MILAN — For decades, the hierarchy at the top of women's hockey has mostly been Canada, the U.S. and then everyone else.
Nothing happened Thursday that would suggest the gap is closing.
The U.S. women began their quest for Olympic gold with a dominant 5-1 victory over Czechia in the opening game of group play for both teams at the Milan Cortina Winter Games. Hayley Scamurra scored twice and three other Americans found the back of the net once,delighting Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both of whom were seated a few rows up in the stands across the ice from the U.S. bench.
In theory, Czechia figured to provide the U.S. one of its toughest non-Canada tests at these Olympics. The Czechs have finished no worse than fourth at any of the previous four World Championships and arrived in Milan vowing to "create some chaos," as forward Kristyna Kaltounkova put it on Wednesday.
In reality, Czechia proved to be little more than a speed bump. The U.S. controlled the game from the opening faceoff, outshooting Czechia 42-14 and keeping the puck in the attacking zone for long stretches of each period.
"I think our forecheck is pretty dangerous," U.S. defender Megan Keller said. "We have a fast group. We can hunt, be relentless, turn pucks over. I think that's going to drive a lot of our offense."
The impressive showing added to the momentum the U.S. built coming into these Olympics. The Americans secured the No. 1 spot in the IIHF global rankings by capturing the 2025 women's ice hockey world championship and by following that up by sweeping Canada in the four-game Rivalry Series by a combined score of 24-7.
The U.S. opened the scoring late in the first period on Thursday with some help from Czechia's Dominika Lásková. The physical Czechia defender drew a two-minute penalty for an illegal check to the head of American forward Abbey Murphy.
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Only 30 seconds into the ensuing U.S. power play, Keller and Alex Carpenter took advantage. Carpenter redirected Keller's laser shot through the legs of Czechia goalie Klara Peslarova for the first American goal of these Olympics.
"When you see Megan Keller shoot, you just go to the net and try to do anything you can to either get a stick on it or take the eyes away," Carpenter said. "She's got a rocket from up there."
Early in the second period, the U.S. struck again, this time with two goals within 83 seconds, both assisted by Penn State senior Tessa Janecke. On the first goal, Janecke fought to win a loose puck, skated around the back of the net and found Joy Dunne wide open in the slot. Barely a minute later, Janecke set up Scamurra, whose wrist shot trickled through the legs of Peslarova with the help of a screen to block the goalie's vision.
The U.S. might have secured a shutout were it not for an ill-timed second-period giveaway at the exact moment Czechia's Barbora Jurickova emerged from the penalty box. Jurickova received a pass just outside the attacking zone and beat U.S. goalie Aerin Frankel stickside for a breakaway goal, briefly giving Czechia life.
It didn't last long.
Five-time U.S. Olympian Hilary Knight scored late in the second period to increase the U.S. lead to 4-1. Scamurra struck again early in the third.
By then, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.
Vance, Rubio and their security detail exited with more than six minutes left in the third period, no doubt confident the U.S. women were on their way to victory.
