SAN JOSE, Calif. — A five-goal first period led Team USA past Canada, 7-2, in the opening contest of the 2024-25 Rivalry Series, presented by Discover in San Jose, Calif. on Wednesday night.
Lacey Eden (Annapolis, Md.) and Abbey Murphy (Evergreen Park, Ill.) each scored a pair of goals, while Tessa Janecke (Warren, Ill.), Laila Edwards (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) and Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.) registered multi-point performances. Goaltender Aerin Frankel (Chappaqua, N.Y.) made 26 saves for the U.S. in the win.
Wednesday’s win marked Team USA’s largest margin of victory in Rivalry Series history. The U.S. Women’s National Team scored seven goals against Canada for the first time since April 4, 2015.
“I thought our figurehead, (Aerin) Frankel, was outstanding,” said John Wroblewski (Neenah, Wis.), head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team. “The game changes with whoever strikes first. Aerin was right there for us and held strong all night. The storyline was stability, and she represented the players’ will and tenacity across the board."
Team USA struck first, as Murphy opened the scoring on a one-timer set up by Janecke. Murphy’s shot ricocheted off a defender in front of the net and beat Canadian netminder Kristen Campbell to give Team USA a 1-0 lead with 12:40 remaining in the opening period.
GAME PHOTOS
The U.S. kept the pressure immediately following the opening tally as Britta Curl-Salemme (Bismarck, N.D.) forced her way into the offensive zone and challenged Campbell with a tricky shot on net.
Curl-Salemme fought off a breakout attempt from Team Canada, which set up an opportunity for Team USA. The puck was corralled by Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, Minn.) who sent a cross-ice feed to Savannah Harmon (Downers Grove, Ill.). Harmon redirected the pass forward and found the back of the net to give the U.S. a 2-0 advantage just 1:15 after Murphy’s goal.
Eden extended the U.S. lead further at the 14:51 mark of the opening frame, as she tipped a shot from the point from Megan Keller (Farmington Hills, Mich.) to give her team a 3-0 advantage. The third American goal was also assisted by Edwards.
Eden continued to pour on the offense, as she beat Campbell on a sharp-angle shot to extend the lead to 4-0 with 2:01 left in the frame. Casey O’Brien (Aquinnah, Mass.) and Keller added helpers to Eden’s second of the night.
Team USA continued to keep the pressure on its opponents with its overwhelming offensive-zone presence, adding one final goal with 25 seconds remaining in the first. Carpenter powered a backhand shot past Campbell to lift the U.S. to a commanding 5-0 lead. Carpenter’s goal was assisted by Kirsten Simms (Plymouth, Mich.) and Kendall Coyne Schofield (Palos Heights, Ill.).
The U.S. made the most of an early second period power play, as the home team displayed stellar puck movement off the faceoff. A series of six passes was capped off with a goal by Hannah Bilka (Coppell, Texas), assisted by Carpenter and Edwards. The power-play tally gave the U.S. a 6-0 lead just 3:17 into the frame.
Canada found its first goal of the night with 3:12 left in the second, as Laura Stacey found Blayre Turnbull in the slot, who fired a one-timer past Frankel to cut the U.S. advantage to five goals.
Sarah Nurse trimmed Canada’s deficit to four, as she found the back of the net on a power play with 1:40 left in the period. Team USA carried a 6-2 lead into the third.
Murphy added her second goal of the contest, as she scored off a feed from Janecke to give the U.S. a 7-2 lead. Joy Dunne (O’Fallon, Mo.) added an assist on the play with 18:30 remaining in regulation.
Frankel capped off a successful contest for Team USA with a series of stellar saves in the dying seconds of the game to preserve the five-goal victory.
The Rivalry Series, presented by Discover will continue Friday, Nov. 8, when the U.S. takes on Canada at Maverik Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Puck drop is set for 9 p.m. ET (7 p.m. MT) on NHL Network.
NOTES: Team USA was 1-3 on the power play, while Canada was 1-6 … The U.S. outshot Canada, 29-26.
2024-25 Rivalry Series 
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Rivalry Series History
Source: usahockey.com