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MILAN — Of all the elite players making up the U.S. women's national team's roster, coach John Wroblewski insisted the one he couldn't do without at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games was Hayley Scamurra.
It's a decision Wroblewski made upon taking over the team four years ago. and one immediately validated in the Americans' 5-1 Olympic tournament-opening win over Czechia.
Scamurra — regarded as the team's 13th "Jill-of-all-trades" forward — scored twice while logging just 6:45 minutes of ice time over 11 shifts.
"I was adamant with it. We weren't going to Milan without her at the start of this quad. She carries so much spirit to your team," Wroblewski said. "I'm not gonna speak for every other federation, but I just can't image there's anyone that works harder and wants it more than she does. It's inspiring, frankly."
The 31-year-old from Buffalo, New York, is the daughter of former NHL defenseman Peter Scamurra. And though she built a reputation of being a top defensive forward during her four-year college career at Northeastern, Scamurra went mostly overlooked by USA Hockey until making the national team in 2019.
And now she's doubled her goal total in making her second Olympic appearance after winning silver in 2022.
"I just do my best to bring that energy in every shift that I have. It feels a little extra special to be able to help on the scoreboard and physically, too," Scamurra said before addressing her journey.
"Honestly I think it just shows it's never too late to keep chasing your dreams," she said. "So I think, it just shows with hard work that anything is possible for sure."
Alex Carpenter had a goal and assist, and captain Hilary Knight and Joy Dunne also scored for the Americans, who improved to 8-0 over the Czechs in international play. Aerin Frankel, making her Olympic debut in net, stopped 13 shots.
Laila Edwards had an assist while becoming the first Black female to represent America in hockey at the Olympics.
Barbora Jurickova scored Czechia's lone goal. She was set up on a breakaway as she exited the penalty box to cut the Americans lead to 3-1 midway through the second period. Klara Peslarova finished with 37 saves in an outing Czechia was out-shot 31-9 through two periods.
The day's only other scheduled Group A game between defending Olympic champion Canada and Finland was postponed to Feb. 12. The Finns' roster was down to eight skaters and two goalies, with the remaining 13 players dealing with a stomach virus that hit the team on Tuesday.
The Americans were greeted a loud cheer and a "U-S-A!" chant began at puck drop.
Among those on hand in a nearly packed 5,000-plus seat Rho Ice Hockey Arena, were U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived about 12 minutes in, and departed with just over six minutes remaining. The large delegation that included USA Hockey officials and a security detail, filled a section of seats directly behind the penalty box and immediately opposite the U.S. bench.
Carpenter opened the scoring with a power-play goal with 4:05 left in the first period. The tournament-favored Americans then blew the game open with three goals in the second period in building a 4-1 lead.
Scamurra's first goal put the U.S. up 3-1 and came when she dug the puck out of a scrum to the right of the net, and got a low shot off to beat Peslarova through the legs. She then closed the scoring in the third period, by one-timing in a pass from Kelly Pannek.
"Honestly, it's inspiring," Knight said of Scamurra. "You can put her anywhere. ... I was hoping she'd get a third to be honest."
The Czechs are making their second Olympic appearance after debuting in 2022, and have quickly risen to become a power in the four years under coach Carla MacLeod. Czechia has won two bronze medals and finished fourth twice over the past four world championships.
MacLeod called the outing a foundation her players can build on.
"You're not worried, sort of, about the outcome at this point. You're just are we generating chances? Are we playing our way? Are believing in what we're doing?" she said. " And I saw all that. And for me, that's a great thing for us, as we continue to build and get better."
Next up for the U.S. is facing Finland on Saturday, and the uncertainty of how many Finns will be healthy enough to play.
"I hope that they're OK, let's just leave it at that. That's the most important part," Wroblewski said.
In an earlier Group B game, Lina Ljungblom scored twice in Sweden's 4-1 comeback win over Germany. The win already puts the Swedes in the driver's seat to win their pool and secure a better seeding for the quarterfinals.
Host team Italy defeated France 4-1 to post its first victory in making its second Olympic appearance. France is making its Olympic debut. The game was the played at the main rink, the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, which faced scrutiny over construction delays.
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AP Sports Writer James Ellingworth contributed to this story.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
