MILAN — The only drama at Saturday night’s U.S. women’s hockey game had little to do with the final score.
All eyes will be on Hilary Knight to see if the 36-year-old American star can make more Olympic history.
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For a moment early in the third period of the United States’ 5-0 victory over Finland, Knight looked like he might tie and break the U.S. record for goals in the same game. Knight was camped alone on the left side of the crease when teammate Alex Carpenter delivered a smart pass to Knight from just a few feet away.
Knight tried to put the puck halfway into the net…but came up empty. It was the only thing that went wrong for the U.S. team that night, as they defeated Finland 49-11 with five different players scoring.
Some time ago, Knight scored her 14th career Olympic goal, tying the American record held by Natalie Darwitz and Katie King. Knight also performed well, beating Finland goalkeeper Sanni Ahola into the short-sided top corner off a pass from teammate Laila Edwards.
It would be fitting if Knight could break the American record in her final announced Winter Olympics. The five-time Olympian has been at the heart of U.S. women’s hockey for 20 years, providing steady leadership and padding records while spearheading the growth of the sport.
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Going into Saturday, there were concerns that Finland might play shorthanded against the United States, but the team has recovered from a norovirus outbreak that forced them to postpone their game against Canada two days earlier. They had a full complement of available players, but it didn’t make much of an impact on the scoreboard.
Team USA won in a landslide, their second victory of the tournament. Two days ago, the United States defeated the Czech Republic 5-1.
