BEIJING (Reuters) -The Czech Republic women’s ice hockey team made their Olympic debut a winning one on Thursday, beating host China 3-1 in the Beijing Winter Games tournament opener, while the United States began their gold medal defense with a routine win.
China, back in the Olympic women’s competition for the first time since the 2010 Vancouver Games, were supported by a handful of delegates, VIPs, fans and energetic cheerleaders dressed in hockey sweaters at the Wukesong Sport Centre.
Even in a muted atmosphere, however, China’s American coach Brian Idalski said the moment rested heavily on his players.
“I think anytime you feel the weight of 1.4 billion people and representing them and what that feels like, that’s a lot to take in,” Idalski said.
“Overall they handled some of that well, I don’t think anyone’s preparation for this with COVID and everything else has been ideal.
“So for what was a very tough matchup for us, I was pleased we competed from start to finish.”
For the few socially distanced mostly China supporters there was little to cheer about in the early stages as the Czech Republic jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Tereza Radova in the opening period and Denisa Krizova with a brilliant individual effort in the second.
With just under a minute to play, China got on the scoreboard with a powerplay goal from Mi Le, but Michaela Pejzlova restored the Czechs’ two-goal cushion when she split two defenders before breaking in alone and stick-handling past netminder Chen Tiya.
Asked about scoring the first ever Olympic goal for the Czech women, Radova called it, “no big deal.”
“I feel like it is just a normal goal but I don’t how I am going to feel like tomorrow or a few hours after this game but right now it is nothing special.”
In other opening-day action, a ruthless Canada bidding to reclaim the Olympic title won by their bitter rivals the United States at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, thumped Switzerland 12-1.
Sarah Fillier, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull and Laura Stacey each scored twice for Canada. Ashton Bell, Claire Thompson, Erin Ambrose and Rebecca Johnston also put the puck in the Swiss net.
The United States, powered by a pair of goals each from Alex Carpenter and Kendall Coyne Schofield, opened their gold medal defence with a 5-2 win over Finland, but did not escape the game unscathed.
U.S. assistant captain Brianna Decker, one of the team’s emotional leaders, left the game on a stretcher early in the first period after a collision behind the net with a Finnish player left her screaming in pain.
After Decker left the game, the Americans quickly scored twice and then pulled away with a pair of second-period goals from Coyne Schofield.
Finland finally found the net early in the third period but Carpenter responded with her second of the game five minutes later to restore a four-goal cushion. Finland scored late but the game was already out of reach.
Japan scored a pair of third-period goals, including one into an empty net with 61 seconds remaining, to beat Sweden 3-1 in the day’s other game.
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Beijing; Additional reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ed Osmond and Bill Berkrot)
