Hilary Knight ties US Olympic goal record in 5-0 win over Finland team coming off stomach virus

MILAN (AP) — Every goal still feels special for Hilary Knight, no matter how many USA Hockey’s most decorated woman has scored in her record-setting career.

Saturday night was no different for the 36-year-old appearing in her U.S. women’s hockey-best fifth Olympics.

With U.S. Vice President JD Vance and family cheering along, Knight scored to tie the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey career goal mark, and the Americans wore down a Finland opponent that spent much of the week dealing with a stomach virus in a 5-0 win at the Milan Cortina Games.

“I just love scoring and just the pure elation of finding the back of the net,” Knight said. “It’s just a little kid moment that when you score it’s pure excitement and it’s fun to celebrate.”

The goal scored 9:17 into the second period that put the U.S. up 4-0 was Knight’s 14th to match the record shared by Natalie Darwitz and Katie King.

“Those are some legendary players, and just to be in the same sentence as them is super special,” said Knight, whose 29 career points in the Winter Games are only three back of matching Jenny Potter on the U.S. list.

Defender Megan Keller had a goal and two assists, while Alex Carpenter, Taylor Heise and Abbey Murphy also scored. Aerin Frankel stopped 11 shots for her first shutout in just her second career Olympic game.

The tournament favorite Americans (2-0) improved to 11-0 in Olympic meetings against Finland, and had just about everything going in their favor on Saturday.

The Finns returned to the ice as a full team for the first time since last being together at practice on Tuesday. That night, four players developed symptoms of a norovirus. Two days later, Finland’s 23-player roster was down to eight forwards and two goalies, prompting Olympic officials to postpone the team’s tournament opener against Canada to Feb. 12.

After canceling their morning skate on Saturday, the Finns took the ice six hours later with a full 22-player contingent.

“We know that the U.S. is a really good team. And we knew that it’s going to be a tough battle for us,” Jenni Hiirikoski said. “But I’m proud of how we were battling out there. And it’s something we will keep building.”

The Americans are tough to handle at any time, and it was a lot to ask the Finns to do so given their circumstances.

Finland came out with speed but showed signs of rustiness while struggling to handle the puck. Petra Nieminen had it slide off her stick on a potential break two minutes in. The Finns eventually wore down in managing nine shots through two periods and 11 overall.

Goalie Sanni Ahola stopped 44 shots overall, and kept the Finns in the game through a first period in which she stopped 14 of 15 shots. Carpenter was the only one that beat her with a one-timer from the slot for a power-play goal with 4:48 left in the period.

“I got a lot of shots, but I enjoyed every moment. I love getting a lot of shots,” Ahola said.

Heise was impressed by Finland's resolve.

“For a group that hasn’t really skated together for a few days, I’ll give them credit,” Heise said. “We knew that we had to outlast them.”

The Americans broke open the game with three goals in the second period.

Knight capped the run by being set up to the left of the net. She paused, then spun toward the net and banked a shot in off of Ahola’s blocker.

“She deserves all the success in the world, especially who she is off the ice,” Keller said, noting the entire team was aware of Knight’s milestone. “So we’ll be really excited when she gets that next one.”

Vance returned to the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena for a second time after he and his family also attended the Americans’ tournament-opening 5-1 win over Czechia on Thursday.

Vance sat with his youngest child, daughter Mirabel, on his lap. Usha Vance, wearing a sweatshirt with “USA” in big letters, clapped along to Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” before the second period started. The vice president and his wife stood and clapped when the U.S. scored a goal. They were back on their feet cheering a few minutes later when the Americans scored again.

Among his entourage were hockey’s twin sisters Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando, members of the U.S. gold medal-winning team at the 2018 Winter Games. And the group was joined by influencer and boxer Jake Paul.

In other Group A play, Natalie Spooner, Sarah Fillier and Julia Gosling scored power-play goals, and Daryl Watts also scored in defending Olympic champion Canada's 4-0 win over Switzerland. Emerance Maschmeyer stopped six shots — including a one-timer from Alina Muller with 8:40 remaining — in Canada's tournament opener.

Swiss goalie Saskia Maurer finished with 51 saves in an outing Canada sealed with three third-period goals.

Switzerland also had a stomach flu scare following a 4-3 SO win over Czechia. The Swiss team skipped the opening ceremony, and spent Friday night in isolation after one player showed symptoms of the norovirus. The player was cleared on Saturday.

In earlier Group B play, Thea Johansson scored twice and added an assist, and Sweden improved to 2-0 with a 6-1 win over host Italy (1-1).

Also, Laura Kluge had a goal and three assists, Nicola Hadraschek scored twice and added an assist, and Germany (1-1) defeated Japan 5-2.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Vice President JD Vance attends a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between the United States and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

United States' Taylor Heise, 2nd right, celebrates with teammates after scoring her sides second goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between the United States and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Finland's Sanni Ahola, right, makes a save against United States' Grace Zumwinkle during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between the United States and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

United States' Hilary Knight celebrates with teammates after scoring her sides fourth goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between the United States and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

United States' Hilary Knight, back, shoots to score past Finland's Sanni Ahola during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between the United States and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

President of the United Nations General Assembly Annalena Baerbock visits a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Germany and Japan at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Germany's Emily Nix, left, scores her side's third goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Germany and Japan at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, Pool)

Japan's Rui Ukita, left, slides past Germany's Sandra Abstreiter during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Germany and Japan at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Germany's Sandra Abstreiter catches the puck during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Germany and Japan at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Germany's Laura Kluge, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring her sides fifth goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Germany and Japan at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The largest monthly jump in gas prices in six decades caused a sharp spike in inflation in March, creating major challenges for the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve and heightening the political hurdles for the White House.

