U.S. and Canada Set to Meet in Men’s Hockey Semifinal

The U.S. men's hockey team has its hands full today with a game against Canada in the semifinals. The game comes one day after Team Canada came from behind to edge the American squad in the women's gold medal game.

The second men's semifinal went to Sweden with a 2-1 win over Finland. The 2006 gold medal-winning Swedes will face the winner of the U.S.-Canada game in Sunday's gold medal game.

By the way there are 24 players playing in today's U.S.-Canada game that faced off four years ago in the gold medal game, which Canada won, in Vancouver. Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins won the game for the Canadians with an overtime goal.

The U.S. hasn't won a men's hockey medal outside of North America since 1972, while Canada hasn't done it since 1994.

— Fighting off a cold, American teenager Mikaela (mih-KAY'-luh) Shiffrin took the lead after the first run of the two-run women's Olympic slalom. Shiffrin handled the soft snow best and finished 0.49 seconds faster than defending champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany. At 18, if she hangs on to win the gold, Shiffrin would be the youngest Olympic slalom champion. She would also be the first American women's slalom champion in 42 years, since Barbara Cochran won at the 1972 Sapporo Olympics.

— Canada has won a third straight Olympic title in men's curling, overwhelming Britain in a 9-3 victory in eight ends to secure the country's sweep of the gold medals at the Ice Cube. Canada beat Sweden in the women's final on Thursday.

— Ukraine has won the Olympic women's 4x6-kilometer biathlon relay for its first gold medal of the Sochi Games. Defending champion Russia took silver and Norway won bronze.

— In the women's skicross today Canada's Marielle Thompson and Kelsey Serwa finished 1-2, giving their country bookend gold-silver performances in Olympic freestyle skiing. Back on Feb. 8 a pair of Canadian sisters finished 1-2 in the moguls.

— Four-time Olympian Julie Chu of the women's silver medal-winning hockey team will carry the U.S. flag at the closing ceremony of the Sochi Games. Chu now has four Olympic medals, three silvers and a bronze. A Harvard graduate, Chu has been with Team U.S.A since the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

— An unidentified German athlete has failed a drug test in the first announced doping case of the Sochi (SOH'-chee) Olympics. The German Olympic Committee says it has been notified by the IOC that one of its athletes had tested positive on an "A'' sample. A spokesman for the German cross-country and biathlon teams said the "B'' sample also came back positive.

And the Italian Olympic Committee says bobsledder William Frullani has been kicked out of games for doping.

— A check of the medal count shows the U.S. on top with 25 while Russia has 24, Canada 23 and the Netherlands 22. Broken down, Team U.S.A. has eight gold, six silver and 11 bronze.