USA's Amanda Kessel on fire with big bro Phil supporting from home

Amanda Kessel has started her Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games just as she finished the last one four years ago: Scoring, assisting, and winning.

At PyeongChang 2018, Kessel scored in the shootout that saw USA win gold 3-2 against arch-rivals Canada.

Now 30, Kessel has had to step up again after an injury to star player Brianna Decker with she and fellow vet Hilary Knight lighting the way for young guns like Abby Roque.

Kessel has had a goal or an assist in every game so far in the tournament as the U.S. chase back-to-back Olympic titles.

And while big brother and NHL star Phil Kessel isn't at the Beijing Games, like all current NHL players, Amanda knows that big brother and the rest of the family is right behind her.

Amanda and Phil Kessel: Hockey family

The athletic pedigree in the Kessel family is quite extraordinary.

Dad, Phil Kessel Sr, played for Washington in the NFL with her brother Blake selected in the 2007 NHL draft by the New York Islanders although he never played in the NHL.

Then came Phil Jr who is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, claiming back-to-back successes with Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

"I got into hockey because of my two older brothers," Amanda Kessel says in her Team USA intro video. "They both played and I was just thrown onto skates and loved it ever since."

She grew up skating and playing hockey on the lakes of Wisconsin with Phil and Blake, and has had a spectacular career in the Team USA jersey.

As well as winning Olympic gold at PyeongChang and silver at Sochi 2014, she's also a three-time world champion.

Amanda and Phil both represented the U.S. in Sochi where the women lost out in overtime to Canada, while the men finished fourth.

With NHL players missing PyeongChang, Phil was supporting from home and delighted after Team USA claimed a long-awaited gold.

And when Amanda competed on TV's 'Battle of the Blades' with Olympic gold-medal winning figure skater Eric Radford, Phil was showing his support on social media too.

'Battle of the Blades' pairs up figure skaters with hockey players and they ice dance for charity.

Amanda was skating for SickKids Hospital in Toronto and Eric was skating for the Egale foundation, but unfortunately didn't go all the way.

USA-Canada women's ice hockey at Beijing 2022

Now with Kessel going all in for another Olympic podium, she and the U.S. have been putting on a show:

The defeat Finland 5-2 in the opener, shut out ROC 5-0 in their second game, and then routed Switzerland 8-0 in Game 3.

While qualification to the quarter-finals was already assured, the U.S. face their stiffest test yet against old rivals Canada on Tuesday in their final Group A preliminary match.

With many experts saying this could be a dress rehearsal for the final, neither will want to lose.

Canada have a tight-knit group too and the likes of captain Marie-Philip Poulin have been blowing away the competition in China, scoring 29 goals to the USA's 18.

It's a clash that always has an edge, and top spot in preliminary Group A is up for grabs.

Olympic gold medallists Kessel, Knight, Kelly Pannek, and others will lead Olympic rookies Jesse Compher and Roque on the ice.

While big bro Phil is busy as alternate captain of the Arizona Coyotes in the NHL, he'll be keeping an eye out for lil' sis Amanda in China too.

USA-Canada women's ice hockey schedule Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games

The USA take on Canada in their final Group A game on Tuesday 8 February at 12:10 Beijing time (22:10 CST in Wisconsin on Monday), and will reach the quarter-finals regardless of the result.

Here's how the USA schedule looks for the rest of the tournament should they go all the way:

Women's Ice Hockey Schedule Beijing 2022:

Quarter Finals

11-12 February

Semi-finals

14 February

Final

17 February

MORE: Ice hockey at Beijing 2022: full schedule and how to watch