MILAN — After dealing with a norovirus outbreak that postponed their game against Canada, the Finnish women’s hockey team took the ice for the first time at the 2026 Olympics, dropping their debut against Team USA by a decisive 5-0 score.
On Thursday, only 10 players — eight skaters and two goalies – were available to skate, with 13 others either sick or in quarantine due to exposure. On Saturday afternoon, Finland had all 22 players — everyone but No. 3 goalie Emilia Kyrkko — dressed against the Americans.
International Olympic Committee medical director Jane Thorton said in an email to The Athletic that all players who have been sick or isolated due to the virus returned to play according to guidelines established by National Olympic Committee team physicians in consultation with International Federations and the Olympic Games Organizing Committee. The return “is based on clinical course and according to timelines on infectiousness of the specific pathogen,” Thornton said.
USA Hockey’s Pat Kelleher was comfortable with the decision to play, telling The Athletic, “The USOPC is on top of that. So we’re following their lead and direction on it. There’s tons of doctors here under the USOPC and with us. So we’re taking every precaution, but we feel confident.”
From the outset of Saturday afternoon’s game, it was all United States as defender Megan Keller finished with a goal and two assists. Alex Carpenter, Taylor Heise, Hilary Knight and Abbey Murphy chipped in the others. Laila Edwards had two assists and Aerin Frankel improved to 2-0 in the tournament with 11 saves as the Americans outshot the Finns by 38 for the easy shutout.
The United States will take Sunday off before playing Switzerland on Monday.
Finland’s first period
Finland had every reason to come out sluggish after half the team spent most of the week sick or in isolation at the athlete’s village.
Norovirus is a highly contagious and often incredibly unpleasant stomach virus, which causes dehydration, loss of fluids, and lack of sleep. But you couldn’t tell in the opening 20 minutes. Defenders did well to keep the U.S. to the outside; they were breaking up high-danger plays and killed off an early power play by a dangerous American attack. Sanni Ahola, one of the players who missed time due to the outbreak, was really sharp, stopping 13 saves on 14 shots in the first period. She finished with 44 stops.
Team USA scored on a second power-play attempt late and scored two quick goals in the second before the floodgates opened. But Finland showed an incredible amount of heart and pride in the way they came out.
The Murphy-Heise connection continues
Heise and Murphy were held off the score sheet in Team USA’s first game against Czechia. They played well but weren’t quite as sharp as we saw them at the 2025 Rivalry Series.
Over the four-game series, the pair put on a show, with Heise finding seams and setting up open looks for Murphy, who scored five goals, including a Game 1 hat trick.
On Saturday, the dynamic pair officially arrived in Milan. Only this time it was Murphy delivering a gift to Heise for her first-ever goal at the Olympic Games. That change-up is exactly what makes that duo so dangerous for opponents. Heise is one of the best playmaker’s in the game right now, but she also has a great shot. Murphy is the total package, too, and she showed with her goal off a Heise assist late in the game.
With Britta Curl-Salemme on the other wing to hunt pucks and do the dirty work, this could be a formidable line for Team USA.
Knight on verge of U.S. Olympic record
Just two games into her fifth and final Olympics, Knight has tied the all-time U.S. record for goals at the tournament with 14 alongside Natalie Darwitz and Katie King-Crowley. With a goal on Thursday she already became the only American hockey player — and just the third-ever after Hockey Hall of Fame Canadians Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford — to score in five Olympic hockey tournaments.
With one more goal in Milan, Knight will stand alone in American history.
Coach John Wroblewski has said one of the Americans’ big motivations for this tournament is having Knight close out her Olympic career with one more gold medal.
And while this might be Knight’s last tournament, this is not your typical farewell tour: She’s still one of the very best players in the world, and she put that on display with her second goal of the tournament.
Standing on the red line with the puck in the offensive zone, Knight had the awareness to take a step away from the Finnish defender, opened up her stick and didn’t need much space beside the post to beat Ahola. That’s what elite goal scorers do. And at 36 years old, Hilary Knight is still exactly that.