Even a complete Finland squad was no match for Team USA.
The Americans cruised to a 5-0 win over Finland at the Olympics on Saturday. The European side dressed a full team despite recent norovirus cases.
U.S. captain Hilary Knight tied her country’s all-time Olympic goal-scoring record with her 14th in the win. She joins Natalie Darwitz and Katie King in the No. 1 spot for now.
“Electric. I love how it’s like sort of everybody’s got a hand in the win, right? Whether it’s passing off shifts, finding the back of the net, making the right pass, the right play. It’s really a selflessness that we’ve got in that room and I’m really proud of the way this group’s showing up so far,” Knight said following the win.
Goalie Aerin Frankel recorded her first-ever Olympic shutout after stopping 11 shots in just her second-ever game.
After the game, Finland’s head coach Tero Lehtera said the team is “not very close” to 100 per cent.
“If we want to compete against them, we’ve got to outsmart them on the ice because they’re faster, they’re stronger, so we’ve got to win somewhere and we’ve got to play smarter. But we weren’t actually very smart today in the first or in the second. In the third, a couple of times, but that’s where we need to improve.”
Alex Carpenter opened the scoring with her second power-play goal of the Games — the same way Team USA kicked off their victory over Czechia on Thursday.
Then, Taylor Heise completed a tic-tac-toe play with a backdoor snipe for her first goal of the tournament. It was the first goal the Minnesota Frost star has ever scored at the Olympics. The 25-year-old also represented Team USA in 2022.
To increase the lead, Megan Keller went five-hole on an unassisted goal. The Boston Fleet defender is a three-time Olympian, yet this was her first goal at an Olympic Games.
NCAA leading goal scorer Abbey Murphy knocked in a backdoor goal late in the third period for Team USA. The 23-year-old has 36 markers in 26 games with the University of Minnesota.
Goalie Sanni Ahola, who missed practice earlier this week due to a norovirus quarantine, made 44 stops in her Olympic debut. Ahola is a PWHL rookie who has played two games for the Ottawa Charge this season. The Americans outshot the Finns 49-11.
After 13 Finnish players were sick or quarantined with norovirus just two days ago, a full roster, complete with two goalies, 13 forwards and six defenders, was available for Saturday’s game.
The Canada-Finland game was postponed from Feb. 5 to Feb. 12 because of the number of affected athletes.
The Americans have a day off on Sunday before they take on Switzerland on Monday. Finland will face Czechia on Sunday.
Thea Johansson had two goals and an assist as Sweden topped the Italian hosts 6-1 for its second win of the tournament.
Hanna Olsson and Sara Hjalmarsson each added a goal and an assist for Sweden in the win. Hjalmarsson, a rookie with the Toronto Sceptres, has played in 16 games but has yet to record a point in the PWHL.
Jessica Adolfsson opened the scoring for Sweden. The 27-year-old is a reserve player with the Ottawa Charge and has appeared in one PWHL game.
Forward Sofie Lundin, a top prospect for the 2026 PWHL draft, also scored for Sweden in the win.
Swedish netminder Ebba Svensson Traff made 18 stops, while Sweden outshot Italy 47-19.
Franziska Stocker had the lone goal for Italy.
With a win over France on Sunday, the Swedish team will guarantee a spot in the quarterfinals. Italy will need a victory over Japan on Monday to remain in medal contention.
Laura Kluge scored a goal and three assists and Nicola Hadraschek added two goals and an assist in Germany’s 5-2 win over Japan in Group B preliminary action.
Germany’s captain and longest-standing national team member, Daria Gleissner, opened the scoring just 44 seconds into play. Eight minutes later, Emily Nix pushed the lead to two and later, she added an assist.
Hadraschek scored back-to-back goals, and Kluge netted the fifth consecutive goal for Germany to seal Japan’s fate.
Kluge has one assist over 13 games with the Boston Fleet this PWHL season.
Germany’s Sandra Abstreiter made 20 saves in the win.
Miyuu Masuhara started in net for Japan but was pulled after allowing three goals on 12 shots in the first period. Her replacement, Riko Kawaguchi, stopped 15 of the 17 shots she faced.
Mei Miura and Yumeka Wajima each scored for Japan in the loss.
Both teams will get a day off before they continue on Monday. Germany is set to play France and Japan will face Italy.
With a goal and an assist from Sarah Fillier, the Canadian women’s hockey team defeated Switzerland 4-0 in its first game of preliminary round action.
After controlling a rebound off the boards, Fillier found the empty side of the net to notch a power-play goal early in the third period.
Natalie Spooner opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the second. She was added to the team as the 13th forward, specifically to flex her power-play skills.
Julia Gosling added a third power-play goal for Canada. Canada’s national team last convened for the 2025 Rivalry Series, where they struggled against the United States. The power play struggled in that series, so the special teams’ success on Saturday was a noticeable improvement. Daryl Watts scored in her Olympic debut to increase Canada’s lead to 4-0 late in the third.
Emerance Maschmeyer recorded a shutout with the win. It was her second Olympic shutout after recording one at Beijing 2022 in a quarterfinal game against Sweden.
Switzerland’s netminder Saskia Maurer made 51 saves in the loss. Canada outshot Switzerland 55-6.