Consumer prices rose 3.3% in March from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Friday, up sharply from just 2.4% in February and the biggest yearly increase since May 2024. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.9% in March from February, the largest such increase in nearly four years.

It’s the first read on inflation to capture the effects of the Iran war. The spike in gas prices will stretch the budgets of many lower- and middle-income households as it erodes their incomes, making it harder to afford other necessities such as food and rent

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.6% in March from a year earlier, up from 2.5% in February. And last month core prices rose a modest 0.2%, suggesting that rising gas prices haven't yet spread to many other categories.

A big question for now is how long the oil and gas price shock lasts and whether it will lead to a broader, long-lasting inflation spike, similar to what happened in the spring of 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. For now, economists say that it is unlikely the U.S. will see a widespread increase similar to a few years ago, when inflation topped 9%.

Despite a tenuous cease fire, little has changed in the Strait of Hormuz, a bottle neck where millions of barrels of oil typically pass daily.

“It’s painful in the near term,” said Michael Pearce, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. “It’s going to get more painful in April,” when further gas price increases will lift inflation higher.

But Pearce said the impact may be shorter-lived than after the pandemic: “I think the conditions are much more like a short, sharp shock than what we saw in 2022.”

Pearce said that the impact could fade by later this year: "I think the conditions are much more like a short, sharp shock than what we saw in 2022.”

Last month, grocery prices slipped 0.2% and are up just 1.9% from a year earlier. Analysts do expect food prices to move higher in the coming months as soaring diesel prices make shipping more expensive.

Higher energy costs are “contributing to rising production costs across the food supply chain and could put upward pressure on grocery prices going forward,” said Andy Harig, a vice president at the grocery trade group FMI-The Food Industry Association. “As energy prices increase, the costs associated with producing and delivering food also rise.”

Clothing costs rose 1% in March from the previous month and are up 3.4% from a year earlier. Used car prices, however, fell 0.4% last month and down 3.2% from a year earlier.

The gas price shock stemming from the Iran war has shifted inflation’s trajectory, from a slow, gradual decline to a sharp increase further away from the Fed’s 2% target. As a result, the central bank will almost certainly postpone any cut in interest rates for months. Many Fed officials will look past the increase in headline inflation, however, and focus on core prices, which are likely to rise more slowly.

Gas prices are also a highly visible cost that has outsize impacts on consumer confidence and political sentiment. High prices had angered American voters before the war and the spike in prices for oil and everything that entails, from the pump to the grocery store, could make it more difficult for the president’s party to hold on to seats in both the House and the Senate in next year’s midterms.

Polling by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research last month found that about six in 10 Republicans are at least “somewhat” concerned about affording gas in the next few months.

Gas prices averaged $4.15 a gallon nationwide Friday, up from $2.98 on the day before the war began and a hike of nearly 40%, according to motor club AAA.

Inflation reached a peak of 9.1% in June 2022, as COVID-19 snarled supply chains and several rounds of stimulus checks pushed up consumer demand. Prices soared for groceries, furniture, restaurant meals and many other goods and services.

This time, economists say the job market and consumer spending are weaker, and there are no large government stimulus checks being issued to spur demand. The unemployment rate is low, at 4.3%, but companies aren't scrambling to hire the way they were when the economy emerged from the pandemic, which led many firms to offer sharp pay increases to attract and keep workers.

Rapid pay increases and solid income growth helped consumers weather the higher prices that resulted from the pandemic's supply chain disruptions, and fueled spikes in demand that led many companies to raise prices further.

“That’s where this really differs, is that we aren’t seeing anywhere near the strength of demand,” Alan Detmeister, an economist at UBS, said. In 2021 and 2022, income growth “was increasing really strongly. We aren't seeing that now,” he added.

Detmeister thinks the better comparison will likely be to 1990-91, when higher oil and gas prices stemming from Iraq's invasion of Kuwait contributed to a recession, but didn't lead to a jump in inflation, in part because of weaker consumer spending.

The gas price spike's impact on inflation is, in some ways, similar to President Donald Trump's tariffs, in that their effect will depend largely on the size and duration of the increase.

Higher gas prices are tricky for the Fed because they can also slow growth by weighing on consumer spending, potentially causing layoffs. The Fed would typically cut its rate to encourage more spending if unemployment rises, while it raises rates to combat inflation.

Chuck Byrd puts away a fuel nozzel after filling two tanks for a truck at a gas station on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Aurora, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Red & White Crisp Rice cereal is sold for $7.25 per 18-ounce box at a market serving the Central American immigrant community in the Westlake/Pico Union area of Los Angeles, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Pantry staples, including infant formula and dairy products, are sold at a market serving the Central American immigrant community in the Westlake/Pico Union area of Los Angeles, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)