Press Release

Esche upset about game-winning goal

February 22, 2006 7:57 AM

By WAYNE FISH
phillyBurbs.com

TURIN, Italy - There's only one goal Robert Esche wanted to have back, but unfortunately for the goalie and Team USA, it was the last one.

Esche, a surprise starter in Tuesday night's preliminary round finale against Russia, had done all right for himself and managed to keep the U.S. in a game which was tied at 4-4 with less than 10 minutes to play.

But that's when Alexei Kovalev pumped once, then sent a 40-foot bullet to Esche's right with 8:08 to play for a 5-4 win at Palasport Olimpico.

The outcome of the game didn't mean anything to the U.S., which knew it was facing Finland in the quarterfinals even before the game began.

Yet Esche, one of two Flyers goalies in these Olympics, is a proud athlete and wanted to make his Olympic debut an auspicious one.

"I definitely wasn't happy with the last goal, that's for sure," Esche said.

Other than that ...

"The weird thing was, I felt phenomenal," he said. "I just didn't play that way. It was just that last goal. When I looked at the replay on the jumbotron, it looked like I was off my angle.

"Whether that's a lack of practice or focus, I have no idea. That goal was a saveable shot."

Esche couldn't be faulted on goals one, two and three. One was an Alexander Korolyuk breakaway off a Chris Drury giveaway, two was a bang-bang shorthanded two-on-one with Evgeni Malkin finishing off a Darius Kasparaitis feed. And No. 3 was a strong shot by Andrei Markov.

Esche was put in a tough spot. Before the tournament he was told by U.S. coach Peter Laviolette that he wasn't going to play. Then, late Monday night, the coach had a change of heart when he realized the Russia match was a throwaway game and gave Esche the nod.

"You know I don't want to make any excuses for giving up five goals," he said. "That's not me, that's not my personality.

"It definitely hasn't been an ideal situation, but on the same hand, when you're called upon your job is to stop the puck."

Wayne Fish can be reached at wfish@phillyBurbs.com.