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Jordan Greenway of the US (C) celebrates a goal against Slovenia during a preliminary Men’s Ice Hockey match between USA and Slovenia at the Kwandong Hockey Centre during the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games 2018, in Gangneung, South Korea. EPA/JAVIER ETXEZARRETA
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Jordan Greenway is first African-American to play and score for Team USA hockey at Winter Olympics

Historic goal comes with 7:30 left in the second period

Rhiannon Walker @InstantRHIplay
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Hockey Olympics Team USA Jordan Greenway

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    1:23 PMSlovenian goaltender Gasper Kroselj robbed Jordan Greenway, not once but twice, of making history within the first six minutes of Team USA’s opening-round hockey game.

    The Boston University product is the first African-American to make the U.S. Olympic hockey team, breaking a 98-year color barrier, and Wednesday he became the first to play for the team when he took the ice. But when would he become the first to score?

    Well, thanks to Kroselj’s saves of Greenway’s point-blank shots, it appeared the American’s first puck in the back of the net might not come Wednesday morning. But Greenway had other plans.

    The play worked out the same as when a basketball player shoots an air ball into the hands of a teammate who’s under the basket and lays it up. Bobby Sanguinetti fired a shot on goal that he figured would result in a rebound and a chance for one of his teammates to score. Sanguinetti’s attempt hit Kroselj in his left shoulder pad, and during the scramble to find the puck, Brian O’Neill inadvertently kicked it past the defender and back to Greenway, who easily laid it in goal. See?

    You can watch his historic goal here.

    The goal gave Team USA a 2-0 lead with 7:30 left in the second period. Greenway’s historic outing would come in a loss, though, as the Americans allowed a goal almost six minutes into the final period and the equalizer with 1:37 remaining. Slovenia nabbed the game-winner 38 seconds into overtime.

    The United States will play Slovakia on Thursday (10:10 p.m. EST).

    Rhiannon Walker is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a drinker of Sassy Cow Creamery chocolate milk, an owner of an extensive Disney VHS collection, and she might have a heart attack if Frank Ocean doesn't drop his second album.