02/05/26 12:17:00
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02/05 12:16 CST Scamurra scores 2, and U.S. opens women's Olympic hockey
tournament with 5-1 win over Czechia
Scamurra scores 2, and U.S. opens women's Olympic hockey tournament with 5-1
win over Czechia
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Hockey Writer
MILAN (AP) --- Hayley Scamurra scored twice, and the United States opened the
Milan Cortina Games women's hockey tournament with a 5-1 win over Czechia on
Thursday.
Alex Carpenter had a goal and assist, while captain Hilary Knight and Joy Dunne
also scored for the Americans, who improved to 8-0 over the Czechs in
international play. Aerin Frankel, making her Olympic debut in net, stopped 13
shots.
Laila Edwards had an assist while becoming the first Black female to represent
America in hockey at the Olympics.
Barbora Jurickova scored Czechia's lone goal. She was set up on a breakaway as
she exited the penalty box to cut the Americans lead to 3-1 midway through the
second period. Klara Peslarova finished with 37 saves in an outing Czechia was
out-shot 31-9 through two periods.
The Czechs are making just their second Olympic appearance, and lost to the
Americans in quarterfinal round of the 2022 Beijing Games. They are 0-6 against
the U.S. in world championship play, including a 2-1 loss in the semifinals in
April.
The day's only other scheduled Group A game between defending Olympic champion
Canada and Finland was postponed to Feb. 12. The Finns' roster was down to
eight skaters and two goalies, with the remaining 13 players dealing with a
stomach virus that hit the team on Tuesday.
The Americans were greeted a loud cheer and a "U-S-A!" chant began at puck drop.
Among those on hand in a nearly packed 5,000-plus seat Rho Ice Hockey Arena,
were U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who
arrived about 12 minutes in, and departed with just over six minutes remaining.
The large delegation that included USA Hockey officials and a security detail,
filled a section of seats directly behind the penalty box and immediately
opposite the U.S. bench.
Scamurra's two goals are indicative of how deep the Americans are. She's
regarded as the team's 13th forward in playing a jack-of-all-trades role. From
Buffalo, New York, the 31-year-old doubled her Olympic goal output after
scoring once at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.
Carpenter opened the scoring by tipping in Megan Keller's shot from the blue
line for a power-play goal with 4:05 left in the first period.
The tournament-favored Americans then blew the game open with three goals in
the second period in building a 4-1 lead. Dunne and Scamurra scored 86 seconds
apart in the first five minutes of the period.
The 36-year-old Knight continued showing she's not lost a step in making her
fifth and what she says is her final Winter Games. Accepting Carpenter's pass,
Knight broke up the right wing and got two steps past defender Klara
Seroiszkova. Knight drove to the net and lifted a shot to beat Peslarova high
on the short side.
In an earlier Group B game, Lina Ljungblom scored twice in Sweden's 4-1
comeback win over Germany in the tournament-opening game. Katarina
Jobst-Smith's goal early in the first period gave Germany the lead before
Ljungblom's two goals turned the game around and Mira Jungaker and Thea
Johansson extended the Swedes' lead.
Beating Germany is a big step in Sweden's push to win Group B, where the
lower-ranked teams play, and secure a better seeding for the quarterfinals. All
five teams in Group A and the top three in Group B make the playoffs.
Meantime, host team Italy defeated France 4-1 to post its first victory in
making its second Olympic appearance. France is making its Olympic debut. The
game was the played at the main rink, the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, which
faced scrutiny over construction delays.
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AP Sports Writer James Ellingworth contributed to this story.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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