BILLINGS — Whitefish native Jake Sanderson found the score sheet Sunday as the United State's men's Olympic hockey team wrapped up preliminary play at the Milan Cortina Games with a 5-1 rout of Germany at the Santagiulia Arena in Milan, Italy.
Sanderson, a defenseman for the NHL's Ottawa Senators, assisted on third-period goals by Tage Thompson and Auston Matthews. He had the primary assist on the goal by Matthews, who deflected Sanderson's wrist shot behind German goalie Maximilian Franzreb at 6:46 of the third to give Team USA a 5-0 lead.
A two-piece combo for Auston Matthews. ✌️#WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/vkQzJrWfJb
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 15, 2026
The Americans finished as the winners of Group C with a 3-0 record, following previous wins over Latvia and Denmark. Team USA will enter the medal round as the No. 2 overall seed and earned a bye into the quarterfinals.
Aside from his two assists Sunday, Sanderson finished the three preliminary games even on the plus/minus ledger with six shots and an average of 13:49 of ice time.
Matthews, the captain of the U.S. team, scored two goals and added an assist. Matthew Tkachuk had two assists. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves.
Born in Whitefish in 2002, Sanderson grew up playing in the Glacier Hockey Association. He later moved with his family to Calgary, Alberta, at age 12.
He played college hockey at the University of North Dakota before being picked fifth overall by Ottawa in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Sanderson has dual citizenship of the United States and Canada. He has also played internationally for Team USA in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, the World Junior Championships, the Ice Hockey World Championships, and the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off. His father Geoff played 17 seasons in the NHL.
