Team USA Advances to Sunday’s Gold-Medal Game of Women’s World Championship

Kessel opened the scoring when she ripped home a one-timer past Czechia netminder Blanka Skodova for a power-play goal with 8:30 remaining in the first period. The goal came after acrisp, cross-ice pass from Barnes, with Harvey also earning an assist on the play. Kessel has now scored a goal in three consecutive games, while Harvey has registered a point in every game of the tournament. 

With a one-goal lead heading into the second, Team USA erupted for three straight goals to take a 4-0 lead before the midpoint of the period. The U.S. struck twice in the opening six minutes thanks to two goals from Knight. 

First, Knight converted on another pass from Barnes at 4:22 into the period, this time on a 2-on-1 rush. Abby Roque (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.) earned an assist on the play as well. Knight then scored a little over a minute-and-a-half later when she redirected a point shot from Harvey for a power-play goal, giving the U.S. a 3-0 advantage and marking their third power-play tally of the game. 

Harvey helped Team USA make it 4-0 with 11:47 to go in the middle frame when she slid a pass from behind the net to Abbey Murphy (Evergreen, Ill.), who poked the puck into a wide-open net. Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.) also picked up an assist. 

The U.S. answered a second-period Czechia goal, when Roque extended the lead to 5-1 with Team USA’s fourth power-play goal of the game at five minutes remaining in the period. Heiseand and Haley Winn (Rochester, N.Y.) notched assists on the play. 

Kessel made it 6-1 with 1:41 to go in the second period when she batted the puck out of the air and into the net following a shot from Knight.