In the lead-up to her fifth and final Winter Games, Hilary Knight showcased her scoring prowess with a hat trick in a 6-1 victory over Canada at Buffalo’s KeyBank Center. Knight, 36, Team USA’s captain, displayed no signs of slowing down despite announcing her retirement after this Olympics. Her stellar performance followed a successful PWHL season where she tied for the league lead in points.
Abbey Murphy’s natural hat trick in the series opener set the stage for Knight’s impressive showing, highlighting the depth of offensive talent on the American team. Knight attributed her success to teamwork and rigorous training since August. Laila Edwards, Kelly Pannek, and Hayley Scamurra also contributed goals in the win, with Gwyneth Philips making key saves for Team USA.
While Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin scored and Kayle Osborne impressed in her national team debut, the Canadians fell short against the speedy American squad. Canadian coach Troy Ryan emphasized the importance of learning from exhibition games and testing different lineups for improvement.
The series, limited to four games, will resume in Edmonton after a month break. With the U.S. on a four-game winning streak against Canada, the upcoming matches promise to deliver intense competition as both teams gear up for the Milan Cortina Games. Knight’s power-play goal and Pannek’s quick follow-up were crucial in securing the victory, with Edwards sealing the win with a remarkable goal in the third period.
