BEIJING — It sure looked like the U.S. women's hockey team went to that coveted next level against the Czech Republic on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Olympic hockey tournament.
Stuck in a 1-1 tie through two periods, Team USA turned it on in the third with eight shots on net in the first three minutes. The breakthrough came nearly seven minutes into the third with a tiebreaking goal, then the Americans added two more for a 4-1 win.
There was a determined effort to crash the net looking for rebounds. Defensemen took shots at goal when there were bodies in front of the goaltender. They changed the point of attack at times, trying to generate higher quality scoring chances.
