Greenwich Native To Compete In First Winter Olympic Games

GREENWICH, CT — One of Greenwich's own is ready to take center stage on the grandest stage of them all.

Strauss Mann, a Greenwich native and Brunswick School alum, will soon appear in his first Winter Olympic Games as a goalie for the U.S. men's hockey team.

Mann first started playing goalie around age 10. The 23-year-old played hockey at Brunswick before going to the University of Michigan in 2017. With the Wolverines, Mann played in 77 games with a .926 save percentage.

After college, Mann went to the Swedish Hockey League in 2021. He currently ranks third in the SHL with a .921 save percentage and a Goals Against Average of 2.

Now Mann will put on the stars and stripes next week as preliminary games begin in Beijing.

"For me, I've never been able to represent my country on the ice," Mann said in a recent interview with Fox61. "To do it now at 23 for the first time and on this stage, and representing smaller communities, whether it be Connecticut or my old schools, coaches or friends, it's pretty cool to see how many people rally behind you."

For Mann's former coach at Brunswick, Ron VanBelle, he's not surprised to see Mann make it to the Olympic level.

"Just when you think he might be peaking as a player, he raises the bar for himself and then clears it," VanBelle told Patch.

Mann was a backup goalie at Brunswick his junior year, and took the starting role for his senior year, when he led the Bruins to the semifinals of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council playoffs.

VanBelle said he was impressed by Mann's work ethic, and his ability to improve year-after-year.

"I know I speak for the Brunswick Hockey program and the Brunswick community as a whole when I say we could not be more proud that we were a part of Strauss’ hockey career, and we are extremely excited to watch him represent Team USA," VanBelle added.

The men's team will begin play on Feb. 10 with a preliminary game against China from the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing. The opening faceoff will be at 9:10 p.m. local time, and 8:10 a.m. eastern on USA Network.

For the full Team USA men's hockey schedule, click here.

See more Winter Olympics coverage on Patch.