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Team USA Continues Dominance in Women's Ice Hockey Olympic Tournament

In their second game of the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Team USA took down Finland in an impressive 5-0 fashion.
Jennifer Streeter|
Feb 5, 2026; Milan, Italy; Hilary Knight (21) of Team United States celebrates with Alex Carpenter (25) and other teammates after scoring a goal against Team Czechia in women's ice hockey Group A play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
Feb 5, 2026; Milan, Italy; Hilary Knight (21) of Team United States celebrates with Alex Carpenter (25) and other teammates after scoring a goal against Team Czechia in women's ice hockey Group A play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images | James Lang-Imagn Images

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Seattle Kraken

Team USA is not slowing down following the opening ceremonies on Feb. 6, with the women's ice hockey team defeating Finland by five goals and in shutout fashion.

This win follows Team USA opening the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics with a 5-1 win over Czechia. Five different players scored for the U.S., with goaltender Aerin Frankel recording her first Olympic shutout. U.S. captain Hilary Knight also tied the record for most career Olympic goals (14) in team history. The red, white and blue are now 2-0 in group play.

The 5-0 win over Finland was the first shutout for the U.S. women in the Olympics since beating Switzerland 8-0 on Feb. 6, 2022.

Alex Carpenter, Taylor Heise, Megan Keller, Hilary Knight and Abbey Murphy all scored for Team USA — with both Carpenter and Knight's goals being scored on the power play.

Olympic Fans Paying Attention to Team USA Women's Ice Hockey Team

Carpenter previously opened the scoring for Team USA against Czechia.

Cayla Barnes, Carpenter and Knight are all also members of the Seattle Torrent of the PWHL. The Torrent share the same home venue of Climate Pledge Arena with the NHL's Seattle Kraken.

Also on the U.S. roster is forward Hannah Bilka, who is a Texas native also playing for the Torrent.

Team USA forward Hannah Bilka
USA's Hannah Bilka looks for an open teammate at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, NY on Saturday, April 13, 2024. | Daniel DeLoach/Utica Observer-Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Fran Shuman, President of Women's Hockey Outreach Association of Houston (WHOAH), hosted an Olympic watch party event for the city of Houston alongside the Houston Girls Hockey Association (HTX Storm).

"The game was amazing. The skill and talent of the United States women is unreal. We are so lucky to be living in a time where women's sports are really being noticed and women are also being developed to become Olympic champions." Shuman said to Breakaway On SI.

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) has paused play from Jan. 29 to Feb. 25, and PWHL action will return on Feb. 26 following the conclusion of the Winter Olympics.

Eric Kimmel — President of the HTX Storm — said Bilka represents the future of where hockey is heading for the state of Texas.

"Not a whole lot of Texans make their way to that big of a stage," Kimmel said. "So to have a local Texan girl, born and raised, make it and compete at the highest level in the world, is again further inspiration for our girls that even girls down south can advance to the highest levels."

Team USA continues action in preliminary play and next competes on Feb. 9 against Switzerland at 2:40 p.m. EST at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. The U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team has medaled in all seven Olympic appearances to date.

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Jennifer Streeter
JENNIFER STREETER

Jennifer Streeter graduated with a B.A. in journalism from Texas A&M and received her Master of Science from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. At both schools, she focused on an emphasis of sports reporting. A former athlete herself, "Jenny" was a varsity soccer player and comes from a family who participated in NCAA athletics. She has covered everything from the 2025 Hughes Bowl, SEC football, Ivy League athletics, the 2023 ALCS and the 2023 World Series, the WNBA, and much more.

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