#DawnsEarlyLight

The U.S. hockey team beat Russia for a gold medal in Sochi.

Wasn't that what we were all hoping for? The first time Olympic hockey was played in Russia, and the U.S. won the top prize over the host country in front of their home fans!

Well, plot twist: it happened in sleds instead of skates.

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While the U.S. men's and women's Olympic teams finished their respective tournaments with a whimper, the sled hockey team finished with the ultimate bang. Aaaand it was pretty great. As the content assistant on duty, I had to type "2014 Paralympic Winter Games, gold" into 17 player bios on two different platforms after the game ended. That's 34 times, for those of you who are mathematically challenged like myself. And let me tell you, it never got any less cool, not even all the way down at Yohe. :)

But anyway, it's kind of a pretty big deal, and not just because it beat the Russian team in the finals. Let's talk about the good ol' U.S. sled hockey team for a sec, shall we?

1. Sled hockey has been played in six Paralympics. The U.S. has fielded a team in five, and now has three gold medals and one bronze. Let's recap: four medals in five tries. Four medals. In five tries. Three gold medals since 2002. #domination

2. The U.S. won gold in Vancouver 2010. The gold in Sochi makes them the first ever back-to-back sled hockey gold medalists in Paralympic history. (Back-to-back golds is also something that neither the men's nor women's Olympic teams have yet managed, FYI.)

3. Goalie Steve Cash played on the 2010 team also, and didn't give up a Paralympic goal until the final round robin game in 2014. That means he had a shutout going for over 300 minutes of Paralympic play.

4. The first Paralympic goals scored on Cash were scored by Russia in round robin play, which ended up being a 2-1 loss for the U.S. It was their first Paralympic loss since 2006, but they bounced back and rolled over Canada in their next game, 3-0, and then beat Russia in the rematch for gold. So not only are they skilled, they clearly have the right fighting attitude.

5. Team USA's highest scoring line: a 15-year-old, a 16-year-old, and a 21-year-old. Is it safe to say that the road to PyeongChang 2018 begins now, or...???

I certainly hope you flipped on the gold medal game today -- it was on NBC, so there was NO EXCUSE not to! -- but if not, file this info away for now. 'Cause in 2018, you can watch the U.S. sled hockey team attempt a golden three-peat (a USA Hockey and Paralympic first!) and drop all sorts of knowledge on people. Boom.

And another if not? You missed a good time.

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In other news, Sochi 2014 officially ends tomorrow (*cries*). I'm still not over London 2012 yet, and now I have to grieve over another Olympics? Boo. But watch the closing ceremony live with me tomorrow and let's milk this last day for all its worth! :)