BEIJING — Through two games at the 2022 Winter Olympics, the defending champion U.S. women’s hockey team has earned a pair of victories – in very different ways.
The first one, a 5-2 win over Finland on Thursday, forced the U.S. to rely on speed and finesse. On Saturday, in a 5-0 victory over the Russia Olympic Committee, the Americans had to grind out a physical win. They entered the third period with a 2-0 margin before pouring a trio of goals in over an eight-minute, 44-second span to open the final frame.
The U.S. will continue Group A play Sunday against Switzerland.
But first, here are five takeaways from the team’s win on Saturday:
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Winning in multiple ways
It's just two games, but the opposite manner of the victories is a confidence booster, said forward Hilary Knight. The team entered these Games having not played a game against another team since Dec. 17.
"I would say this start’s been a good growth opportunity," Knight said. "We haven’t had many games, like other teams. It’s good to figure out – we know our identity, we know our character in the room – but it’s good to test us and figure out how to work our way through a tournament with different obstacles."
One "obstacle" ROC presented Saturday was making it messy in front of the net. That didn't stop Knight from tipping in a Savannah Harmon wrist shot to make it 2-0 in the second period.
"I thought we played really well, it just looked differently than it did two days ago. I thought we generated possession, we generated a lot of shot opportunities," head coach Joel Johnson said. "Combination of good goaltending for Team Russia and also the defensive style that they played limited our quality chances so we just continued to make adjustments.
"If the third period was the first period, everybody feels differently. But you play 60 minutes. In between the first and second period, we reminded ourselves that we’re still winning a hockey game 2-0. It starts with defense and we’ve got to trust our process."
One commonality between the games was the massive difference in shots on goal between the U.S. and their opponents. They outshot Finland 51-12 two days ago and bested that with a 62-12 margin against ROC. Following the fifth goal, the ROC pulled goaltender Maria Sorokina, who stopped 38 shots – some from point-blank range.
Defender Savannah Harmon shining on offense
The player who leads the U.S. in points through two games is not a forward. That distinction belongs to defender Harmon, who netted the game's first goal and then added two assists after notching a pair of assists against Finland.
"I think Savannah’s just a really gifted, offensive, instinctual player," Johnson said. "So when she sees an opportunity to go to the net or make a play or shoot the puck, she sees it in the way that not a lot of people do."
Her goal came on a behind-the-back pass from Knight across the front of the net. It was something Knight had been practicing before the game.
“I was joking around with Sav," Knight said, "I was like, ‘Just find yourself down there on the dots. It’s coming through.’
“Savannah has to see that to be able to be in that spot. That’s a huge skillset and something that’s super underrated.”
Knight, who's lived with Harmon during the pandemic, added that it's something seen more at the NHL level.
"And it's presenting itself here ... to have a defenseman that can be two-way is unreal for us," Knight said.
Nicole Hensley raises bar in net
The U.S. went with a different look between the pipes, as goaltender Nicole Hensley posted the shutout after Maddie Rooney, the shootout hero in the gold-medal game against Canada four years ago, yielded two goals on 12 shots againstFinlandin the tournament opener.
To stay sharp without seeing a ton of action – and rising to the occasion on the ROC's few scoring opportunities – is nothing new for the 27-year-old, whom Knight referred to as "lights out."
"I’ve seen her do that in the past," said Johnson. "That’s just a part of some of these games at any level of hockey. When you’re possessing the puck and controlling the play, you have to have great goaltending that doesn’t fall asleep. And we got that tonight and it was great."
Johnson said he and the staff discussed the change the night of the Finland win – a normal part of their process, he added. It will be interesting if he rotates the position during the tournament or goes with Hensley, who has proved more sure-handed.
Abbey Murphy relishes sparkplug role, but must be careful
By the third, the game became quite chippy, as the seeds had been planted earlier.
As time expired in the first period, a ROC forward had a breakaway but didn’t get a shot off prior to the horn. She fired one off after the horn anyway, much to the displeasure of the U.S. team. Hensley held her arms out in disapproval and defender Megan Bozek slammed the offender into the boards for what she and her teammates deemed an unnecessary attempt.
Late in the third, ROC's Maria Pechnikova was whistled for an illegal hit on Abbey Murphy, but the fiery teenager would not let penalty minutes serve as the only discipline. She popped off the ice and put her left fist in Pechnikova's grill; for that, she earned two minutes in the sin bin herself.
"I'm just having fun," the 19-year-old said, acknowledging she can't help her team from the penalty box. She served four of the team's six penalty minutes.
"That’s me as a player. I try to be smart in those ways but also bring that side to the team," Murphy said. "There’s a time and a place. Obviously we got to stick up for ourselves when it comes down to that."
In between the penalties, Murphy made a nifty, spinning pass near the blue line to set up Jesse Compher for the United States' fourth goal. Alex Carpenter scored her third goal in three days to round out the scoring.
"Not a lot of people can make that play, and Murph’s one of them," Johnson said. "Our team has a lot of different personalities. She’s one of them and she’s an important piece of the puzzle and I’m glad she’s on our roster."
Grace Zumwinkle scored before Compher and Alex Carpenter scored her third goal in three days for the final tally.
U.S. figuring it out without Brianna Decker
Brianna Decker fractured her left ankle in the first period against Finland and will miss the rest of the Olympics. On the ice, the team moved forward Abby Roque to the middle and shuffled other players to refigure the lines.
"We’ve got a lot of depth at the center position," said Johnson, noting the versatility of forwards Alex Carpenter and Kelly Panek, "and that’s a luxury that we have. The matchups and combinations are still something we’re working through."
But the reality is that there's no replacing Decker in the lineup. Johnson knows that.
Decker is still with the team and is making an impact off the ice, Johnson said.
"She’s still leading," Johnson said. "She’s still a huge influence on our team."
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
