U.S. Women’s Hockey Team vs Finland Live: Scores, Schedule, and How to Watch the 2026 Olympic Clash

The U.S. women’s hockey team opened the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Czechia, immediately staking its claim as a gold-medal favorite. Hayley Scamurra powered the offense with two goals, while rookie netminder Aerin Frankel turned aside 13 shots to earn her first Olympic win. Captain Hilary Knight—already the most prolific scorer in U.S. women’s hockey history—added her 13th career Olympic goal, a blistering wrist shot that punctuated a three-goal second period surge. “Today was a great start, but every game we have to grow,” head coach John Wroblewski said after the game, underscoring the squad’s one-game-at-a-time mantra. The Americans dominated possession, outshooting Czechia 42-14 and converting once on three power-play chances. Joy Dunne and Alex Carpenter filled out the scoresheet, highlighting the roster’s enviable depth across all four lines. That depth will be tested quickly: Team USA faces Finland on Saturday, February 7 at 10:40 a.m. ET (4:40 p.m. local) in a pivotal Group A clash that will stream on Peacock and air on USA Network. Beyond the box score, this tournament already carries historic significance. Twenty-two-year-old forward Laila Edwards has become the first Black woman ever to suit up for a U.S. Olympic hockey team, a milestone that resonates far beyond the rink. She joins Olympic mainstays Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Megan Keller on a roster blending five-time Olympians with first-time starters hungry to avenge the 2022 gold-medal loss to Canada. Revenge remains a potent storyline. Four years ago in Beijing, Canada edged the United States in the final, snapping the Americans’ bid for back-to-back titles. With virtually the entire leadership core returning and an influx of collegiate stars—Scamurra, Dunne, and Tessa Janecke among them—Team USA has spent the last quadrennial refining an aggressive, puck-possession style designed to neutralize Canada’s transition game. Early returns suggest the plan is working: the Americans forced 28 turnovers and controlled 63 percent of even-strength shot attempts in the opener. Key to sustained success will be special teams discipline and balanced scoring. The first line of Knight, Carpenter, and Coyne Schofield combined for eight points against Czechia, but Wroblewski praised the “energy minutes” from rookies Dani Burke and Abby Roque that tilted the ice in the third period. Expect line combinations to stay fluid as the staff searches for optimal matchups against a Finnish squad anchored by goaltender Anni Keisala. Looking ahead, the United States closes group play versus Switzerland on February 9 before a likely semifinal showdown with either Canada or Sweden. Medal games take place February 13, and anything short of gold would be a disappointment for a program that has medaled in every Olympic women’s hockey tournament since its 1998 debut. For fans stateside, every U.S. game streams live on Peacock with encore presentations on NBC and USA Network. Social media coverage will be centralized under #USWNT and #MilanCortina2026, while USA Hockey’s digital hub offers behind-the-scenes access and daily player diaries. With history already made and redemption squarely in focus, the U.S. women’s hockey team has turned a hot Olympic start into a national rallying cry—one that could culminate in gold beneath the Italian Alps.