Michaela Pejzlova yesterday scored on a breakaway with 13 minutes, 33 seconds left in the third period as the Czech Republic capped their women’s ice hockey Olympic debut with a 3-1 win over hosts China at the Beijing Winter Games.
Tereza Radova became her nation’s first female to score in the Olympics by redirecting defender Aneta Tejralova’s pass into the slot to open the scoring 10:38 into a game the Czech Republic never trailed.
Denisa Krizova also scored and Klara Peslarova stopped 13 shots in a Group B preliminary-round game to open the tournament a day before the opening ceremony.
Photo: AP
China were outshot 36-14 in their fourth Olympic appearance and the first since finishing seventh of eight teams at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.
Mi Le scored and Canada-born goalie Tiya Chen stopped 33 shots for a China team made up of mostly members of the Russian-based Women’s Hockey League’s Vanke Rays.
With the Czech Republic up 2-1, Pejzlova secured the victory by beating Chen through the legs after being set up by a blue-line-to-blue-line pass from Pavlina Horalkova.
The Czech women’s development program has received a big boost from players attending US colleges. Five players on the roster, including Vermont’s Pejzlova, are attending National Collegiate Athletic Association schools, following in the footsteps of captain Alena Mills, who previously played at Brown.
Le cut the Czech Republic’s lead with a power-play goal from the left circle, sparking a cheer from the small gathering of fans — each with a blue-colored Olympic flag to wave — seated socially distanced in two corners of the lower level of Wukesong Sports Center.
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