US women’s hockey routs Russia as fresh faces step up at Olympics 2022

In its first game without an injured veteran, some new blood stepped up to keep the offense coming for the U.S. women’s hockey team.

Three different first-time Olympians scored to help lift Team USA to a 5-0 win over the Russian Olympic Committee team on Saturday in Beijing. 

Team USA moved to 2-0 in preliminary round play and will face Switzerland on Sunday.

It was the Americans’ first game without Brianna Decker, the team’s assists leader in the 2018 games, who suffered a tournament-ending leg injury in the opener on Thursday. In her absence, Savannah Harmon, Jesse Compher and Grace Zumwinkle each scored their first Olympic goal, with Team USA pouring on three goals in the third period to cruise to the win.

Russia, the fourth-place finisher in 2018, had won its Olympics opener against Switzerland on Thursday but was still shorthanded after a COVID-19 outbreak cut into its roster. The team was without six players because of the virus, including captain Olga Sosina, and began the week in isolation before being cleared to hit the ice.

Harmon got the scoring going on the power play at 12:29 of the first period. The Clarkson product received a slick backhanded pass from Hilary Knight and one-timed it in for the 1-0 lead.

The duo then connected again to put USA up 2-0 midway through the second period. This time, it was the veteran Knight redirecting a shot from the point by Harmon for her seventh career Olympic goal.

Zumwinkle made it 3-0 early in the third period on a perfect setup from Dani Cameranesi. Compher then got a wrister through minutes later to push the lead to 4-0 before veteran Alex Carpenter, who scored two goals in the opener, finished off the scoring by cleaning up a rebound to make it 5-0.

Goalie Nicole Hensley recorded the shutout for Team USA, stopping all 12 shots she faced in net.