Team USA ladies’s hockey routs Finland with Vance in attendance | USAEMALL.com

The American women’s hockey team improved to 2-0 at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics on Saturday.

Team USA captain Hilary Knight scored in a second straight game, tying the U.S. Olympic record in the Americans’ 5-0 rout of Finland. Her 14 career Winter Olympic goals match totals set by Natalie Darwitz and Katie King.

The Americans wore down an illness-hit Finland squad, extending Finland’s winless Olympic record against the U.S. to 0-11. Vice President JD Vance and his family attended and cheered on the tournament-favorite Americans.

United States players celebrate after defeating Finland in women’s ice hockey Group A play during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 7, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)

Team USA defender Megan Keller had a goal and two assists, while Alex Carpenter, Taylor Heise and Abbey Murphy also scored. Aerin Frankel stopped 11 shots for her first shutout in just her second career Olympic game.

The Finns returned to the ice as a full team for the first time since last being together at practice on Tuesday. That night, four players developed symptoms of norovirus. Two days later, Finland’s 23-player roster was down to eight forwards and two goalies, prompting Olympic officials to postpone the team’s tournament opener against Canada to Feb. 12.

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On Friday, coach Tero Lehtara vowed his team would play the Americans even if it meant having a minimum of five forwards and a goalie. After canceling their morning skate Saturday, the Finns took the ice six hours later with a full 22-player contingent.

United States players celebrate defeating Finland in women’s ice hockey Group A play during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 7, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)

Goalie Sanni Ahola stopped 44 shots overall and kept the Finns in the game through a first period in which she stopped 14 of 15 shots. Carpenter was the only one who beat her, scoring with a one-timer from the slot on a power-play goal with just under five minutes left in the period.

Vance was seated next to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena.

Vance and his family entered during the intermission at the end of the first period, with the U.S. leading 1-0. Paul joined them shortly after. Paul’s fiancée, Jutta Leerdam, is a speedskater and is competing for her native Netherlands at the Winter Games.

U.S. Second Lady Usha Vance, wore a sweatshirt with “USA” in big letters.

Among those also seated near Vance were 2010 Olympic figure skating gold medalist Evan Lysacek and hockey’s twin sisters, Hall of Famers Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando. They were members of the U.S. gold medal-winning team at the 2018 Winter Games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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