Loss Means a Victory for Canada

A confusing tie-breaking system meant Canada’s Olympic hockey team could win the Pool B title Sunday even if it lost to the Unified Team by two goals, a fact the players understood but decided to ignore.

“We’re hockey players, but we can figure some things out,” said winger Kent Manderville, who attends Cornell. “Some of us are Ivy Leaguers.”

It didn’t take a doctorate to figure out that Canada was trying to win, rallying twice before losing, 5-4, on defenseman Igor Kravchuk’s breakaway backhander over goaltender Sean Burke with 7:16 to play.

Canada, the Unified Team and Czechoslovakia finished with 4-1 records, but Canada finished first because of its better goal differential--plus 3--against those two teams. The Unified Team was second and Czechoslovakia third.

“We knew we had a chance to win our pool without winning the game, but we didn’t play to lose by one,” said winger Todd Brost, who set up Dave Hannan’s tying goal in the third period. “If you play to lose with those guys, that’s when they blow it open.”