U.S. Opens Women’s Hockey Title Defense With 7-0 Win

The U.S. scored once in the opening period, then took control with two goals in the second and four more in the third. Hannah Bilka and Laila Edwards each scored twice; Casey O’Brien, Kirsten Simms and Hilary Knight added goals. Caroline Harvey had three assists, and goalie Aerin Frankel stopped all eight shots she faced.

Knight, appearing at her 16th world championship, set new career highs at the tournament with 68 goals and 121 points across 88 appearances. The victory extended the Americans’ unbeaten record against Switzerland to 14 games. Switzerland won Olympic bronze in February.

Canada began its campaign with a 5-1 win over Sweden in Herning. Jessie Eldridge scored twice, while Ann-Renée Desbiens made 13 saves. The Czech Republic beat Austria 4-1, and Finland defeated host Denmark 4-1.

The 10-team tournament is being held in Esbjerg and Herning over 11 days. Teams are split into two groups of five, with the top four in each advancing to the playoffs; the final is scheduled for November 16. The bottom teams will meet in a relegation game.

The U.S. and Canadian teams are wearing generic jerseys without national logos under an IIHF requirement. Their federations have separate apparel deals with CCM and Bauer and are suing the governing body over the issue in a Swiss court.