2024 Worlds Recap: Carpenter, Edwards Build USA to 6-0 Win Over Czechia

Team USA cruised to another convincing win yesterday, beating Czechia 6-0 on the back of an Alex Carpenter hat trick and two Laila Edwards goals.

Alex Carpenter opened the scoring at 6:49 after patiently outwaiting Czech goaltender Klára Peslarová to pot her first of the tournament. Kendall Coyne Schofield assisted on the goal. The goal came after significant U.S. offensive pressure from puck drop that saw them jump out to a 6-0 shot advantage. 

The Czechs' first shot came about halfway through the period, when Denisa Křížová got a breakaway, but U.S. goaltender Nicole Hensley made a huge save to keep her team in the lead. 

Shortly after, Czechia got the game’s first power play when Rory Guilday got called for an illegal hit. The U.S. was outshooting Czechia 11-1 at that point. All Czechia managed on the advantage was a few shots on goal.

The Americans headed back to the box at 18:43 when Caroline Harvey got called for delay of game. Then, Guilday got another penalty, this time for roughing after taking exception to a clearly post-buzzer Czechia shot on goal. However, the U.S. still led 1-0 after 20 while outshooting Czechia 14-4. 

The Americans started the second with 43 seconds of a 5v3 to kill followed by an abbreviated 5v4. They killed it all, but it was not the end of the penalty parade. Not even a minute after Guilday emerged, Carpenter headed in for slashing. Then, Czechia decided to join in on the fun, with Tereza Radová going for tripping at 5:58 and sending the U.S. to their first power play of the game. Apparently, both teams hated the idea of playing 5v5 hockey in the second period, yet neither scored on any of their opportunities. 

A few minutes later, Savannah Harmon headed to the locker room during a TV timeout. She did not return to the game, and at the time this story was submitted, there has been no update.

The U.S. got another power play at 14:21 when Křížová headed off for slashing. While they did not score during the advantage, Carpenter tucked home her second of the night just eight seconds later to double the U.S. lead. Harvey and Abbey Murphy both got assists. Peslarová was doing everything she could to keep her team in the game, but considering the U.S. was outshooting Czechia 34-7, it was only a matter of time before another one got through her.

Just 59 seconds after the Carpenter goal, Laila Edwards became the first Black woman to score for the U.S. senior national team when she sniped one into the short-side top corner during a 2-on-1. Britta Curl assisted on the goal. The beautiful shot also showcased Edwards' remarkable confidence, because many young players would not have dared to take it.

The second period ended with the U.S. firmly in control with a 3-0 lead and a 36-7 shot advantage after cracking Peslarová with relentless offensive pressure.

The U.S. took one more penalty for good measure at the beginning of the third, with Hannah Bilka going for cross-checking just over two minutes in. This time, an aggressive penalty kill resulted in Edwards scoring a shorty for her second of the game off a 2-on-1 with Coyne Schofield. Coyne Schofield made a great play to draw the defender over to the boards with her, and it left Edwards all alone for the pass as she streaked toward Peslarová. Harvey also assisted on the goal.

Soon after, Taylor Heise made it 5-0 by sniping one through a screen at 5:03. This prompted Czechia head coach Carla McLeod to call a timeout for her team to reset and try to stop the bleeding.

Unfortunately for Czechia, while the goals stopped for a few minutes, the penalties picked up. Mere seconds later, Křížová took an interference penalty. Two minutes after that expired, Aneta Tejralová was called for roughing after ripping Murphy’s helmet off. Carpenter took this power play opportunity to complete her hat trick, and it was 6-0 USA at 10:24 of the third. Cayla Barnes and Harvey assisted on the goal.

Finally, the U.S. headed to the penalty kill for the rest of the game with 3:13 remaining. Kirsten Simms laid a completely unnecessary hit from behind on Karolína Kosinová and earned five and a game for it. 

Nicole Hensley was brilliant killing the major penalty to preserve her shutout. If the broadcast counter was correct, Czechia managed to nearly double their shot count, pouring on eight in just over three minutes. However, it wasn’t enough to crack Hensley, and the U.S. cruised to a 6-0 win while outshooting Czechia 48-19.

Overall, this was another dominant offensive showing from Team USA. They were in complete control for most of the game, and the Czech defense had no solutions. Peslarová was excellent and did what she could to keep her team in the game, but the U.S. offensive pressure was too much for one woman to stop on her own. 

On the other hand, this game was a disappointment for Czechia after they put up a great showing against rival Finland on Wednesday. Their defense was stellar in the 4-0 win, keeping Finland to the perimeter for much of the game. However, they could not do the same to the U.S., and the result puts a bit of a damper on the hope that they might compete for more than a bronze medal this year.

The United States is right back in action tonight, taking on Finland at 7 p.m. EDT. Meanwhile, Czechia has the day off before another tough test against Canada on Sunday.