Alan Blinder
The United States women’s hockey team opened play today against Finland. The Americans won gold in 2018 and are expected to contend this month in Beijing.
Let’s meet some of the players →
Kendall Coyne Schofield, a forward and the U.S. captain, is making her third Olympic appearance. She has scored 74 goals for the United States in 155 games and is known as one of the world’s fastest skaters.
Hilary Knight, who helped the University of Wisconsin win two N.C.A.A. titles, is on her fourth Olympic roster. Knight, 32, is a fearsome forward and a prolific scorer who is credited with 219 points over her career with the U.S. national team.
Megan Bozek and Alex Carpenter played for the United States during the 2014 Games but missed the 2018 roster. Carpenter led the Americans in Sochi in 2014 with four goals, and Bozek, who plays defense, was named to the tournament’s all-star team.
The Americans have an abundance of riches in the crease, including Maddie Rooney, who helped the Americans survive a shootout in the 2018 gold medal game against Canada.
Joel Johnson is the new head coach for the United States.
He also coaches women’s hockey at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.
The tournament’s format guarantees the Americans a spot beyond the preliminary round, along with the Canadians, Finns, Russians and Swiss. The gold medal game is scheduled for Feb. 17 in Beijing.
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