laila edwards

MILAN — The U.S. won its group and will advance to the quarterfinals of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games as the top seed after routing Canada 5-0 on Tuesday at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

Two of the goals came Hannah Bilka with Carolina Harvey, Kirsten Simms and Laila Edwards scoring one apiece.

The win was the seventh in a row for the U.S. over Canada, dating to last April’s world championships. And the Americans dominated from the start, taking its earliest lead of the tournament on Harvey’s goal 3:45 into the first period.

The score came following a faceoff, with Haley Winn working the puck to the high slot for Harvey, who fired a neat wrister by Canadian goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens for her second goal in Olympic competition and her second in as many nights.

Abbey Murphy set up the next one, sending a behind-the-back pass from the end boards to the front of the goal for a wide-open Bilka, who made it 2-0 with a right-handed finish with less than three minutes left in the first period.

The U.S. made it 3-0 on a disputed goal 81 seconds into the second period with the referees, after a long review, ruling that Simms had pushed the puck through a mass of bodies in the crease and across the goal line. Canadian coach Troy Ryan challenged the goal but lost, earning a bench minor for delay of game.

The next U.S. goal was indisputable with Bilka blasting a short one-timer by Desbiens seven minutes before the second intermission. Abbey got her third assist and Harvey her second on the play. With eight minutes left, Edwards closed out the scoring from the high slot — almost the exact same place from where Harvey got the opening goal — driving Desbiens from the game with Ryan bringing on Emerance Maschmeyer to close things out.

The U.S. has scored exactly five goals in each of its four games, scoring in all 12 periods it has played in the Olympic tournament.

Aerin Frankel turned away 20 shots in goal, posting the third shutout in as many games for the U.S., which ran it scoreless streak to 151 minutes.

Canada was playng without its captain, Marie Phillip-Poulin, who left Monday’s win over Czechia after taking a heavy hit along the boards from Kristyna Kaltounkova that left her unable to put weight on her right leg.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion was listed as day-to-day.

MILAN — The U.S. women’s hockey team came into the Milan-Cortina Winter Games ranked No. 1 in the world. And two games into group play, it’s shown that ranking might be something of an understatement.

With Saturday’s 5-0 victory over No. 3 Finland, the unbeaten Americans have outscored their two opponents 10-1 and outshot them 91-25. The goals Saturday came from Alex Carpenter, Taylor Heise, Megan Keller, Hilary Knight and Abbey Murphy. Keller and Laila Edwards each had two assists.

In goal, Aerin Frankel faced just 11 shots in posting the first shutout of the Olympic tournament.

Just as in its opening win over No. 4 Czechia, the U.S. eased its way into the game before going ahead to stay late in the first period on a power-play goal from Carpenter. The score came seven seconds after Finland’s Susanna Tapani was sent off for hooking.

The Americans doubled the advantage 2½ minutes into the second period at the end of a beautiful passing sequence that saw Britta Curl feed Murphy, whose cross-crease pass found Heise on the doorstep for the easy goal.

Sixty-six seconds later Keller’s unassisted goal made it 3-0 and the rout was on.

Next came a power-play goal from Knight, her 14th in Olympic play, equaling Natalie Darwitz and Katie King for the most in team history. Murphy closed out the scoring, banging in a rebound at the right post with less than five minutes to play.

With 10 goals, the U.S. is tied with Sweden for most in the tournament while the Americans’ goal differential of plus-nine is the best. It was the 11th straight Olympic win for the U.S. over Finland, the bronze medalist four years ago.