Women's Olympic Ice Hockey
2026 Winter
Olympics
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The U.S. women’s hockey team has beaten Czech Republic 5-1 in its opening game at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Alex Carpenter, Joy Dunne, Hayley Scamurra (2x) and Hilary Knight scored for the Americans, while Barbora Jurickova did so for the Czechs.
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United States head coach John Wroblewski was pleased with his team's performance but unsatisfied when speaking after today's game.
💬 “Today was a great start, but every game we have to grow. We’ve cultivated a style of play over the last four years, and we’re in full trust of this team as Olympians. It’s cliché, but every game, we need to grow as a team.”
With today's win, the U.S. women's hockey team is now a perfect 8-0 all-time in their opening games at Olympic tournaments.
Team USA captain and five-time Olympian Hilary Knight scored a fantastic solo goal near the end of the second period, driving past a defender and beating the Czech goalie high and tight.
Knight now has 13 career Olympic goals, one shy of the American Olympic record of 14 jointly held by Katie King and Natalie Darwitz.
Hayley Scamurra scored two goals for Team USA, while Alex Carpenter had a goal and an assist and Tessa Janecke recorded a pair of assists. Caroline Harvey led all skaters with 22:33 of ice time.
United States 5, Czech Republic 1
The shots on goal tell the story; a dominant win by Team USA.
MILAN — A team full of star power, the United States women got a balanced attack, including two goals from their 13th forward and a hard-working goal from their fourth line, as the Americans opened the 2026 Olympics with a 5-1 win against the Czech Republic, also known as Team Czechia.
The U.S. is now 8 for 8 to open the Olympics all-time.
In just 6:45 of ice time, Hayley Scamurra scored two goals and fourth-liner Joy Dunne scored her first career Olympic goal as the United States rolled. Czech goalie Klára Peslarová was tested early and often, making 37 saves on 42 shots, while Aerin Frankel stopped all but one of the 14 shots she faced.
The Americans' next game is scheduled for Saturday against Finland, but that could change given Finland's game against Canada today was postponed due to more than half the Finnish team being in quarantine for norovirus.
Czech Republic will be back in action tomorrow against Switzerland, and it’s a great opportunity to rebound after a tough loss. They allowed 42 shots against Team USA today and only mustered 14 for. That should be a total change of pace, and a much better chance to establish their game in this tournament.
Team USA goalie Aerin Frankel wasn’t tested a ton today, but she was very sharp when needed. It’ll be interesting to see if she’s back in net for Saturday against Finland, or if the coaches lean on Gwyneth Philips instead. Keep in mind, USA has back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday, against Switzerland and Canada.
One takeaway for Team USA today: the blend of their veteran talent and up-and-comers getting it done. While Abbey Murphy didn’t break out in Game 1, and you could argue that Taylor Heise could shoot the puck a little bit more, players like Joy Dunne and Tessa Janecke making an impact so early on is a positive sign.
This team already feels very different from 2022, which was over-reliant on the veterans, part of why they fell short.
It's all over at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. Team USA has opened the 2026 Winter Olympics with a comfortable 5-1 win over Czech Republic. An expected result but still a strong performance nonetheless.
P3 2:00 – United States 5, Czech Republic 1
A powerful blast from the blue line by Kristyna Kaltounkova, the PWHL's leading goalscorer this season, forces a strong save by Frankel.
P3 3:55 – United States 5, Czech Republic 1
Peslarova makes a great pad save on Coyne Schofield to prevent the Czechs from falling further behind.
P3 7:00 – United States 5, Czech Republic 1
The Czechs nearly have a clean break on goal but the centering pass deflects off an American player's skate.
Moments later, Frankel makes a great save to keep the score as is.
P3 8:30 – United States 5, Czech Republic 1
Play getting a bit disjointed and less fluid as we head towards the final stages here. A 5-1 win would be a fine way for Team USA to begin their quest for the gold medal here.
P3 12:29 – United States 5, Czech Republic 1
Replays show Abbey Murphy and Czech captain Aneta Tejralova jawing a bit during a stoppage in play, Tejralova giving Murphy a light smack with her stick before the two go their separate ways.
Hayley Scamurra is making the most of her minutes today. She’s technically Team USA’s 13th forward, but has two goals in less than five minutes of play.
P3 15:38 – United States 5, Czech Republic 1
A bit of controversy here as Simms gets away with a slight trip on Trnkova and seconds later Scamurra scores her second goal of the game with a quick shot.
Czech Republic head coach Carla MacLeod is visibly upset with the non-call on the bench, making her disagreement known to the refs.
P3 18:30- United States 4, Czech Republic 1
Two massive chances for the Czechs a few seconds apart either side of Edwards emerging from the box, but they fail to cash in.
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