Tight knit U.S. women's squad: More than a team 

Hours before she took Olympic ice in Team USA’s opening women’s ice hockey game against Finland, Hilary Knight shot and scored.

The four-time Olympian hit nothing but net on a small arcade-style basketball hoops setup on her way out the door of their Olympic Village accommodations. The video, posted on Knight’s Instagram story Thursday (3 February), took – she swears – just one attempt.

“I credit that to Sue Bird, she’s a huge idol of mine. I try different sports and it makes you a better hockey player,” Knight told Olympics.com about her basketball skill after helping the U.S. squad to a 5-2 victory over Finland. “We definitely have to sink a bucket before we leave the house, it’s one of those little things we do as superstition now.”

The team was in a somewhat subdued mood after the opening win as news broke that star player Brianna Decker is out for the rest of the Beijing tournament.

Team captain Kendall Coyne Schofield revealed: "I just told Brianna, 'we got this'. No matter what, she's a big part of this group."

Team USA are the defending champions, having taken gold in PyeongChang against a tough Canadian squad that was seeking its fifth-straight Olympic title.

Defending their title won’t be easy. They’re competing in Group A alongside traditional powerhouses and their long-time rivals Canada. That preliminary round game is set for Tuesday (8 February), respectively. The other notable Group A squad besides Finland is Switzerland, who finished third in 2014.

"Every day you wake up at the Olympic Games is a good day."

The pressure to perform at their best is high, but it’s those little moments – like with the basketball hoop in the Village – that Schofield says has brought them closer together.

“Given the circumstances of the pandemic we’re not out and about as much as we’d like to be but that’s why we enjoy the moments we have with each other whether it’s playing board games, puzzles in the room with each other so we make the most of things,” said Coyne Schofield.

“I think what’s so special is just seeing all the other countries, all the other athletes, seeing how they prepare,” she continued. “You know, it’s a laser focused environment but you can see people do have an off switch when they’re around the village. It’s a special environment and every day you wake up at the Olympic Games is a good day.”

The U.S. captain says the global COVID-19 pandemic has, in part, made the squad bond even more.

“We’re a family, we’ve been through a lot over this past few years – just like everybody around the world. With this global pandemic we’ve been resilient. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs a lot of adjusting, adapting, things we can’t control, and I think it’s only made us closer,” Coyne Schofield explained.

More than a team

That bond embodies the Olympic motto – stronger together – and Coyne Schofield hopes will bring out their best in the coming Games.

“At the end of the day, we love being around each other and we love competing with each other, for each other and that allows us to be our best night in, night out,” she said.

Knight echoed her captain.

“We just love each other so deeply and I think that’s what’s so special about our room. We’ve got these empowering women from all different backgrounds that come together for a common goal, it just feels like a family - with love and passion.”