“I give a lot of credit to this Finland team,” said Joel Johnson (White Bear Lake, Minn.), head coach of the 2021 U.S. Women’s National Team. “They are a very skilled team and they play with a lot of tenacity, but I also give a lot of credit to our players who found ways to challenge their game and continued to pressure them offensively throughout. We definitely played our game and it got us the outcome we wanted. It was exciting to watch Hilary tie Cammi’s record. It’s such a huge accomplishment and we have a lot to celebrate as a team.”
The U.S. controlled the first period as it only allowed four shots and generated multiple scoring chances with its 17 shots. Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, Minn.) struck first with 5:29 to play after Hayley Scamurra (Getzville, N.Y.) forced a turnover behind the net and kicked the puck to Zumwinkle to put it past Finland netminder Meeri Raisanen. Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.) eyed a two-goal lead during 4-on-4 play where she found herself all alone from a stretch pass, but Raisanen would keep it a one-goal game with :10 left.
In the second period, Jincy Dunne (O’Fallon, Mo.) sent a shot through traffic which redirected off the skate of Kelly Pannek (Plymouth, Minn.) to make it 2-0, 6:25 into the frame. The period, again, was all Team USA as Finland’s first of two shots came with 8:16 to go in the stanza. Pannek’s tally remained the lone goal of the period to put the U.S. up a pair after 40.
Knight recorded her first goal of the tournament 13:02 into the final period with help from Lee Stecklein (Roseville, Minn.) and Kendall Coyne Schofield (Palos Heights, Ill.). The score remained 3-0 as the final horn sounded for Team USA’s second-straight shutout.
Nicole Hensley (Lakewood, Colo.) stopped all 10 shots she faced in the victory.
The U.S. returns to the ice Tuesday, Aug. 24, against the Russian Olympic Committee at 2 p.m. ET. That game, along with every U.S. tournament game, will be televised live in the United States on NHL Network.
For complete game statistics, click here.
| U.S. Women's National Team 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship |
| Date | Opponent | Round | Location | Time (Local/ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 18 | Russia | Pre-Tournament | Calgary, Alberta | W, 6-0 |
| Aug. 20 | Switzerland | Preliminary | Calgary, Alberta | W, 3-0 |
| Aug. 22 | Finland | Preliminary | Calgary, Alberta | W, 3-0 |
| Aug. 24 | Russia | Preliminary | Calgary, Alberta | 12:00 p.m. / 2:00 p.m. |
| Aug. 26 | Canada | Preliminary | Calgary, Alberta | 4:00 p.m. / 6:00 p.m. |
| Aug. 28 | TBD | Quarterfinals | Calgary, Alberta | 1:30 p.m. / 3:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 30 | TBD | Semifinals | Calgary, Alberta | 1:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. / 7:00 p.m. |
| Aug. 31 | TBD | Bronze Medal Game | Calgary, Alberta | 1:30 p.m. / 3:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 31 | TBD | Gold Medal Game | Calgary, Alberta | 5:30 p.m. / 7:30 p.m. |
