Olympic notebook: US women skiers are ready for relay; former UAA hockey captain shines for Canada

Bring on the relay.

The U.S. women's cross-country team is salivating for an Olympic medal and would like nothing better than to win one in a team race like the relay.

A tight-knit group known for their team spirit, the Americans make videos together and put glitter on each other's faces before races. They like to do things together, which makes the relay the perfect race for them to make history.

"I'm so stoked for the relays," Minnesota's Jessie Diggins told teamusa.org Thurday after coming agonizingly close to a medal for the third straight race. "They're my all-time favorite events and I know we have a really strong team. This is the best women's team in the history that we've ever had at the Games.

At any other Winter Olympics, American skiers would be turning cartwheels after landing three skiers in the top 16 like they did in the 10-kilometer freestyle Thursday.

But this is the Olympics where the U.S. medal drought, which dates back to 1976, is supposed to end. The one where the women, who have never earned an Olympic medal, place someone on the podium.

Diggins has come close in three consecutive individual races. She was 3.3 seconds out of the bronze-medal position in the 10K, 4.6 seconds out in the 15K skiathlon and made it to the six-woman finals of the classic sprint before finishing last.

Diggins placed fifth in Thursday's 10K and was joined in the top 16 by Anchorage skiers Sadie Bjornsen and Kikkan Randall, who placed 15th and 16th, respectively.

Randall and Bjornsen had earlier starts than Diggins and were in the finish area as their teammate approached. Race updates indicated Diggins was closing in on a medal.

"I thought we were going to be witnessing history," Randall said in a post-race interview with NBC. "Sadie and I were ready to go tackle her on the finish line."

That didn't happen, but the U.S. skiers are undeterred. They immediately turned their attention to the 4x5K mixed-technique relay is Saturday at 12:30 a.m. AST.

"We're having a lot of fun together, and we're looking forward to bringing the whole team together as we head into these relays and just use that team spirit," Randall said.

Randall, 35 and a five-time Olympian, said the team is having fun while remaining focused on its goal to leave Pyeongchang with a medal.

"We've had the best vibe going on the team that I've ever seen," she told NBC. "Everybody's lighthearted, everybody's doing exactly what they need to do to perform, but enjoying the process. I think that's what helps us ski fast."

Randall's 16th-place finish Thursday may have been her ticket onto the relay team. Diggins, Bjornsen, Randall and Sophie Caldwell, who advanced to the semifinals of the sprint, are the leading contenders to race the relay.

"I always said (winning a relay medal) would be the coolest thing because it shows the depth of a team," Diggins said in a teamusa.org race report. "I think you don't get anywhere alone in life."

Seawolves on ice

Former UAA hockey captain Mat Robinson played a key role in Canada's 5-1 win over Switzerland on Thursday morning.

Robinson and Chris Lee were Canada's top defensive pairing, and Robinson recorded more ice time than any other player.

He skated 30 shifts, logged a little more than 22 minutes of playing time and was of two Canadians who finished plus-2.

Canada jumped to a 4-0 lead early in the second period to avoid the first-game upset bug in Pyeonchang. Two powerhouses — the United States and the Olympic Athletes from Russia — both suffered upsets in earlier games, with the U.S. losing to Slovenia 3-2 in overtime and OAR falling to Slovakia 3-2.

Robinson, 31, served as a team captain for UAA during his time there from 2005-09 and plays professionally in Russia.

He and Lee, 37, are the only members of the Canadian team without any NHL experience.