A pair of games in the Womens' Hockey tournament yesterday brought all eight teams up to two games played each.  In the first game, team USA handily defeated team Russia, 13-0, with US netminder Jessie Vetter facing seven shots in the shutout; in the second, team Finland defeated team China, 2-1. 

USA vs. RUSSIA

Jenny Potter of team USA led the team's scoring drive by potting (sorry, had to) her second hat trick in as many games, setting an Olympic record.  Nine other US women scored, including both the Lady Sedin Lamoureux twins in the rout.  The third frame turned into a passing clinic, during which team USA deliberately put only two shots on goal - and scored on one of them, easily defeating Russian netminder Mariya Onolbaeva. 

Team USA scored twice in shorthanded situations, once in the 1st frame and once in the 2nd, to add to their total.  Seven power play goals in eight power plays, and four goals at even strength comprised the US offense for the game.  Here is the breakdown of scoring:

(01) Monique Lamoureaux (Jocelyne Lamoureaux, Kelli Stack) EV
(02) Jenny Potter (Hilary Knight) SH
(03) Karen Thatcher (Jenny Potter, Hilary Knight) EV
(04) Caitlin Cahow (Kelli Stack, Natalie Darwitz) PP
(05) Jenny Potter (Hilary Knight) PP
(06) Angela Ruggiero (Julie Chu, Natalie Darwitz) PP
(07) Kelli Stack (Monique Lamoureaux) PP
(08) Jocelyne Lamoureaux (Natalie Darwitz) EV
(09) Natalie Darwitz (Caitlin Cahow) PP
(10) Natalie Darwitz (Hilary Knight) PP
(11) Jenny Potter (Karen Thatcher, Kacey Bellamy) EV
(12) Molly Engstrom (Lisa Chesson) PP
(13) Lisa Chesson (Hilary Knight) PP

"It's not about running up the score," said Potter, "It's about treating your opponent with respect and still working on what we need to be successful."  With her hat trick, and three assists, Potter leads all women in both points (9) and goals (6) going into the fifth day of the tournament.  Team USA also ranks first in scoring percentage (26.32% to Canada's 21.71%); first in the Power Play, scoring nine goals in 14 PP attempts; and third in the Penalty Kill, having been scored on once while a man down in nine PK situations. 

FINLAND vs. CHINA

Finland vs. China turned out to be quite the exciting game; China's captain, Wang Linuo, scored first, short-handed, with 1:50 left in the first frame, and the team held onto their lead until midway through the second frame, when Finland tied the score eight minutes in on a goal from Karoliina Rantamaki, assisted by a fluky tip-in from Chinese forward Jin Fengling. The go-ahead goal was scored by Venla Hovi late in the second frame, and it was all Finland after that.

Finland's goalie Noora Raty saved four of the five shots she faced, compared with China's netminder, Shi Yao, who saved 41 shots.

The game was a rough one, with more penalties issued for roughing, body-checking, cross-checking, and slashing than restraining fouls, and a four-on-four situation with Linda Valimaki of Finland in the box for slashing, and Jin Fengling for cross-checking at 33:33.

By contrast, the USA-Russia game had only one body-checking penalty among their 13 short-handed situations (5 for USA, 8 for Russia).  The rest were restraining fouls.