Kendall Coyne (R) takes a shot against Finland at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Shayba Arena on Feb. 8, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
Four different players netted goals for the U.S. women’s ice hockey team in its second game of the Four Nations Cup, defeating Finland 4-0 at Kerava Arena in Kerava, Finland.
Brianna Decker tallied three assists to pace the attack. Goalkeeper Nicole Hensley made her Four Nations Cup debut and earned the shutout.
Despite outshooting Finland 13-3, the game remained scoreless through the first period. The U.S. was getting its first look at Finnish goalkeeper Noora Raty for the first time since the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, and Raty played up to her elite reputation. The period became a tale of two goalkeepers, as newcomer Hensley made a spectacular save in the closing minutes of the period to preserve the tie.
2014 Olympic silver medalist Kendall Coyne broke the ice, scoring at 2:15 in the second period. Olympic teammate Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson doubled the lead at 9:09, hitting the back of the net with a slap shot from the point. The gap widened further at 1:25 of the third period as Megan Keller put away a rebound to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead. Nine minutes later it was Monique Lamoureux-Morando’s turn to get in on the scoring, giving the U.S. its final 4-0 advantage.
The U.S. outshot Finland 35-18, with Hensley earning the second consecutive shootout to open the tournament; Alex Rigsby stopped eight shots against Sweden on Tuesday.
With this win, the U.S. improves its record against Finland in Four Nations Cup play to 22-1-1, dating back to the Three Nations Cup in 1996-1999. The loss was a 3-1 defeat in 2013, when the U.S. notched its lowest Four Nations finish in third place; Finland finished second, its highest ever.
Team USA will next take on undefeated Canada to conclude round-robin play on Friday. On Wednesday, Canada downed Sweden 3-1 after giving up an early lead. The medal rounds take place on Saturday, with the top two teams competing for gold at 11:30 a.m. ET. The bronze-medal match kicks off action at 8 a.m.
