NOTES
U.S. defenseman Greg Brown, who suffered a concussion, broken nose and a 12-stitch cut above his eyes when he was checked into the boards by Sweden’s Mats Naslund on Monday, skated Wednesday for the first time since he was injured. He was to be fitted with a full facemask and hopes to play in Friday’s semifinal game against the Unified Team, but Coach Dave Peterson said the chances of Brown’s playing were 30-70.
Peterson’s anger over the incident hasn’t cooled.
“I thought it was a very cheap shot,” he said. “It was scary. He was out. When you hit somebody in that position, it’s dangerous.”
Asked to assess the effect of Brown’s loss, Peterson said: “As far as getting things out of the zone, he kills penalties and plays the power play. That’s a lot of impact.”
Winger Ted Drury, who sat out Tuesday’s 4-1 victory over France because of a sore left knee, is doubtful for Friday. Peterson said Drury will eventually need surgery to remove a bone chip.
