World Championship: Robertson shines in Team USA's bronze medal victory

Even if it wasn't for the gold, Team USA made sure it wasn't coming home empty handed. Roughly 24 hours after a heartbreaking loss to Canada, the United States regrouped and earned a 6-1 victory over Germany to win bronze at the 2021 IIHF Men's World Championship in Riga, Latvia on Sunday. It marked the fourth time in the past eight years the U.S. has earned bronze at the World Championship, the best medal run for the Americans since 1931-47.

[Complete coverage of Oettinger, Robertson and Shea at the Worlds]
The message prior to Sunday's game was simple. "Embrace the moment you're in and continue to stay together as a group," Team USA head coach Jack Capuano said. "That's what we've been stressing."

Living together since the third week of May in a bubble-like environment, the players and staff on Team USA have sacrificed so much to represent their country. Some, like 36-year-old Brian Boyle, never had that opportunity until now. His message following Saturday's loss to Canada in the semifinals carried weight.
"It's been a long couple weeks," said Boyle, wearing the red, white and blue for the first time in his hockey career. "We've been here too long. We've sacrificed too much. Guys have played through a lot. Lots of injuries. We've had guys go down that aren't able to play. To medal is a huge thing, so we need to make sure we're ready."
They were ready right out of the gate on Sunday. It took five minutes for the U.S. to strike first when defenseman Christian Wolanin nearly went coast to coast for the game's opening goal. For anyone wondering what the tournament meant to these players, Wolanin's celebration said it all.

"Every year, you see the way these players play and how much this tournament means to them," TSN analyst Ray Ferraro said during Sunday's telecast. "Yeah, it gets washed under the radar a little bit in North America because the Stanley Cup Playoffs are going at the same time, but this is everything to these players.
When you go over and play in the World Championships, and you play in a country where their team is everything to them, you feel this tournament in a hurry."
Team USA erupted for four unanswered goals in the second period, including a blistering wrist shot from Stars forward Jason Robertson, who finished the contest with two points (one goal, one assist) and was named the best player of the game for the U.S.

The Arcadia, California native was an integral part of the team from start to finish, concluding the tournament with nine points (four goals, five assists) in 10 games.
In his first World Championship, Robertson ranked tied for second in points and assists and tied for third in goals on Team USA. His power-play goal on May 31 against Germany served as the game winner and gave the U.S. a berth in the quarterfinals.
Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger didn't play in the bronze medal game but finished the tournament with a sparkling record. The 22-year-old netminder went 3-0 with a 1.37 goals-against average and .934 save percentage in his first World Championship, earning victories over Canada (relief appearance), Norway and Italy. In his three appearances, Oettinger stopped 57-of-61 shots and never gave up more than two goals in any of them.
Texas Stars defenseman Ryan Shea concluded the tournament with an assist in three games for Team USA. The 24-year-old was one of 10 players on the roster who suited up for Team USA in an IIHF event for the first time.
For complete coverage of the tournament, including stories on Robertson, Oettinger and Shea, click here.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.