U.S. women's hockey, led by the team's very own "Captain America" aka five-time Olympian Hilary Knight, is off to a running start in the quest for gold after a 5-1 win over Czechia.
While the Group A matchup against Czechia began as more of a jog, once Team USA got into a flow, they couldn't be stopped.
Alex Carpenter got on the board first in the game with 4:05 left in the first period to take a 1-0 lead over Czechia. She was assisted by Laila Edwards and Megan Keller.
"I love that we’re a threat from everywhere. I think the way we work together is truly unmatched," Carpenter said after the first period.
The lone first-period goal came when Carpenter planted herself in front of the net on the power play, after Czechia's Dominika Laskova was sent off for an illegal check to neck/head, and was able to get a stick on the puck and knock it in.
The U.S. dominated the shots on goal count 14-3 over the Czech women in the first period.
Joy Dunne scored her first career Olympic goal in the first Olympic game of her career early in the second period off an assist from Tessa Janecke. Dunne's goal put the U.S. up by two.
Just 1 minute and 23 seconds later, Hayley Scamurra found the back of the net off a second consecutive assist from Janecke to put the U.S. squad ahead 3-0 over Czechia.
Then, after a failed power play by Team USA, Czechia finally got on the board for the team's first goal of the women's Olympic hockey tournament.
The goal came when Barbora Jurickova stepped out of the penalty box and received a long pass up the ice for a clean breakaway. Jurickova quickly fired the puck past Aerin Frankel in net to make it 3-1.
Then, as only Hilary Knight can, the U.S. captain carried the puck up the right wing before slicing to the middle and pocketed the puck directly over the right shoulder of Czech goalie Klara Peslarova. The goal gave the U.S. a commanding 4-1 lead with time winding down in the second period.
"Game one under the belt, everyone did extremely well," Knight told reporters after the game. "For us, it's just (about) simplifying the game. And, you know, everyone's played hockey for decades. So, at this point, everyone's battle tested."
Scamurra scored again to tally the final goal of the game to give the U.S. a 5-1 win over Czechia.
"It is a lot of hard work during the season, so to produce like that for my teammates feels incredible," Scamurra said after the game. "Playing with a lot of great people really helps, and they put the puck in good spots for me, and I was able to finish tonight."
Team USA plays next on Feb. 7 against Finland at 10:40 a.m. ET. Watch live on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.
Other games:
- Sweden defeated Germany 4-1
- Italy defeated France 4-1
- Canada vs. Finland was postponed until Feb. 12 due to illness