Team USA arrived at the Milan Olympics carrying something heavier than their equipment bags. It was the weight of missed opportunities, as the NHL prevented many star players from playing in the Games. And with a program that they have built to be a gold medal contender, the American team recently broke a curse against Denmark.

When the Americans fell behind Denmark 2-1 in the first period on Saturday night at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, it marked the first time men’s or women’s U.S. team had ended a period trailing in these Olympics. However, it was 16 years ago that the men’s hockey team found themselves in a similar position during the gold medal match against Canada in 2010, when they entered the first intermission down 1-0.

Back then, Team USA tried their best and even tied the game, but a young, talented Sidney Crosby ended it all for the Americans in overtime, giving Canada a 3-2 win. However, against Denmark in Milan, the curse was broken.

Denmark struck first at 1:40 of the opening frame, when Nick Olesen converted Oscar Molgaard’s assist into a goal to stun the heavily favored Americans. Matt Boldy answered for the U.S. less than two minutes later, with assists from Quinn Hughes and Jaccob Slavin, restoring the game. However, then came the moment that almost resurrected the nightmare from the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Nicholas Jensen put the puck in the U.S. net, guarded by Jeremy Swayman, from approximately 95 feet, stunning the crowd. And in the second period, Team USA’s response was brutal.

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Not one, but three goals came in that period. Brady Tkachuk stormed into the spotlight following Jack Eichel’s faceoff. Then it was Eichel himself, who scored after Brady in just 57 seconds, as his brother Matthew gave the assist. The final American goal in the second period came from Noah Hanifin, who was assisted by Vincent Trocheck and Brock Faber. And Denmark scored their third goal of the game with just three seconds remaining in the period.

The final 20 minutes of the match saw complete American dominance. Team USA went on to score two more goals. The fifth goal of the game came from Jake Guentzel, who saw a massive assist from captain Auston Matthews. Indeed, the Maple Leafs star distracted the Danish defenders, and at 47:24, let his teammate score for a two-goal USA lead over Denmark.

Then, at 54:27, Jack Hughes scored the sixth one for the American team with a beautiful assist from Brock Nelson. With this goal, Team USA secured a dominant 6-3 victory, although the match wasn’t without its drama.

Team USA’s Brady Tkachuk wasn’t going to let it slide

“I mean, this is able to represent the U.S. at this stage in the Olympics is one of the greatest honors that I’ve ever had, so I’m truly grateful to be here representing the red, white, and blue,” said a proud Brady Tkachuk before their first Olympic game against Latvia.

And guess what? His motivation was clearly evident, as he scored during that match. However, coming to the game against Denmark, Tkachuk’s goal wasn’t very different.

Against Denmark, Matthew’s brother made his presence clear when Team USA was trailing. Not by scoring a goal but with his physicality. Brady landed a hard hit on Markus Lauridsen at the end of the first period in front of the net. The frustration was quite clear, as Denmark had a 2-1 lead.

However, when it mattered the most, Brady Tkachuk scored the equalizer in the second period, making a statement in itself. With that goal, the Americans never looked back and eventually secured that triumph against the Danish.