Milan ¨C Smile Japan¡¯s Olympic campaign is on life support after a shock upset at the hands of host Italy on Monday at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena.
The No. 7 ranked Japanese squad got behind early for the second straight game and couldn¡¯t recover as Italy took a 3-2 decision that leaves Japan needing a win and some help to advance.
The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for Japan, which came into these Games following a sixth-place showing at the Olympics four years ago and had aspirations of taking the next step toward the podium in Milan.
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