Familiar faces met Saturday in Sochi, Russia, as the United States women’s hockey team kicked off its Olympic schedule against Finland.
The U.S. beat Finland 3-1, jumping out to a lead 53 seconds into the game and never looking back.
Former Gophers defensemen Megan Bozek and Anne Schleper each recorded an assist in the game. Defenseman Gigi Marvin, who played for Minnesota from 2005-09, led all U.S. skaters with 22:29 of ice time.
While many former Gophers comprised Team USA, on the other end of the ice, goaltender Noora Räty recorded 40 saves for Finland in the loss. Räty played for Minnesota from 2009-13 and helped pace the team to back-to-back national titles.
Team USA played its second game at 4 a.m. Monday against Switzerland.
Finland’s second game was Monday at 9 a.m. against Canada.