🇺🇸 United States 6-0 Russian Olympic Committee 🇷🇺
Exhibition Game
WinSport Arena, Calgary 🇨🇦
Wednesday, 18 August 2021

The U.S. Women’s National Team defeated the Russian Olympic Committee 6-0 in its lone pre-tournament matchup ahead of the 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship at WinSport Arena this afternoon.

Team USA opened the scoring with less than a minute into the game. The play initiated with Kendall Coyne Schofield forcing a turnover and then the puck found the tape of Hilary Knight. From behind the net, Knight made a quick backhand pass to Brianna Decker who was waiting at the edge of the crease to tap in the first goal of the game, 35 seconds in.

The U.S. remained in control for the majority of the first half of the frame as R.O.C.’s first scoring opportunity came at the 13-minute mark where U.S. goaltender Alex Cavallini (née Rigsby) kept the U.S. lead at one with a kick save.

With one minute to play in the first, the U.S. forced an offensive zone turnover off a rogue pass from the R.O.C. goaltender Valeria Merkusheva and the U.S. regained control in the zone. Merkusheva got a piece of an initial shot from Jesse Compher, but Hayley Scamurra was waiting on the doorstep to give the U.S. a two-goal lead heading into the first intermission.

Minutes ticked away in the second period with no chances from either side until the 13:49 mark. Knight kept the puck in the offensive zone and dished it off to Alex Carpenter who then got the puck on the stick of Caroline Harvey. Harvey took a hard shot from the slot and Merkusheva made the initial save, but the puck trickled into the goal to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead.

The U.S. kept the pressure on in the third as Kelly Pannek converted on a 5-on-3 power play and Savannah Harmon tallied a goal to put the lead up to five. Decker added her second goal of the game as time was winding down in the matchup to lead the U.S. to a 6-0 victory.

Cavallini and Nicole Hensley shared time in net for the U.S. and combined for a shutout, as they stopped all 15 shots.

The U.S. opens preliminary round play on Friday, 20 August against Switzerland.

NOTES: The U.S. outshot the Russian Olympic Committee, 47-15…Johnson is serving as head coach of the 2021-22 U.S. Women’s National Team, alongside assistant coaches Brian Pothier, Courtney Kennedy and goaltending coach Alli Altmann…The U.S. has won the last five IIHF Women’s World Championships and have captured gold a total of nine times (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019), including eight of the last nine tournaments.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
00:36 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Decker (Knight)
04:41 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Bozek, slashing
09:24 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Pannek, hooking
19:04 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Scamurra

2nd Period
20:28 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Harvey, holding
26:11 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Harvey (Carpenter, Knight)
37:04 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Sosina, hooking

3rd Period
42:27 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Rodnova, slashing
43:30 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Shibanova, tripping
44:10 – 🇺🇸 PP2 GOAL – Pannek (Keller, Dunne)
46:24 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Harmon (Curl)
57:45 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Decker (Harmon, Knight)

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇺🇸 Rigsby (8-8), Hensley (5-5)
L: 🇷🇺 Merkusheva (22-25), Prugova (15-18)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇺🇸 20+14+9 = 43
🇷🇺 6+4+3 = 13

ROSTERS
🇺🇸 Goaltenders: Nicole Hensley, Alex Rigsby. Defence: Cayla Barnes, Megan Bozek, Natalie Buchbinder, Jincy Dunne, Savannah Harmon, Caroline Harvey, Megan Keller, Lee Stecklein (A). Forwards: Dani Cameranesi, Alex Carpenter, Jesse Compher, Kendall Coyne (C), Britta Curl, Brianna Decker, Lacey Eden, Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight (A), Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Abby Roque, Hayley Scamurra, Grace Zumwinkle.
🇷🇺 Goaltenders: Valeriya Merkusheva, Anna Prugova. Defence: Maria Batalova, Liana Ganeyeva, Angelina Goncharenko, Nina Pirogova (A), Yelena Provorova, Anna Savonina, Anna Shibanova (A), Yuliya Smirnova. Forwards: Oksana Bratisheva, Yekaterina Dobrodeyeva, Landysh Falyakhova, Fanuza Kadirova, Veronika Korzhakova, Viktoriya Kulishova, Ilona Markova, Valeriya Pavlova, Yelizaveta Rodnova, Kristi Shashkina, Olga Sosina (C), Alexandra Vafina.

Article Credit: USA Hockey
Photo Credit: USA Hockey – IIHF – HHOF – IOC