halfpipe, with the top 12 moving on to the final later today.

Ukraine will boycott the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics after it was announced Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete at the Games under their national flag.

The International Paralympic Committee announced earlier this week six Russian and four Belarusian athletes will be taking part in the Paralympics, a move that has drawn anger from Ukraine. It had already been announced that Ukrainian officials would boycott the Games, but now the country's Paralympians will now also avoid the opening ceremony.

In a statement announcing their boycott of the opening ceremony, the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine said the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian Paralympians to compete at the Games was "purely political" and "completely contradicts the principles" of the Paralympic Games. The organization also said it has demanded that Ukraine's flag not be used at the opening ceremony.

Ukraine's Paralympians will still take part in competition at the Games, the Ukrainian Paralympic Committee confirmed. The Winter Paralympics take place from March 6-15.

Take a closer look at the United States women’s hockey team’s comeback victory against Canada, which will go down as one of the most exhilarating endings in Olympic history.

The semifinal game of the men's hockey tournament takes place today. Are the USA and Canada on a collision course for the gold medal game? Or can Finland or Slovakia pull off an upset?

All times are in Eastern, and an asterisk signifies a medal event:

4:30 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men’s aerials qualification 1

4:30 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men’s freeski halfpipe qualification 1

5:15 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men’s aerials qualification 2

5:27 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men’s freeski halfpipe qualification 2

6 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, women’s ski cross 1/8 finals

Jordan Stolz discusses his performance in the men’s 1,500-meter, explaining why he’s happy with his silver medal in the event after winning two golds earlier during the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Get a different perspective of Alysa Liu’s joyful free skate performance that earned her the first U.S. gold medal in the event since 2002.

With Team USA winning gold in women's ice hockey and Alysa Liu triumphing in women's figure skating, the United States now has nine gold medals in these Games — just one gold shy of their record winter haul of 10 from the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

Nick Goepper warms up ahead of the Freestyle Skiing Men's Freeski Halfpipe qualification run 1 today. Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP via Getty Images

There are still plenty of events where Team USA will be hoping to win gold. Today, in the men's skiing halfpipe, Alex Ferreira and Nick Goepper are both among the favorites to take gold, while Campbell Wright has a legitimate shot at taking a first-ever biathlon medal for the U.S. in the 15km men's mass start, having finished fourth in this event at last year's World Championships.