The American women’s hockey team is one win away from playing for another gold medal — but only after it endured a decidedly unnerving outing on Friday in Beijing.
The Czech Republic, appearing in its first Olympic women’s hockey tournament, menaced the United States, which won the title at the 2018 Games, for most of their quarterfinal game by short-circuiting an offense that has been a juggernaut of women’s hockey.
The Americans, who similarly struggled to convert scoring chances in a loss to Canada on Tuesday, ultimately prevailed, 4-1.
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The Czechs, though, held the Americans scoreless in the first period. Then they secured the afternoon’s first goal, when Michaela Pejzlova capitalized on a nearly open net and slipped the puck past Alex Cavallini. It was just the second shot of the day by the Czech team.
The Americans responded in 48 seconds, when Hilary Knight, the four-time Olympian, emerged from a scrum of players to score.
After the Czech team squandered a crucial opening, when it failed to add to its tally during a five-minute power play, the final period opened with the game tied.
The Americans spent much of the period threatening the Czech defense, only to see their offense sputter. Nearly seven minutes had passed before Lee Stecklein, an American defender, took control of the puck near the blue line. She lined up and took a shot from a distance.
The puck appeared to bounce off a Czech stick, and it crossed the goal line just after. The Czech goalie, Klara Peslarova, tossed her helmet in aggravation.
The Americans pressed on with an aggressive attack, and, during a power play, Savannah Harmon added a third goal for the United States with about three minutes left in the game. The United States’ fourth goal, with 5.6 seconds to play, came once the Czechs had emptied their net.
The Americans, who will next play on Monday in a semifinal, took 59 shots, while the Czechs made just six attempts.
