Americans dominate against ROC
The Americans showed how much firepower they truly have in the team’s 6-0 win over the Russians.
The scoring started in the first period at 11:50 thanks to Britta Curl’s scoring touch.
But the story of the game was Hilary Knight’s record-breaking goal. In the second period, Knight entered the history books with her 45th goal in tournament history, passing Cammi Granato for the all-time tournament lead just a game after tying the record.
Lee Stecklein would make it a 3-0 game late in the 2nd at 37:25.
The Americans wouldn’t take their foot off the gas in the third as Kelly Pannek would strike at 42:45. Abbey Murphy would score at 46:13 and Jesse Compher would score at 47:53 to make it 6-0 – good until the final buzzer.
USA is the only team to not concede a goal in group play – something that will likely be challenged against Canada on Thursday.
Canadians extend unbeaten streak against Switzerland
Despite being held off the scoresheet in the first period, Canada would still find a way to get their offense going in a 5-0 win over Switzerland.
After a dominant first 20 minutes that didn’t result in a goal for Canada, the home team finally found some luck at 25:04. Emily Clark would get Canada on the board first, with Jamie Bourbonnais notching one for herself at 29:38. Less than thirty seconds later, Natalie Spooner would extend the Canadian lead to 3-0, while Melodie Daoust would put home a late one in the second period for a 4-0 lead at 36:34. Spooner scored a second goal in the third to finish the scoring off.
Late in the match, there would be a very scary situation as Marie-Philip Poulin was injured while blocking a shot. Her status remains unknown after not returning to the ice.
With Canada’s win, the nation improves to 12-0-0 all-time against Switzerland.
Japan keeps pace in Group B with a win over Hungary
Japan was able to get another big win in group play with their 4-1 win over Hungary.
Akane Shiga put Japan on the board first, but Hungary would get a reply from Fanni Gasparics to make it a 1-1 game at 23:30. The tie would be short-lived as Rui Ukita would restore the Japan lead at 27:30, with Haruna Yoneyama and Hanae Kubo improving Japan’s advantage to 4-1.
Three Stars
1. Natalie Spooner, F (CAN): Two goals against the Swiss helped a dominant Canadian effort.
2. Hilary Knight, F (USA): One of the faces of USA’s hockey program was able to take her place in the history books with her 45th-career tournament goal.
3. Rui Ukita, F (JPN): Ukita’s second period goal would stand up as the game-winner for Japan in a strong performance vs Hungary.
