Plymouth native Kirsten Simms helped Team USA secure a dominant 5-0 victory over Canada in a heavyweight Olympic ice hockey showdown.
Simms scored her first Olympic goal at 1:21 of the middle period, battling in the Canadian crease to drive the puck home on the power play in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
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Hannah Bilka of Coppell, Texas, playing for the Seattle Torrent, scored two goals as the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team defeated Canada in its final preliminary-round game at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, held at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
Team USA finished the preliminary round atop Group A with a perfect 4-0 record, outscoring opponents 20-1.
The team has not conceded a goal in its last 211 minutes and 23 seconds of play and has recorded three straight shutouts heading into the quarterfinals.
The United States will face Italy in quarterfinal action Friday, Feb. 13, at 9:10 p.m.
Central European Time (3:10 p.m. Eastern Time) at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena.
The game will be televised on USA Network and streamed on Peacock.
Caroline Harvey of Salem, New Hampshire, scored the game’s first goal at 3:45 of the opening frame, wristing a shot through Canadian netminder Ann-Renee Desbiens.
Hilary Knight of Sun Valley, Idaho, assisted on the goal, tying her for the most career points (32) in U.S. Olympic Women’s Hockey history with Jenny Potter.
Team USA doubled its lead with 2:42 remaining in the first period when Bilka scored from the slot after Abbey Murphy of Evergreen Park, Illinois, delivered a behind-the-back centering feed.
Simms’ power-play goal in the second period extended the lead to 3-0.
Bilka added her second goal at 13:00 of the second, rifling a one-timer past Desbiens after a pass from Murphy.
Laila Edwards of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, scored her first-career Olympic goal at 11:53 of the third period, wristing a shot over Desbiens’ shoulder.
U.S. goaltender Aerin Frankel of Chappaqua, New York, finished with a 20-save shutout, her second clean sheet of the tournament.
The U.S. outshot Canada 33-20 and went 1-for-5 on the power play, while Canada went 0-for-1.
The 5-0 loss marked Canada’s first-ever shutout loss in 41 Olympic contests.