BEIJING – Matty Beniers went to the Olympics and a Mite hockey game broke out. 

With nobody keeping score and coaches serving as referees, he may have felt like he was back to starting out in Hingham (Mass.) Youth Hockey. The only difference was there were no cross-ice dividers or blue pucks. And the speed was light years ahead of anything he’d ever experienced.

Beniers and his U.S. teammates got their first taste of Olympic action in a controlled scrimmage with Canada on Monday afternoon at the National Indoor Stadium. The pace was quick and the play was physical as both teams were happy to do something a little different than a few flow drills and small area games.

“It was a lot of fun to be playing an actual game and get to develop some chemistry with your linemates,” said Beniers, who started skating on a line with his University of Michigan teammate Brendan Brisson and Noah Cates.

The two-hour scrimmage consisted of two halves and a 3-on-3 overtime session similar to the format during the preliminary round. And with no fans in the stands or television cameras broadcasting the action, it provided the U.S. coaching staff an opportunity to assess where the team is at prior to their first game against China on Feb. 10.

Drew Commesso got the start in net and looked sharp despite not having played a game since Jan. 30 against Providence College.

“I feel like this is a really good building block for myself and for our team,” said the Boston University sophomore.  

“Just getting a little taste of the competitiveness of this tournament and  playing Canada is something that’s going to really help my game and help our team.”

Strauss Mann played the second half and looked equally good, coming up with a number of good stops from close range, particularly when the Canadians were working on their power play.

“They both made big saves when they needed to,” Quinn said. “All four goalies were very good. There’s a reason there were no goals scored until the 3 on 3. There certainly were plenty of scoring chances.”

The scrimmage allowed teams an opportunity to work on their special teams and juggle line combinations and defensive pairings.

“I honestly was unsure about the game going in, how it was going to be. I’ve never played in something like this without refs, but I was impressed,” said Justin Abdelkader, the senior statesman on the U.S. team.

“I think both teams would say they got what they wanted out of it, special teams, up and down action, 3-on-3. I think it’s going to help us as we move forward and get ready for the first game.”

After two practices in Los Angeles and three more since arriving here early on Friday, it felt good for everyone to switch things up a bit and play in a game-like situation. 

“In these situations, we’ve been together for a week – it’s seems like a month – and it’s certainly good to see another opponent,” Quinn said.