Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek placed 17th in the competition on Feb. 9

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — The fans from the Czech Republic clanged cowbells and waved their red-white-and-blue tricolor for a sun-splashed Olympic victory they simply knew was coming. Then, they all looked down and checked their programs.

The U.S. women’s hockey team opened play at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics with a 5-1 win over Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic earned their first Group A win by defeating Finland 2-0 in the Olympic women's ice hockey tournament on Sunday, while Sweden secured a quarter-final place with a 4-0 win over France in Group B at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena.

US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Milan on Thursday for the 2026 Winter Olympics, attending their first event shortly after landing in the northern Italian

The United States women's hockey team kicked off group play at the 2026 Winter Olympics with a win over Czechia on Thursday.

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are underway after the lighting of the Olympic cauldrons and the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony.

The U.S. women's hockey team will make its 2026 Winter Olympics debut with a matchup against the Czech Republic on Thursday. It will be a good test for the Americans, one of the two heavy favorites to win the gold medal in Italy, along with Canada.