The Opening Ceremony is finished and the Winter Games are heating up, with some of the first medals on the line.
Here are the latest updates from the Winter Games Friday night and Saturday morning.
U.S. Women's Hockey Team Routs ROC to Improve to 2-0 at the 2022 Winter Olympics
The U.S. women's hockey team is off to a strong start at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Team USA followed up its 5-2 win over Finland in the group stage opener by routing the ROC 5-0 on Saturday. Savannah Harmon had a goal and two assists and Hilary Knight added a goal and an assist to help the U.S. improve to 2-0.
It was a dominant performance throughout by the U.S., though that wasn't evident on the scoreboard until the third period as Canada goalie Maria Sorokina helped keep the game close.
Watch: Hilary Knight Scores on Deflected Goal to Extend Team USA's Lead Over ROC
Hilary Knight picked up the primary assist on Savannah Harmon’s first period goal in Team USA’s game against the Russian Olympic Committee on Saturday, and now she’s got a goal of her own after scoring in the second period of the contest.
Knight, playing in her fourth Olympics, managed to get her stick on a shot from Harmon during the second period of Saturday’s game in a remarkable display of hand-eye coordination.
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Team USA Without Medal After Day 1 of Olympic Competition in Beijing
The first American medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics will have to wait to be celebrated after Team USA went medal-less on Day 1 of competition in Beijing.
The United States had a few podium opportunities Saturday morning. Freestyle skier Nick Page finished fifth in the men's mogul final and cross country skier Jessie Diggins finished sixth in the women’s 7.5km skiathlon.
Read more here.
Savannah Harmon Scores First Career Olympic Goal as Team USA Battles ROC in Hockey Showdown
Team USA forward Savannah Harmon is playing in her first Olympics this month, and she’s got something special to add to her trophy case, as she scored her first career goal in the competition on Saturday against the Russian Olympic Committee.
Harmon, a Downers Grove-native, made a strong rush to the net on a first period power play for the United States, and Hilary Knight made sure that she got her chance to get on the board.
Michigan's Ryan Pivirotto Advances to Quarterfinals for Short Track
Two American short track speed skaters kept their Olympic dreams alive on Saturday morning.
Andrew Heo, of Warrington, Pa., and Ryan Pivirotto, of Ann Arbor, Mich., both advanced to the short track 1000m quarterfinal based on their heat race times.
Pivirotto, 26, was an alternate at the 2018 Olympics before making his debut in Beijing. He finished second in the seventh heat race, automatically qualifying him for the quarterfinals.
Read more here.
U.S. Mixed Doubles Curling Team Beats China for Second Straight Win
The United States' mixed doubles curling team is on a winning streak.
On the heels of a thrilling extra-end victory over Sweden, Vicky Persinger and Chris Plys picked up a second straight win by taking down China's Fan SuYuan and Ling Zhi 7-5 on Saturday.
Read more here.
Team USA Finishes 7th in Mixed Relay Biathlon
Team USA made history in the biathlon 4x6km mixed relay.
The American squad of Susan Dunklee, Clare Egan, Sean Doherty and Wisconsin-native Paul Schommer placed seventh in the event, the best mixed relay biathlon finish in U.S. Olympic history. Team USA finished eighth in the event's debut in 2014 before placing 15th in 2018.
Read more here.
Shaun White Says 2022 Olympics Will Be His Final Competition
American snowboarder Shaun White, who became the face of the sport by winning three gold medals, said on Saturday the 2022 Winter Olympics would be his last snowboarding competition and that he would retire from all contests.
"I think this will be my, well this will be my last competition too, which is pretty special," White, 35, told a news conference.
White, competing at his fifth Games, had already said 2022 would be his last appearance on the Olympic stage.
Read more here.
Norway Wins First Medal of 2022 Winter Olympics in Cross-Country Skiing
Therese Johaug of Norway won the first medal of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, placing first in the women’s 15K skiathlon.
Johaug, a 14-time world champion, was considered a favorite going into the event and delivered on that expectation. The medal is Johaug’s fourth Olympic medal and second gold after winning a relay gold at the Vancouver games in 2010.
Johaug was suspended from the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics after doping allegations, which she has said was a mistake by her doctor.
Read more here.
Jamie Anderson Leads 3 Americans Who Qualify for Slopestyle Final
Team USA snowboarder Jamie Anderson began her Olympic slopestyle title defense at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Friday night.
Anderson, who has won each of the two golds awarded in the event since it debuted at the 2014 Sochi Games, placed fifth in the slopestyle qualification and was one of three Americans who advanced to the final. Team USA members Julia Marino and Hailey Langland also qualified.
Read more here.
Miss the 2022 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony? Here's How to Watch it Again
The 2022 Olympics kicked off with the Opening Ceremony early Friday, but if you didn't catch the action live, there's still another chance to see it all unfold.
This Olympic Opening Ceremony comes less than seven months after the conclusion of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The quick turnaround is due to the postponement of the Tokyo Games caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which pushed the event from the summer of 2020 to 2021.
The 2022 Olympics are historic for Beijing, as it becomes the first city to ever host the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics. The Chinese capital hosted the Olympics back in 2008 and the Games were highlighted by one of the most mesmerizing Opening Ceremonies in recent memory.
What will the city have in store for its 2022 encore? Here’s how you can tune into the event once more Friday night.
ROC vs. USA Hockey: Hilary Knight, American Squad Own Huge Edge in All-Time Series
The United States and the Russian Olympic Committee both got their 2022 Olympics off to a strong start with emphatic wins in the preliminary round, but now the two teams will set their sights on one another as they prepare to do battle on Saturday.
For the American squad, Thursday’s game against Finland was a stern test against the reigning bronze medalists, but thanks to huge efforts from Alex Carpenter and Kendall Coyne Schofield, the United States picked up a 5-2 victory.
The ROC also scored five goals in their opener, securing a 5-2 win over Switzerland. Polina Bolgareva scored a hat trick for the Russian squad, and Alexandra Vafina and Fanuza Kadirova each registered a pair of assists in the victory.
Now, the two teams will square off for the third time in the last four Olympics, and although the two nations are among the strongest hockey powers in the world, the series has been incredibly lopsided in favor of the Americans.
Read more here.
Team USA Faces China, Canada in Upcoming Rounds for Mixed Doubles Curling
Mixed doubles curling returns with Switzerland taking on Sweden on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. CT followed by Australia vs. Norway, both of which can be streamed live. The Switzerland-Sweden match will air on USA.
The curling competition returns early Saturday morning when Sweden challenges Canada and Team USA battles China beginning at 12:05 a.m. CT.
Canada and its southern neighbors do finally get to share the ice together, though, later in the morning when the American mixed doubles curling team takes on Canada at 6:05 a.m. Also in that same time slot is England vs. Italy.
3 Local Ski Jumpers Make Beijing Debut
Anna Hoffman will represent Team USA at the women's individual normal hill final at 3:45 a.m. CT Saturday.
Before she competes, the men's qualification round will take place from 11:15 p.m. Friday to 1:30 a.m. Saturday.
Several local skiers will be competing in the event, including Wauconda's Kevin Bickner, Barrington's Casey Larson and Spring Grove's Patrick Gasienica.
Snowboarding Begins in Beijing
Snowboarding is slated to begin Feb. 4 with the women’s slopestyle qualification rounds, followed by the medal round on Feb. 5. This kicks off seven-straight days of competitions with medals being awarded in slalom, cross and halfpipe.
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