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Switzerland’s goalie Andrea Braendli (C) concedes the seventh goal of the U.S. team during the women’s hockey preliminary round match between Switzerland and the U.S. at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games on Sunday. Photo by Salvatore Di Nolfi/EPA-EFE
Feb. 6 (UPI) — The undefeated United States team beat Switzerland in the preliminary round of women’s hockey competition on Sunday with a score of 8-0.
The match started with a goal by Hilary Knight with assists by Hannah Brandt and Megan Keller just five minutes into the first period. Jesse Compher scored the team’s second goal quickly followed by another by Knight just ten seconds later.
Kelly Pannek and Amanda Kessel went on to score two more goals during the first period, which ended with a score of 5-0.
The second period began with a goalkeeper swap by Switzerland — but it wasn’t enough to stop Pannek from scoring her second goal just 11 seconds into the period with assists from Kessel and Alex Carpenter.
After penalties for American and Swiss players, Compher ended the period with another goal for Team USA. Compher was penalized early in the third period for hooking before teammate Dani Cameranesi scored the eighth goal for the U.S. with assists from Pannek and Cayla Barnes just over two minutes before the end of the match.
Despite the loss, Switzerland made a startling 58 saves amid the offensive performance with 66 shots on goal from Team USA.
The win came after the U.S. defeated Finland 5-2 during a match on Thursday and a 5-0 victory over Russia on Saturday. The U.S. is leading the Group A bracket with a total of 9 points, followed by Canada with 6 and Russia with 3 points.
China defeated Japan on Sunday with a score of 2-1 in their match on Sunday in the Group B bracket. Japan leads the bracket with 7 points, followed by the Czech Republic with 6 points and China with 5 points.
The U.S. is scheduled to play Canada in the final match of the preliminary round for Group A on Tuesday before the quarterfinals begin Friday.
“This was one of those games where before the game our whole coaching staff looked at each other and said ‘I think we are ready to go,'” said head coach Joel Johnson in a press release.
“It had nothing to do with the opponent. It had everything to do with us. We just felt we were really ready to play well and we certainly did that. We generated a lot of offense, kept a lot of puck possession and, more importantly, created some really good scoring chances that were tough to defend.”
Beijing Olympics: Women’s ice hockey: USA vs. ROC
Caroline Harvey (4) competes with Yekaterina Dobrodeyeva (26) for the puck during their Women’s preliminary round Group A Ice Hockey match at the Wukesong sports center at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 5, 2022. Photo by Paul Hanna/UPI | License Photo
1/5 Switzerland’s goalie Andrea Braendli (C) concedes the seventh goal of the U.S. team during the women’s hockey preliminary round match between Switzerland and the U.S. at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games on Sunday. Photo by Salvatore Di Nolfi/EPA-EFE Feb. 6 (UPI) — The undefeated United States team beat Switzerland in the preliminary round of women’s hockey competition on Sunday with a score of 8-0. The match started with a goal by Hilary Knight with assists by Hannah Brandt and Megan Keller just five minutes into the first period. Jesse Compher scored the team’s second goal quickly followed by another by Knight just ten seconds later. Kelly Pannek and Amanda Kessel went on to score two more goals during the first period, which ended with a score of 5-0. The second period began with a goalkeeper swap by Switzerland — but it wasn’t enough to stop Pannek from scoring her second goal just 11 seconds into the period with assists from Kessel and Alex Carpenter. After penalties for American and Swiss players, Compher ended the period with another goal for Team USA. Compher was penalized early in the third period for hooking before teammate Dani Cameranesi scored the eighth goal for the U.S. with assists from Pannek and Cayla Barnes just over two minutes before the end of the match. Despite the loss, Switzerland made a startling 58 saves amid the offensive performance with 66 shots on goal from Team USA. The win came after the U.S. defeated Finland 5-2 during a match on Thursday and a 5-0 victory over Russia on Saturday. The U.S. is leading the Group A bracket with a total of 9 points, followed by Canada with 6 and Russia with 3 points. China defeated Japan on Sunday with a score of 2-1 in their match on Sunday in the Group B bracket. Japan leads the bracket with 7 points, followed by the Czech Republic with 6 points and China with 5 points. The U.S. is scheduled to play Canada in the final match of the preliminary round for Group A on Tuesday before the quarterfinals begin Friday. “This was one of those games where before the game our whole coaching staff looked at each other and said ‘I think we are ready to go,'” said head coach Joel Johnson in a press release. “It had nothing to do with the opponent. It had everything to do with us. We just felt we were really ready to play well and we certainly did that. We generated a lot of offense, kept a lot of puck possession and, more importantly, created some really good scoring chances that were tough to defend.” Beijing Olympics: Women’s ice hockey: USA vs. ROC Caroline Harvey (4) competes with Yekaterina Dobrodeyeva (26) for the puck during their Women’s preliminary round Group A Ice Hockey match at the Wukesong sports center at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 5, 2022. Photo by Paul Hanna/UPI | License Photo