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The US women’s hockey team improved to 2-0 at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games on Saturday.
Team USA captain Hilary Knight scored for the second straight game, tying the US Olympic record in the Americans’ 5-0 rout of Finland. Her 14 career Winter Olympic goals match the totals set by Natalie Darwitz and Katie King.
The Americans wore down an illness-stricken Finnish team, extending Finland’s Olympic record without a win against the United States to 0-11. Vice President JD Vance and his family attended and cheered on the tournament’s favorite Americans.
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United States players celebrate after defeating Finland in the women’s ice hockey Group A play during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on February 7, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Geoff Burke/Image Images)
Team USA defenseman Megan Keller had a goal and two assists, while Alex Carpenter, Taylor Heise and Abbey Murphy also scored. Aerin Frankel stopped 11 shots for her first shutout in just the second Olympic game of her career.
The Finns returned to the ice as a full team for the first time since they were last together at practice Tuesday. That night, four players developed norovirus symptoms. Two days later, Finland’s 23-player roster was reduced to eight forwards and two goaltenders, prompting Olympic officials to postpone the team’s first tournament match against Canada until February 12.
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On Friday, coach Tero Lehtara promised that his team would play the Americans even if it meant having a minimum of five forwards and a goalkeeper. After canceling their Saturday morning skate, the Finns took the ice six hours later with a full contingent of 22 players.
United States players celebrate defeating Finland in the women’s ice hockey Group A play during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on February 7, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Geoff Burke/Image Images)
Goalkeeper Sanni Ahola stopped 44 shots in total and kept the Finns in the game during a first half in which she stopped 14 of 15 shots. Carpenter was the only one to beat it, scoring on a one-timer from the slot on a power-play goal with just under five minutes left in the period.
Vance was sitting next to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena.
Vance and his family entered during intermission at the end of the first period, with the United States leading 1-0. Paul joined them shortly after. Paul’s fiancée, Jutta Leerdam, is a speed skater competing for her native Netherlands in the Winter Games.
America’s second lady, Usha Vance, wore a sweatshirt with “USA” in large letters.
Among those also seated near Vance were 2010 Olympic figure skating gold medalist Evan Lysacek and hockey’s twin sisters, Hall of Famers Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando. They were members of the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 2018 Winter Games.
