GDT: USA-Belarus, 7:30 p.m Local Time

[Puckhead]

This game may be the best thing that happened to the US. It could wake them up. Look at Canada at the last two world juniors - undefeated till the last game. If the US beats the Czech republic tomorrow, I still think the US is a gold medal contender.

The wake up calls started against Russia, continued and grew louder against the Swiss, and now the alarm is going full tilt after last nights performance. I think team USA is using the snooze button a little to often this tournament. Montoya, who really is the reason the US won last year, is looking like the very reason they won't repeat this year. Granted the whole team took the first 40 minutes off last night, but he has been absolutely horrible in pretty much every game so far. I have read almost every post in this thread, and I am seeing people writing, "good thing they got this stinker out of the way now" and "This is their wake up call" and I am thinking what game have they actually played well from start to finish? There is no doubt an abundance of skill on this US team, but something is wrong, and it is showing up on the ice. They have to win against the Czechs tonight, a game which should have been meaningless, a game which if Coach Sandelin knew what he was doing would have had his guys prepared for. They could have rested players tonight, and gotten ready for the semi's, but now they have to win or they may not even make it passed the quarters.