Milan, Italy — The building came in expecting a knife fight. USA vs. Canada in Olympic women’s hockey usually lives in the margins: one bounce, one screen, one power play that swings the night.
Instead, Team USA turned the rivalry into a declaration.
Behind early pace, ruthless finishing, and a back end that never let Canada breathe, the Americans steamrolled their biggest rival 5–0 Tuesday evening at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena — a result that felt less like a group-stage game and more like a warning label for the rest of the bracket.
The opening punch: Harvey sets the tone
From the first shift, the U.S. skated like it owned the ice.
At 3:45, Caroline Harvey ignited the night with a blast from in tight that slipped through the five-hole for a 1–0 lead. The goal wasn’t just a scoreline change — it flipped the temperature in the arena. The U.S. bench popped. The American fans found their voice. Canada suddenly had to chase.
And chasing Team USA is a miserable way to spend an Olympic night.
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Bilka and Murphy: chemistry that broke the game open
Canada tried to settle. The U.S. refused to let them.
With 2:42 left in the first period (17:18), Hannah Bilka doubled the lead, finishing a blind backhand feed from Abbey Murphy and chipping it home for 2–0.
That’s the kind of goal that makes defenders look at each other like, What are we supposed to do with that? The puck arrived from nowhere. The finish was instant. The U.S. had the game by the throat.
The crease scramble that became a turning point
Early in the second, the U.S. made it 3–0 — and did it in the most rivalry-appropriate way possible: chaos in the blue paint.
At 21:21, Kirsten Simms plunged into a crease scramble and squeezed the puck across on the power play. It was initially waved off, but after video review, officials ruled the puck had crossed the line before being swept out by Ann-Renée Desbiens’ leg.
The replay decision didn’t just add a goal. It drained Canada.
You could feel it in the stands — the moment where the game stopped being “tense” and started being “surreal.”
Bilka again: fast-break finish, 4–0
Seven minutes later, Bilka and Murphy struck again — this time on a fast break that looked like it was drawn up on a whiteboard.
Murphy drove deep down the left side, then dropped it back to Bilka for a one-timer that beat Desbiens high glove for 4–0 with seven minutes left in the second.
At that point, the rivalry edge was still there — but the scoreboard had become brutal.
Edwards puts the exclamation point on it
The U.S. didn’t coast. It closed.
At 51:53, Laila Edwards scored her first Olympic goal, beating Desbiens high to make it 5–0 — the kind of finish that turns a great night into a historic one.
Frankel slammed the door
Canada got looks. It didn’t get life.
U.S. goaltender Aerin Frankel (Chappaqua, N.Y./Boston Fleet) finished with a 20-save shutout, recording her second clean sheet of the tournament. Calm in traffic, sharp on second chances, and completely unbothered by the rivalry noise, Frankel has been flat-out amazing in goal — the kind of backbone that wins medals.
NHL 26 — Built for the Big Moments
Faster gameplay. Cleaner puck movement. More chaos in front of the net. If you live for overtime and rivalry nights, NHL 26 is your next obsession.
The stat line that tells the story
This wasn’t a fluky shutout. It was a full-game squeeze.
- Shots: USA 30, Canada 22
- Caroline Harvey: 1 goal, 2 assists (3 points)
- Abbey Murphy: 3 assists (3 points)
- Hannah Bilka: 2 goals
Team USA didn’t just win — it controlled the pace, dictated the matchups, and punished every crack.
Group A: perfect, and barely touched
With the win, the Americans close Group A at 4–0, surrendering just one goal in the preliminary round. That’s not just undefeated — that’s dominance with teeth.
Canada drops to 2–1 with one game remaining, rescheduled to February 12 after several Finland players were diagnosed with norovirus.
What’s next: knockout hockey starts now
The group stage is done. The margin for error is gone.
Team USA now turns toward the quarterfinals, where it will face host nation Italy on Friday, February 13, at 3:10 p.m. ET at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena.
And after a 5–0 demolition of Canada, the message is simple:
The U.S. isn’t here to survive the bracket. It’s here to take it.
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