Milan, Italy- Team USA women’s hockey opened group play with a statement Thursday, rolling past Czechia 5–1 behind a special-teams breakthrough, a dominant second period, and a two-goal night from Hayley Scamurra.
The Americans controlled the game territorially from the start, finishing with a 42–14 edge in shots on goal and forcing Czechia’s goaltending to shoulder a heavy workload.
How it happened
First period: Power play breaks the ice
Czechia held firm early, but a penalty for an illegal check to the head/neck at 15:24 opened the door. Team USA cashed in on the ensuing power play at 15:55, with Alex Carpenter finishing the play off assists from Megan Keller and Laila Edwards to make it 1–0.
Jamie Squire, Getty Images
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Second period: USA takes control
The U.S. turned the game in the second with two quick even-strength goals.
- 23:13: Joy Dunne scored at even strength off a setup from Tessa Janecke to extend the lead to 2–0.
- 24:36: Hayley Scamurra followed moments later, also at even strength, with Janecke picking up her second assist of the period as the lead grew to 3–0.
Czechia pushed back late in the frame. After Jurickova was assessed a two-minute illegal-hit penalty at 26:30, the Czechs got on the board at 28:37 when Barbora Jurickova scored at even strength, assisted by Natalie Mlynkova, trimming it to 3–1.
Third period: Finish the job
Team USA answered in the third to remove any doubt.
- 37:50: Hilary Knight scored at even strength, assisted by Alex Carpenter and Hannah Bilka, restoring a three-goal margin at 4–1.
- 44:22: Scamurra struck again at even strength for her second of the game, taking a feed from Kelly Pannek to close the scoring at 5–1.
Czechia took a late delay-of-game penalty at 59:57, but the score held as the final seconds ran out.
Key stats
- Shots on goal: USA 42, Czechia 14
- Saves: USA 13, Czechia 37
- Power play: USA 1-for-? (1 PPG), Czechia 0 PPG
- Time on power play: USA 2:34, Czechia 2:00
- Penalty minutes: USA 2, Czechia 6
Key performers
- Hayley Scamurra: 2 goals
- Alex Carpenter: 1 goal, 1 assist
- Tessa Janecke: 2 assists
- Hilary Knight: 1 goal
- Joy Dunne: 1 goal
Final
United States 5, Czechia 1
Up next
Team USA returns to the ice on 07.02.2026 against Finland at 10:40 local time.
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