Olympic Hockey Results 2022: USA, Canada and Thursday's Top Women's Scores

It was only the first day of the women's hockey tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics, but longtime rivals Canada and the United States already appeared on another gold-medal collision course.

The Canadians were downright dominant in a 12-1 win over Switzerland, while the Americans took care of business against a medal contender in Finland 5-2.

Japan and the Czech Republic were the other winners from Thursday's action in Beijing.

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Thursday's Results

Czech Republic 3, China 1

Canada 12, Switzerland 1

Japan 3, Sweden 1

United States 5, Finland 2

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Day 1 Recap

Perhaps what's most impressive about Canada's rout of Switzerland is that it racked up a dozen goals without Marie-Philip Poulin, arguably the top women's player, finding the net and recording just a single assist. It's a testament to the team's depth.

Four players scored at least two goals (Sarah Fillier, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull and Laura Stacey) and a trio of skaters picked up at least three assists (Spooner, Claire Thompson and Rebecca Johnston) as Canada opened the scoring after just a minute and never looked back.

The Canadians finished the game with an eye-popping 70 shots on goal.

After a hard-fought opening 10 minutes, the United States was able to seize control of its opener with a pair of goals less than three minutes apart by Amanda Kessel and Alex Carpenter.

Team USA put the game out of reach with a strong second period when it outshot the Finns 19-2. Kendall Coyne Schofield scored both goals in the frame to increase the lead to 4-0.

Carpenter added her second of the day for the U.S. in the third, while Susanna Tapani scored twice for Finland on the power play.

One key question coming out of the contest is the health of Brianna Decker, who was stretchered off the ice in the first period after getting hit from behind. She didn't return to the contest.

China, as the host nation, is taking part in the women's hockey tournament for the first time since 2010. It received a strong performance from goalie Chen Tiya, who made 33 saves, to remain competitive against a Czech side with a shot at the podium.

Tereza Radova, Denisa Krizova and Michaela Pejzlova were the goal scorers for the Czech Republic. Mi Le netted the only goal for the hosts.

Japan provided the only upset of the day with its triumph over Sweden.

Shiori Koike opened the scoring late in the first period for the Japanese, who have never finished better than sixth in the Olympics. After Maja Nylen-Persson tied the game for the Swedes, Rui Ukita put Japan ahead for good. Haruna Yoneyama added an empty-netter to seal the win.

Play in the women's hockey tournament continues with a pair of games Friday: the Russian Olympic Committee vs. Switzerland and Denmark vs. China.