PWHL Notebook: Olympic Winter Games Edition

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The Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 began Thursday as many of the PWHL’s 61 Olympians took the ice for the first time in pursuit of gold. Below is a recap of opening day results, notable performances, and a closer look at action ahead.

THURSDAY’S PRELIMINARY ROUND RECAP

The game between Finland and Canada scheduled to take place today has been postponed and will now be played on Feb. 12. The decision was taken following consultations with medical professionals after cases of norovirus were identified within Team Finland. Click here for more from the IIHF.

UNITED STATES (5) VS. CZECHIA (1)

Montréal forward Hayley Scamurra scored two goals, Seattle alternate captain Alex Carpenter had a goal and an assist, and Torrent captain Hilary Knight picked up a goal to lead the U.S. to victory. Boston’s Aerin Frankel earned the win in her Olympic debut with 13 saves. Americans Hannah Bilka (SEA), Megan Keller (BOS), Kelly Pannek (MIN) and Czech forward Natálie Mlýnková (MTL) each had an assist. This marked the eighth straight Olympic Winter Games in which the U.S. opened the tournament with a win and their first-ever preliminary round matchup against Czechia.

SWEDEN (4) VS. GERMANY (1)

Victoire forward Lina Ljungblom scored twice, including the game-winner, to lead a string of four unanswered goals by Sweden in the tournament’s opening game. Vancouver’s Nina Jobst-Smith scored the first goal of the Olympic Winter Games to put Germany on the board, and Victoire goaltender Sandra Abstreiter made 33 saves as Germany was outshot 37-16 by Sweden.

ITALY (4) VS. FRANCE (1)

Toronto forward Kristin Della Rovere scored Italy’s fourth goal and assisted on the game-winner to lead the host nation to its first-ever victory at the Olympic Winter Games.

OLYMPIC LEADERSHIP FROM THE PWHL

Five of the 10 Olympic teams are captained by PWHL players, with another 12 PWHL players named alternate captains for their respective countries.

Captains:

CAN: Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL)
CZE: Aneta Tejralová (SEA)
FIN: Michelle Karvinen (VAN)
SWE: Anna Kjellbin (TOR)
USA: Hilary Knight (SEA)

Alternates:

CAN: Renata Fast (TOR), Brianne Jenner (OTT), Jocelyne Larocque (OTT), Blayre Turnbull (TOR)
CZE: Denisa Křížová (MIN), Kateřina Mrázová (OTT)
FIN: Ronja Savolainen (OTT)
GER: Laura Kluge (BOS)
SWE: Sara Hjalmarsson (TOR)
SUI: Alina Müller (BOS)
USA: Alex Carpenter (SEA), Megan Keller (BOS)

RECORDS AND MILESTONES

Knight joined Jayna Hefford and Hayley Wickenheiser as the only women to score in five different Olympic tournaments and is now one goal away from tying the all-time Olympic goal-scoring record for an American.
Della Rovere (1G, 1A) became just the second member of the Italian Women’s National Team to record multiple Olympic points, joining Maria Michaela Leitner (2G, 1A in 2006).
Ljungblom (SWE) and Scamurra (USA) recorded the first multi-point games of their Olympic careers, both appearing in their second Olympic Winter Games.
Frankel became the 10th U.S. Women’s National Team goaltender to earn an Olympic victory.
Jobst-Smith (1G) and Bilka (1A) found the scoresheet in their Olympic debuts.
Abstreiter (MTL/GER), Britta Curl-Salemme (MIN/USA), Rory Guilday (OTT/USA), Taylor Heise (MIN/USA), Kristýna Kaltounková (NY/CZE), Laura Kluge (BOS/GER), Haley Winn (BOS/USA) round out the group of 11 PWHL players to make their Olympic debuts today.
Laila Edwards, a top prospect for the 2026 PWHL Draft from the University of Wisconsin, became the first Black player to compete with the U.S. Women’s National Team at the Olympics and recorded an assist in her debut.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

NBC Olympics – Heise talks about the impact of playing in the PWHL
USA Today – The PWHL Effect: Why Olympic women’s hockey looks different in 2026
Boston Globe – The Fleet have seven players in the Olympics, and the quality of competition in the PWHL has them ready to go
The Minnesota Star Tribune – Thanks to PWHL, women’s hockey will be better than ever at 2026 Olympics
Olympics.com – Winter Olympics 2026: Women’s ice hockey pits PWHL’s best against each other

JOCKS IN JILLS

Jocks in Jills debuted its first live reaction show following today’s games, with hosts Tessa and Julia breaking down all the action from the opening day of the women’s hockey tournament. For those who missed it, the livestream is available on the PWHL YouTube Channel here.

Up Next: Jocks in Jills returns with its next live reaction show on Saturday, Feb. 7, immediately following the day’s action, with the last game scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET when Canada takes on Switzerland. To tune in, visit the PWHL’s YouTube channel.