Canada dominates in women’s hockey opener against Switzerland
It took just over a minute of action for the Canadian women’s hockey team to net their first goal of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as they trounced Switzerland 12-1.
Back-to-back goals by Sarah Fillier in the opening eight minutes of the game and another by Natalie Spooner at 11 minutes and 20 seconds gave the Canadians an early 3-0 lead at the end of the first.
Canada added another five points in the second period thanks to a pair of goals from Laura Stacey and singles from Spooner, Rebecca Johnston and Blayre Turnbull to increase the gap to 8-0.
With a two-player advantage, Switzerland’s Lara Stalder scored the lone goal for her team at 8:30 in the third period. The Swiss were outpaced by Canada in the frame once again, however, with Turnbull, Ashton Bell, Claire Thompson and Erin Ambrose each scoring en route to victory.
The Canadian squad, which includes Saskatoon forward Emily Clark, outshot Switzerland 70-15 in the game.
Up next, Canada will face Finland in another preliminary round game, scheduled for Friday, Feb. 4 at 10:10 p.m. Sask time.
During the break in between, the team will participate in the Olympic Opening Ceremonies with women’s hockey captain Marie-Philip Poulin acting as flag bearer alongside men’s short track speed skater Charles Hamelin. The Ceremony is scheduled for Friday at 6 a.m. Sask time.
Read more about the game at hockeycanada.ca.