Tough because it was listening to Brianna Decker crying out in ache whereas laying inclined on the ice, Kendall Coyne Schofield understood the U.S. girls's hockey workforce nonetheless had a recreation to complete.
After the Individuals wrapped up their 5-2 win over Finland to open the Beijing Video games, Schofield may verbalize what she felt when encountering Decker — who will miss the rest of the Olympics as a result of her harm, a spokesperson for the workforce confirmed to CBS Information late Thursday — standing on crutches subsequent to the bench.
"I simply advised her, 'We obtained this,'" Schofield stated. "It doesn't matter what she's an enormous a part of this group. ... You noticed that in our response after she went down, how a lot we picked up the sport and took management."
The Individuals actually had their veteran teammate's again after Decker was damage whereas being tripped from behind by Ronja Savolainen 9:32 into the primary interval.
The sight of the workforce's assistant captain and 11-year veteran unable to place weight on her left leg earlier than being stretchered off offered a motivating spark to the defending Olympic gold medalists.
Amanda Kessel and Alex Carpenter scored twice over the following 3 1/2 minutes within the Group A match. Schofield then put the win away with two objectives in 64 seconds within the second.
"There isn't any changing Brianna Decker," stated Schofield, the workforce's captain. "However in that scenario, everybody stepped as much as the plate in the way in which they had been requested to. And I feel that is how we had been profitable tonight."
Now it is a matter of the Individuals persevering with to forge forward of their bid to grow to be the primary U.S. squad to win consecutive titles.
"It was sickening," Kessel stated of the yelps of ache coming from Decker after she and Savolainen had been tangled as much as the left of the U.S. internet.
"She's one of many hardest gamers that I've ever performed with or towards, so she's not staying down on the ice or crying when it isn't unhealthy. So it is undoubtedly a intestine punch," Kessel added. "We need to win for her."
Coach Joel Johnson stated he wasn't going to dispute the official's resolution to not penalize Savolainen, who appeared to slew-foot Decker from behind, resulting in each gamers falling to the ice.
"They noticed it as simply individuals getting twisted up," Johnson stated. "I am biased, and so I noticed it a bit in another way. However I do not suppose it was a missed name by any means."
Savolainen stated she wasn't certain what occurred, and referred to as it "an unfortunate scenario" whereas sharing what she advised Decker following the sport.
"I simply ask how she's feeling, after which I stated, `Sorry.' Like, I did not need to damage her," she stated.
Decker's harm was the second to a key participant in the course of the event's opening day. Canadian ahead Melodie Daoust didn't return after being checked laborious into the boards by Sarah Foster in Canada's 12-1 rout of Switzerland.
Carpenter scored twice for the U.S., and Maddie Rooney stopped 10 pictures in simply her second recreation since an harm pressured her to overlook the world championships in August.
Finland had little response to the Individuals' push after Decker was damage. The Finns managed only one shot over the rest of the primary interval. They had been outshot 19-2 within the second and 52-12 total.
Susanna Tapani scored twice, and Anni Keisala made 47 saves for Finland, which received bronze on the 2018 Video games.
Tapani's second aim got here with 2:20 remaining, though it wasn't awarded till a video evaluation was performed after time ran out. The groups had been able to depart to their locker rooms earlier than they needed to play the ultimate 2:20 over once more.
"USA are a extremely good workforce and so they did an superior job," Finland captain Jenni Hiirikoski stated. "They confirmed find out how to rating immediately."
The Individuals improved to 9-0 towards Finland in Olympic play. The U.S. has Friday off earlier than going through Russia on Saturday.
In different video games, Natalie Spooner had two objectives and three assists and Claire Thompson had a aim and 4 assists in Canada's win over the Swiss in Group A.
"That is fairly the way in which to make an entrance into the Olympics," Spooner stated.
Sarah Fillier scored the primary two objectives and the Canadians led 8-0 by two intervals. Canada is the reigning world champion after a 3-2 time beyond regulation win over the U.S. in August ended the Individuals' five-tournament gold-medal run.
In Group B, Michaela Pejzlova scored on a breakaway with 13:33 left within the third interval, and the Czech Republic capped its girls's hockey Olympic debut with a 3-1 win over host China.
Tereza Radova grew to become her nation's first girl to attain within the Olympics by redirecting defender Aneta Tejralova's cross to open the scoring 10:38 right into a recreation the Czech Republic by no means trailed. Denisa Krizova additionally scored and Klara Peslarova stopped 13 pictures.
China was outshot 36-14 in its first Olympic look since ending seventh of eight groups in 2010. Mi Le scored and Canadian-born goalie Tiya Chen stopped 33 pictures for a Chinese language nationwide workforce made up of principally members of the Russian-based Girls's Hockey League's Vanke Rays.
With the Czech Republic up 2-1, Pejzlova secured the win by beating Chen by the legs after being arrange by a blue-line-to-blue-line cross from Pavlina Horalkova.
Followers — every with a blue-colored Olympic flag to wave — had been seated socially distanced in two corners of the decrease stage of Wukesong Sports activities Centre. There have been additionally about two dozen female and male cheerleaders who lined the rail above the primary stage. The cheerleaders wore darkish blue jerseys with "Ice Hockey" printed on them, and carried out a dance to techno music earlier than the beginning of every recreation and in the course of the intermissions.
In one other Group B recreation, Rui Ukita capitalized on a turnover to attain the go-ahead aim on a breakaway 4:03 into the third interval in Japan's 3-1 victory over Sweden.