YOUR UNITED STATES OLYMPIC HOCKEY TEAM v. SWITZERLAND

VANCOUVER, CANADA, at 3 PM EST, NOON PST

TV: USA NETWORK, also at nbcolympics.com

I've returned from my month long absence at the best possible time - MSU Basketball and Hockey are heading towards the NCAAs, and a quaint sporting competition called the Winter Olympics is in full swing.  Hockey's one of the premier sports at the Winter Olympics, aside from Figure Skating (laugh if you will, but there's few other sports where four years can go down the drain so crushingly), Curling (more than shuffleboard on ice, but just barely), and Short Track Speed Skating (they skate on blades the size of katanas, wearing only a bike helmet for protection.  If this sounds awesome, it's because it is). 

ANYWAY, as you've probably heard, a Spartan figures prominently in the Olympic Ice Hockey competition, and it's goalie Ryan Miller.  If the U.S. has any shot of winning this tournament, Miller's going to have to play a prominent role.  SBNation has a preview of today's action here and an overall preview of the tournament here. 

As for today's game?  The U.S. is a heavy favorite, but as we've learned from the Miracle on Ice in 1980 and the three Mighty Ducks movies, anything can happen in hockey.  Whoever loses today won't be eliminated from the tournament, but will most likely lose out on a bye to the quarterfinals after pool play.

This is the open thread.  USA! USA! USA! (obligatory)