2026 Olympic Women’s Hockey: Top standouts from USA vs. Finland
It was an afternoon of history-making goals for American hockey players as the USA improved to 2-0-0 at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics with a 5-0 win over Finland, the PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 bronze medalists.
Finland were playing their first game of the tournament after a Norovirus outbreak on their team’s sidelines, affecting at least 10 players, leaving them unable to play their scheduled opener against Canada before the opening ceremony.
Minnesota Frost star Taylor Heise, who did not centralize with the U.S. program in 2022, found the back of the net for the first time in her Olympic career to make it 2-0 for the Americans in the second period. Her goal came as a relative tap-in at the back post, after an intricate breakout and buildup alongside her Frost teammate, Britta Curl-Salemme and University of Minnesota standout, Abbey Murphy.
The goal kick-started the onslaught for the Americans, after Seattle Torrent forward Alex Carpenter waited until the final five minutes of the first period to open the scoring. Before the opener on the power play, the USA dominated, controlling play throughout most of the frame and allowing no significant opportunities to test Aerin Frankel in the crease.
It didn’t take long for the U.S. to extend its lead either, as Megan Keller, playing at her third Olympics, found her first goal on the sport’s biggest stage with a slick move finished on a backhand between the legs of Ottawa Charge netminder, Sanni Ahola.
Hilary Knight, playing at her fifth and final Games, extended the lead to 4-0 before the midway mark of the second with a sharp-angle shot to beat Ahola and tie the record for the most Olympic goals in American women’s hockey history with 14.
HILARY KNIGHT TIES THE U.S. OLYMPIC RECORD ‼️ With 14 goals, Hilary Knight has tied the record for the MOST goals in U.S. #WinterOlympics women's hockey history.
Murphy added to the historic day with her first Olympic goal in her eighth game to make it 5-0 in the final moments of the third period.
While Finland held strong in the first period, the Americans’ star qualities stood out throughout once they found the breakthrough. They ended the game with a regulation win, having outshot their opponents 49-11 and went two-for-six on the power play, after Finland took several penalties in an effort to keep up with the Americans’ puck movement.
With the win, the U.S. vaulted itself higher atop Group A, bringing its record to 2-0-0 and with a 10-1 positive goal differential.
Now, they look ahead to a matchup against Switzerland on Monday and their group stage finale on Tuesday against Canada, who had yet to hit the competitive ice due to the Norovirus outbreak, by the time the US had completed their second game.
Finland, meanwhile, looks to continue its battle for a higher seed when it takes on Czechia, Switzerland and Canada to round out a condensed group stage timeline.
United States
Megan Keller, D
It’s her third Olympics, but that will go down as one of Keller’s better performances on the international stage, with a goal and two assists to lead the Americans’ offensive onslaught from the blueline. She’s looking strong alongside Laila Edwards.
Hilary Knight, F
Knight only got onto the scoresheet once, but was present throughout this game in a more savvy way than usual. Her goal was one thing, but she nearly set up Hanna Bilka with a stunning saucer pass to spring a breakaway in the second period and had several more organizational opportunities.
Abbey Murphy, F
If the U.S. had collegiate players in the Rivalry Series, the domination of Team Canada could have been even more dramatic. Murphy, who went viral just weeks ago for a slick and skillful assist with Minnesota, scored a goal and an assist in a dynamic line alongside Heise and Curl-Salemme.
Finland
Petra Nieminen, F
A two-time Olympic bronze medalist, Petra Nieminen knows the state of the game at the Olympics, but put together a strong performance against the overwhelming U.S. roster, mustering two shots and forcing a strong save out of Frankel in the third period.