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2022 Olympics: Feb. 2 recap

How Canada v Switzerland and China v Czech Republic went in case you went to bed.

Canada beat Switzerland, 12-1
Group A

Goal Scorers

Canada: Sarah Fillier, Fillier, Natalie Spooner, Rebecca Johnson, Laura Stacey, Spooner, Blayre Turnbull, Stacey, Turnbull, Ashton Bell, Claire Thompson, Erin Ambrose
Switzerland: Lara Stalder

Sixty four seconds in the game, Canada scored with what the Swiss thought to be a high stick. They challenged it, and the game went into a lengthy review. Eventually the officials said the call on the ice stood, and Canada’s Sarah Fillier had her first Olympic goal (and the first goal of the 2022 Olympics).

That turned about the most life we really saw out of Switzerland for the rest of the game as they opened the tournament in extremely rough fashion. By the end of the second period, they only had eight shots on goal, while meanwhile Canada had eight goals. It doesn’t take a math person to know, that’s not good.

Switzerland were never able get much of anything going as Canada controlled the puck and the play all game, in addition to basically neutralizing Swiss’s top players like Alina Mueller and Lara Stalder. Their defense wasn’t much help to goaltender Andrea Braendli who saw 60+ shots. It was basically onslaught all night on her net.

They were able to avoid the shutout as Stalder scored on a 5-on-3 skater advantage.

For Switzerland, how they come back to their next game will be key.

For Canada, there was a lot to like. Really strong puck movement, good passes. They had four players with two goals, plus another three assists. Their second line of Fillier - Spooner - Daoust was firing on all cylinders, especially at the beginning of the game when that line scored all three goals in the first period.

The newest players to their team really stood out too. Fillier finished the game with 2 goals, 1 assist for 3 points. Defender Claire Thompson quietly had 1 goal, 4 assists, 5 points to share the team-lead in points with Spooner. Ashton Bell has a goal and assist for 2 points.

The biggest cause for concern: Mélodie Daoust got hit into the boards and immediately left the ice holding her arm/shoulder. She didn’t return to the game.

For a team looking to get back to the top of the Olympic podium, this was an extremely strong start for them.

Czech Republic beat China, 3-1
Group B

Goal Scorers

Czech Republic: Tereza Radova, Denisa Krizova, Michaela Pejzlova
China: Hannah Miller

Olympic stats
Moments: Hannah Miller scores first Olympic goal for China in 12 years

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