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U.S. Overpowers Swiss For Third Straight Win At Women’s Worlds

By USA Hockey, 08/29/22, 1:30PM EDT

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Hilary Knight (2G) named U.S. Player of the Game; 15 different Americans tally points

HERNING, Denmark — The U.S. Women’s National Team used goals from seven different players, including two from both Taylor Heise (Lake City, Minn.) and Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho), to earn a 9-0 win over Switzerland in 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship play here tonight at KVIK Hockey Arena in Herning, Denmark.

With the win, Team USA moved to 3-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) in preliminary-round play at the tournament. Tomorrow’s matchup against Canada, who is also undefeated in competition, will determine the winner of Group A and the top seed entering Thursday’s quarterfinal round. Puck drop against the Canadians is set for 8 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET) on NHL Network.

"I was happy with our effort as an entire group," said John Wroblewski (Neenah, Wis.), head coach of the 2022 U.S. Women's National Team. "We've set the table for a matchup against Canada tomorrow as best we could and we've done a great job building to this point. Tomorrow is another step in this process and we'll see where we're at and adjust from there heading into the quarterfinals."

After five minutes of offensive pressure to open the game, Abby Roque (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.) netted her third goal of the tournament to give the U.S. an early 1-0 lead. Following an offensive faceoff win by Roque on the left dot, Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, Minn.) tapped a quick pass to Lee Stecklein (Roseville, Minn.), who skated along the half wall and behind the net drawing the attention of the Switzerland defense. Stecklein then centered the puck to an open Roque, who quickly fired a shot past the blocker of Swiss netminder Andrea Braendli.

Hannah Bilka (Coppell, Texas) extended the U.S. lead to 2-0 with 7:26 to play in the opening period. The play began with Knight winning a puck battle behind the Swiss net. She then moved it to Stecklein, who slid it across the blueline to Caroline Harvey (Salem, N.H.). After some deceptive skating to open a shooting lane, Harvey let a wrist shot go and Bilka redirected it in for the goal.

Just over two minutes later, Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.) forced a turnover behind the Swiss goal and set up Heise, who was alone on the left hashmark. Heise quickly ripped a shot just beneath the bar on the glove side for her first goal with the U.S. Women’s National Team.

It didn’t take long for Heise to get her second career goal, either. With 2:00 to play in the first period, Carpenter sprung Heise and Megan Keller (Farmington Hills, Mich.) on a two-on-one rush up the ice. Heise corralled the pass, made a backhand toe drag to avoid the Swiss defense and then backhanded a puck from a tight angle that found its way into the net to give Team USA a 4-0 lead headed to the first intermission.

After killing off a penalty in the opening minutes of the middle frame, Team USA got back to their attacking style that led to a 22-1 shot advantage in the first 20 minutes, peppering Saskia Maurer, who replaced Braendli in the Switzerland goal to start the second period.

Knight found the back of the net for the first time in the tournament with 4:17 to play in the middle period while on the power play. From the bottom of the right circle, Carpenter and Bilka exchanged passes as Knight found open space just off the right hashmark. Carpenter slid a pass into Knight’s wheelhouse and she one-timed it between the legs of Maurer for a 5-0 lead.

A quick passing play led to Team USA’s sixth goal of the game at the 4:28 mark of the third period. From the right offensive corner, Kendall Coyne Schofield (Palos Heights, Ill.) swung the puck up to Keller on the point, who then passed across the ice to Savannah Harmon (Downers, Grove, Ill.). Harmon released a wrist shot that found its way to the net and into the top corner on the blocker side.

Less than two minutes later, Bilka threw a puck to the crease from below the goal line and a net-front scramble ensued. Knight was able to find the loose puck and slam it home to give the U.S. a 7-0 lead and tally her 83rd career Women’s World Championship point. The goal moved Knight into a tie for second all-time at the championship, just three points shy of the record.

Cayla Barnes (Eastvale, Calif.) added an eighth for Team USA with a wrist shot from the point during a power play just past the halfway point of the final period. Less than a minute later, Zumwinkle tipped home a Jincy Dunne (O’Fallon, Mo.) point shot to extend the lead to 9-0.  

Maddie Rooney (Andover, Minn.) stopped all four shots she faced in the U.S. net to earn the shutout win.

NOTES: Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho) was named U.S. Player of the Game with two goals. Team USA outshot Switzerland 57-4…The U.S. was 2-5 on the power play, while Switzerland was 0-3 ... Click here for pregame information.

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