Team USA did not request a gentle Olympic warm-up.
Instead, the United States women's national ice hockey team opened the 2026 Winter Olympics by making one thing very clear: they are here to set the tone.

A 5–1 win over Czechia to open group play wasn’t just decisive — it was purposeful. The pace was fast, the pressure was layered, and by the middle of the second period, the game felt familiar in the way Team USA games tend to feel when things start clicking.

This wasn’t about surviving an opener.
This was about arrival.

The moment the game turned…

For most of the first period, Czechia did exactly what you hope an underdog won’t: they stayed organized, physical, and patient. They clogged lanes, forced the U.S. to earn every inch, and kept the game scoreless longer than the shot clock suggested.

Then the power play did its job.

A point shot from Megan Keller found its way through traffic, tipped perfectly by Alex Carpenter, and suddenly the Olympic opener had a pulse — and a U.S. lead.

That goal didn’t just open the scoring.
It settled everything.

Early in the second period, Team USA leaned into what has quietly become one of its biggest strengths: depth that doesn’t blink under Olympic lights.

First came Joy Dunne, scoring her first Olympic goal just over three minutes into the frame. No hesitation. No nerves. Just finish.

Then, less than two minutes later, Hayley Scamurra jumped into space and buried another to make it 3–0.

At that point, the ice tilted — not because Czechia stopped competing, but because Team USA found rhythm. And once that happens, it’s hard to slow them down.

To their credit, Czechia didn’t fold.

Midway through the second period, they capitalized on a moment of transition, converting a breakaway to make it 3–1 and briefly reminding everyone that Olympic games have momentum swings — even when the shots don’t favor you.

For a few minutes, Czechia generated real pressure. They forechecked. They forced defensive-zone shifts. They made Team USA respond.

And then: Hilary Knight.

Veteran gravity still counts

Late in the second period, with Czechia pushing, Knight drove wide, absorbed contact, and snapped home a goal that felt less like a scoring play and more like a statement.

Fourth goal. Momentum gone. Door closed.

Knight is skating in her fifth Olympics, and somehow still finds new ways to remind everyone why she remains the emotional and competitive center of this program. When Team USA needs gravity — the kind that stabilizes a game — she provides it.

Time, apparently, is optional.

Scamurra added her second early in the third period off a turnover, pushing the score to 5–1 and officially ending any lingering drama.

From there, it was about control. Smart shifts. Clean exits. No unnecessary risks. Olympic hockey, managed properly.

Openers don’t win medals.
But they do reveal readiness.

What Team USA showed in this first game:

Czechia, meanwhile, continues to prove it’s no longer just a feel-good story. Their structure, physicality, and willingness to push made this more than a formality — and that’s good for the tournament.

Team USA moves on to face Finland next, while Czechia turns quickly toward Switzerland. The group stage is just getting started, but the message has already been sent.

Team USA didn’t tiptoe into Milano Cortina.
They showed up like a team with unfinished business.

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