photo: Andrea Cardin/IIHF
No one could be surprised that the United States kicked off their quest for Olympic gold with a 5-1 win over Czechia tonight. What was a pleasant surprise was how evenly-played the game was from start to finish. But for some errant shooting by the Czechs, this might have been a closer score.
And although the shots were 42-14 for the U.S., many of those 14 were excellent, not to mention several others that went wide. Hayley Scamurra had two goals for the winners and Tessa Janecke chipped in with two assists.
The Czechs are back at it tomorrow, playing the Swiss in Santagiulia, while the Americans next face Finland on Saturday.
"We thought this was a good start for us," said American forward Britta Curl. "They were very physical, but we stuck to our game and created a lot of offence. But we know their program is getting better, so we knew we had to be sharp. And things are just a little different here, the buzz of the crowd, the speed of the game."
"It was a fast, physical game, which we expected," offered Katerina Mrazova. "We had a lot of chances to score, and if we had, it might have been a different game. We had the chances. We just have to score. I don't think they are as good when they are under pressure, so that was beneficial to us when we play well. We wanted to play with the puck, and when we do, we know we can win."
The Czechs came out and played an impressive opening period. They went body to body with the Americans during physical moments, and although they didn’t generate the same chances, they were tougher in their own end than perhaps ever before.
Captain Hilary Knight, playing in her record-tying fifth Olympics, had a good chance from in close, but backhanded the puck high over the net. Kelly Pannek caught Klara Peslarova out of her crease and almost stuffed it in from the short side, but the goalie made a nice recovery to keep the puck out. Hannah Bilka missed an open net when Peslarova fell taking care of a Laila Edwards shot, but Bilka fanned on the shot and again the goalie recovered to make the save. At the other end, the Czechs didn’t get a shot until seven minutes in.
The result was a solid and goalless game until late in the period, when Dominika Laskova took a penalty for a head hit. Sure enough, the potent American attack capitalized at 15:55. Megan Keller’s point shot was tipped in front by Alex Carpenter, who scored her ninth career goal spanning three Olympics.
The Czechs had a great chance to tie the game early in the second. Tereza Plosova got to a loose puck heading towards Aerin Frankel, but Plosova's shot his the crossbar and sailed out of harm’s way.
Moments later, Peslarova made a sensational save off Janecke, but the Czechs couldn’t clear the puck, and the U.S. made it 2-0 at 3:13 when Joy Dunne converted a pass from Janecke.
It looked like the Americans put the game out of reach with a third goal just 84 seconds later. Scamurra’s quick, spinning shot fooled Peslarova, and the U.S. went to a power play two minutes later looking to build on their momentum.
Just the opposite happened.
The Czechs killed that penalty, and Barbora Jurickova came out the box to take a brilliant breakaway pass from Natalie Mlynkova. Jurickova beat Frankel cleanly at 8:37, after which the Czechs had their most impressive play against the Americans in the history of this rivalry. They dominated in the offensive end, generated several chances, and clearly had the U.S. on their collective heels. A TV timeout helped the U.S., but soon the Czechs were at it again, moving the puck with confidence and playing a hard-nosed game.
Vanisova fought off a check to get a great chance, but she shot high, and then Knight said enough is enough. She drove down the right side, fighting off a check from Klara Seroiszkova, and snapped a high shot to the short side at 17:50 to make it 4-1. It was a highlight-reel goal from as pure a goalscorer the women's game has ever seen.
Scamurra got her second of the game early in the third to create some much-needed breathing room, taking advantage of a turnover and wiring a quick shot that fooled Peslarova.Even still, the Czechs continued to skate and generate chances of their own. It wasn't enough, but it was an impressive outing all the same.
And although the shots were 42-14 for the U.S., many of those 14 were excellent, not to mention several others that went wide. Hayley Scamurra had two goals for the winners and Tessa Janecke chipped in with two assists.
The Czechs are back at it tomorrow, playing the Swiss in Santagiulia, while the Americans next face Finland on Saturday.
"We thought this was a good start for us," said American forward Britta Curl. "They were very physical, but we stuck to our game and created a lot of offence. But we know their program is getting better, so we knew we had to be sharp. And things are just a little different here, the buzz of the crowd, the speed of the game."
"It was a fast, physical game, which we expected," offered Katerina Mrazova. "We had a lot of chances to score, and if we had, it might have been a different game. We had the chances. We just have to score. I don't think they are as good when they are under pressure, so that was beneficial to us when we play well. We wanted to play with the puck, and when we do, we know we can win."
The Czechs came out and played an impressive opening period. They went body to body with the Americans during physical moments, and although they didn’t generate the same chances, they were tougher in their own end than perhaps ever before.
Captain Hilary Knight, playing in her record-tying fifth Olympics, had a good chance from in close, but backhanded the puck high over the net. Kelly Pannek caught Klara Peslarova out of her crease and almost stuffed it in from the short side, but the goalie made a nice recovery to keep the puck out. Hannah Bilka missed an open net when Peslarova fell taking care of a Laila Edwards shot, but Bilka fanned on the shot and again the goalie recovered to make the save. At the other end, the Czechs didn’t get a shot until seven minutes in.
The result was a solid and goalless game until late in the period, when Dominika Laskova took a penalty for a head hit. Sure enough, the potent American attack capitalized at 15:55. Megan Keller’s point shot was tipped in front by Alex Carpenter, who scored her ninth career goal spanning three Olympics.
The Czechs had a great chance to tie the game early in the second. Tereza Plosova got to a loose puck heading towards Aerin Frankel, but Plosova's shot his the crossbar and sailed out of harm’s way.
Moments later, Peslarova made a sensational save off Janecke, but the Czechs couldn’t clear the puck, and the U.S. made it 2-0 at 3:13 when Joy Dunne converted a pass from Janecke.
It looked like the Americans put the game out of reach with a third goal just 84 seconds later. Scamurra’s quick, spinning shot fooled Peslarova, and the U.S. went to a power play two minutes later looking to build on their momentum.
Just the opposite happened.
The Czechs killed that penalty, and Barbora Jurickova came out the box to take a brilliant breakaway pass from Natalie Mlynkova. Jurickova beat Frankel cleanly at 8:37, after which the Czechs had their most impressive play against the Americans in the history of this rivalry. They dominated in the offensive end, generated several chances, and clearly had the U.S. on their collective heels. A TV timeout helped the U.S., but soon the Czechs were at it again, moving the puck with confidence and playing a hard-nosed game.
Vanisova fought off a check to get a great chance, but she shot high, and then Knight said enough is enough. She drove down the right side, fighting off a check from Klara Seroiszkova, and snapped a high shot to the short side at 17:50 to make it 4-1. It was a highlight-reel goal from as pure a goalscorer the women's game has ever seen.
Scamurra got her second of the game early in the third to create some much-needed breathing room, taking advantage of a turnover and wiring a quick shot that fooled Peslarova.Even still, the Czechs continued to skate and generate chances of their own. It wasn't enough, but it was an impressive outing all the same.
USA vs Czechia - 2026 Women's Olympic Games
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