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Brianna Decker was screaming, her agony audible to most everyone in an arena that was nearly empty on Thursday. The cries kept coming after the tangling collision, the first period’s clock stopped at 10:58.
American hockey officials later confirmed what most had immediately assumed: that Decker, one of the most formidable and experienced players for the U.S. women’s team, would not be able to play for the remainder of the Games, a harsh blow to the team’s ambitions to repeat as Olympic champions.
The United States, which defeated Finland, 5-2, did not bring any reserves to Beijing. Coach Joel Johnson said after the game that he would explore his options for any necessary roster adjustments.
“It was awful,” Kendall Coyne Schofield, the American captain, said of the moment when Decker was injured in a collision with Ronja Savolainen of Finland. “There’s no other way to put it. It was really tough to see. She’s one of the toughest, strongest players in the world, and so when you hear her react like that, obviously, it was devastating and nerve-racking for us.”
Decker, a forward from Dousman, Wis., made her third Olympic roster just four years after she had led the United States in assists during its gold medal run at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. This year, she has been an alternate captain.
After medical officials evacuated an alert and calm Decker from the ice on a stretcher, the Americans responded swiftly. Amanda Kessel slowly approached the net along the goal line, edged around the crease and, just 21 seconds after play had resumed, scored the first goal of the tournament for the United States.
Less than three minutes later, Alex Carpenter scored on a power play to add to the U.S. lead. Coyne Schofield added two goals for the Americans in the second period, and Carpenter scored again in the third.
Susanna Tapani had two power play goals for Finland in the third period.
“It wasn’t because of the injury that we played better, but I think there was some extra emotion that took place inside of everybody,” Johnson said.
Although the game against Finland was essentially a glorified scrimmage — both teams were already guaranteed to advance to the tournament’s next round — the matchup was an opportunity for both teams to take early measures of formidable rivals.
Finland won the bronze in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018. Canada, which took silver that year, beat Switzerland, 12-1, earlier on Thursday.
But Thursday turned into a costly nightmare for the Americans.
“This team has depth, and everyone has a role, and that role may change,” Coyne Schofield said. “And no matter what that role is, you have to embrace it.”
She added: “You saw that our line shifted when Brianna went down, and everyone did an amazing job stepping up. There’s no replacing Brianna Decker in that situation, but everyone stepped up to the plate in the way they were asked to.”
Who’s on the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team?
Alan BlinderReporting from the Beijing Olympics 🏒
Who’s on the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team?
Alan BlinderReporting from the Beijing Olympics 🏒
The United States women’s hockey team opened play today against Finland. The Americans won gold in 2018 and are expected to contend this month in Beijing.
Let’s meet some of the players →
