Gold medal favorite US women dominate a Canada team missing its captain in 5-0 win

MILAN (AP) — The U.S. women’s hockey team so thoroughly overwhelmed rival Canada that coach John Wroblewski issued a reminder that the 5-0 victory still left the Americans a long way from Olympic gold.

“What’s the hardest part of climbing the mountain?” the fourth-year coach asked.

“Getting home,” he said, answering his own question. “If you ever feel good about climbing Mount Everest, it’s the way down. Oh, you think you’ve done something, that’s when the mountain eats you up.”

This was just a preliminary-round meeting between the sport's two global powers. The gold-medal game isn’t until Feb. 19.

The Americans are three wins away from a third gold medal after their lopsided victory over a Canadian team missing its captain, and clinched first place in Group A entering the quarterfinals. It was a performance that continued confirming why the U.S. entered the tournament as favorites.

“I don’t think it’s any easier than expected,” forward Tessa Janecke said of Canada’s most lopsided loss in Olympic play, and first time the team has ever been blanked.

“I think we go in with the same mindset, and I think it was just a good team win overall for us,” she added. “So I think we just went in and did it like any other game. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing.”

Team USA swept all four preliminary-round games by a combined score of 20-1, and brought back memories of how a Canadian team in its prime rolled to winning gold at the 2022 Beijing Games.

The tables have since turned, and it was evident on the scoresheet from a roster featuring seven players still in college.

The University of Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey had a goal and two assists, with Badger teammates Laila Edwards and Kristen Simms also scoring. The goal was Edwards’ first in her Olympic debut in being the first Black woman to represent the U.S.

University of Minnesota captain Abbey Murphy set up three goals.

Canada, meantime, opened tentatively, and then ran into penalty problems minus its longtime leader, Marie-Philip Poulin, who sustained a lower-body injury in a 5-1 win over Czechia a day earlier.

Not having their so-called “Captain Clutch” in the lineup was still no excuse for coach Troy Ryan.

“We just didn’t play very well at all. Irresponsible with the puck, like just poor puck management,” Ryan said. “And it’s not that there’s not confidence, but we played like we didn’t have confidence with the puck.”

Ryan said Poulin will be re-assessed and would likely miss Canada’s preliminary-round finale against Finland on Thursday. He was otherwise optimistic Poulin would be back in the lineup potentially as soon as Saturday for the Canadians' quarterfinal game.

The U.S. will open the quarterfinals against host nation Italy, which went 2-2 in clinching the third and final Group B playoff spot.

Aerin Frankel stopped 20 shots for her third win and second shutout in her first Olympic tournament. And even 36-year-old captain Hilary Knight added an assist — the 32nd Olympic point of her career to tie Jenny Potter for most by a U.S. women’s hockey player.

“Our team’s making my life pretty easy,” Frankel said. “It’s been so much fun to play behind them.”

And impressive to watch.

“It’s incredible. So much speed, so much skill,” Frankel said. “It’s hopefully really, really hard to play against us and frustrating as well.”

Whatever “O, Canada” buzz there was amid a large Maple Leaf flag-waving capacity crowd quickly dampened on a drizzly day outside the 11,600-seat Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. And the soundtrack instead became the sound of the U.S. goal song, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.”

Harvey opened the scoring 3:45 in by driving in from the left point and snapping a shot beating Ann-Renee Desbiens.

The Americans’ speed and quick-strike ability was evident on their next goal wiht 2:42 left in the first period, when Murphy chased down Harvey’s pass in the right corner. Murphy immediately spun and sent a no-look pass Bilka converted by driving to the net.

Simms made it 3-0 by jamming the puck over the line 72 seconds into the second period and Murphy set up Bilka for another one-timer some six minutes later.

Desbiens allowed five goals on 27 shots and was pulled after Edwards scored with 8:07 left. She was replaced by Emerance Maschmeyer, who finished with five saves.

Canada’s worst fears were realized in opening the game minus Poulin, after concerns were already raised after the U.S. dominated in sweeping a four-game exhibition pre-Olympic Rivalry Series. The Americans outscored Canada by a combined margin of 24-7.

The U.S. has now defeated Canada in seven straight meetings, dating to the preliminary round and gold-medal game of the world championships in April.

“We had a lot of breakdowns in our game. We would make one mistake that led to another mistake, and sometimes those things kind of compound,” Canadian assistant captain Blayre Turnbull said. “I think there’s a lot of things that we can learn and move forward and hopefully make some positive changes.”

Ebba Svensson Traff stopped 20 shots to post her first Olympic shutout and Group B champion Sweden completed its four-game preliminary round sweep with a 4-0 win over Japan. Sweden outscored its opponents by a combined 18-2, and will play Group A’s third seed in the quarterfinals.

Sweden forward Hilda Svensson did not return after falling awkwardly into the boards five minutes into the game. The team said she sustained a lower-body injury. They described the injury as not serious and said a doctor decided to keep her from returning to play for precautionary reasons.

Japan's ninth-place finish is the lowest in the nation's five Olympic appearances, and after finishing sixth at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Finland beat Switzerland 3-1, scoring for the first time this tournament after being shut out in each of its first two games following a norovirus outbreak that decimated the roster.

Laura Kluge’s breakaway goal with 1:29 left in regulation secured Germany’s 2-1 win over Italy and second place in the Group B standings. Emily Nix also scored for Germany.

Justine Reyes scored for Italy, which advanced for the first time in two Olympic appearances — both as the host team.

AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Canada's Brianne Jenner, left, challenges for the puck with United States' Caroline Harvey during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between USA and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

United States' Kirsten Simms, left, scores her side's third goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (Mike Segar/Pool Photo via AP)

US supporters cheer during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between USA and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

United States' Kirsten Simms scores her side's third goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between USA and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

United States players celebrate a goal by Kirsten Simms (9) during second period against Canaday in a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between USA and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Germany's Emily Nix, left, scores her side's opening goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Italy and Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, Pool)

Germany's Laura Kluge (25), at left, celebrates with teammates including Nicola Hadraschek (11) and Daria Gleissner (20) and Emily Nix (17), after scoring a goal in the first period against France during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Japan's Suzuka Maeda, right, challenges Sweden's Hilda Svensson during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Japan and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Japan's Yumeka Wajima cries end of a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Japan and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Sweden's Hanna Thuvik, right, celebrates after scoring her side's opening goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Japan and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seemed poised Wednesday to reject President Donald Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship in a consequential case that was magnified by his unparalleled presence in the courtroom.

Conservative and liberal justices questioned whether Trump's order declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens comports with either the Constitution or federal law.

Arguments lasted more than two hours in a crowded courtroom that included not only Trump, the first sitting president to attend arguments at the nation’s highest court, but also Attorney General Pam Bondi and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and in seats reserved for the justices' guests, actor Robert De Niro.

Trump spent just over an hour inside the courtroom for arguments made by the Republican administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, Solicitor General D. John Sauer. The president departed shortly after lawyer Cecillia Wang began her presentation in defense of broad birthright citizenship.

After court adjourned, Trump posted on Truth Social: “We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow ‘Birthright’ Citizenship!” Actually, about three dozen countries, nearly all of them in the Americas, guarantee citizenship to children born on their territory.

Trump heard Sauer face one skeptical question after another. Justices asked about the legal basis for the order and voiced more practical concerns.

“Is this happening in the delivery room?” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson asked, drilling down into the logistics of how the government would actually figure out who’s entitled to citizenship and who’s not.

Chief Justice John Roberts suggested that Sauer was relying on quirky exceptions to citizenship to make a broad argument about people who are in the country illegally. “I’m not quite sure how you can get to that big group from such tiny and sort of idiosyncratic examples,” Roberts said.

Justice Clarence Thomas sounded the most likely among the nine justices to side with Trump.

“How much of the debates around the 14th Amendment had anything to do with immigration?” Thomas asked, pointing out that the purpose of the amendment was to grant citizenship to Black people, including freed slaves.

The justices heard Trump’s appeal of a lower-court ruling from New Hampshire that struck down the citizenship restrictions, one of several courts that have blocked them. The restrictions have not taken effect anywhere in the country.

The case frames another test of Trump's assertions of executive power that defy long-standing precedent for a court that has largely ruled in the president's favor — but with some notable exceptions that Trump has responded to with starkly personal criticisms of the justices. A definitive ruling is expected by early summer.

The birthright citizenship order, which Trump signed the first day of his second term, is part of his Republican administration’s broad immigration crackdown.

Birthright citizenship is the first Trump immigration-related policy to reach the court for a final ruling. The justices previously struck down global tariffs Trump had imposed under an emergency powers law that had never been used that way.

Trump reacted furiously to the late February tariffs decision, saying he was ashamed of the justices who ruled against him and calling them unpatriotic.

He issued a preemptive broadside against the court on Sunday on his Truth Social platform. “Birthright Citizenship is not about rich people from China, and the rest of the World, who want their children, and hundreds of thousands more, FOR PAY, to ridiculously become citizens of the United States of America. It is about the BABIES OF SLAVES!,” the president wrote. “Dumb Judges and Justices will not a great Country make!”

Trump's order would upend the long-standing view that the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, and federal law since 1940 confer citizenship on everyone born on American soil, with narrow exceptions for the children of foreign diplomats and those born to a foreign occupying force.

The 14th Amendment was intended to ensure that Black people, including former slaves, had citizenship, though the Citizenship Clause is written more broadly. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,” it reads.

In a series of decisions, lower courts have struck down the executive order as illegal, or likely so, under the Constitution and federal law. The decisions have invoked the high court's 1898 ruling in Wong Kim Ark, which held that the U.S.-born child of Chinese nationals was a citizen.

The Trump administration argues that the common view of citizenship is wrong, asserting that children of noncitizens are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States and therefore are not entitled to citizenship.

The court should use the case to set straight “long-enduring misconceptions about the Constitution’s meaning,” Sauer wrote.

Appearing before the court, Sauer said unrestricted citizenship encourages illegal immigration and “birth tourism” by pregnant women who visit the U.S. only to give birth.

Roberts asked Sauer how significant “birth tourism” is.

No one knows for sure, he said, adding, “but of course, we’re in a new world now” where 8 billion people are a plane ride away “from having a child who’s a U.S. citizen.”

The chief justice replied, “It’s a new world. It’s the same Constitution.”

Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, also revealed his skepticism of Sauer's position when the solicitor general said the 1898 Supreme Court case should be read to endorse Trump's view of citizenship. "I’m not sure how much you want to rely on Wong Kim Ark,” Gorsuch said.

Yet another conservative justice appointed by Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, suggested to Wang that the court could resolve the case in Wang’s favor either with a “short opinion” saying that the Wong Kim Ark case was correctly decided and it means Trump’s order is unconstitutional.

Or, he said, the justices could avoid constitutional questions and find that the order is illegal under federal law.

No court has accepted the Trump administration's argument, and lawyers for pregnant women whose children would be affected by the order said the Supreme Court should not be the first to do so, Wang told the justices.

The most difficult questions Wang faced, from several justices, dealt with the repeated use of the word “domicile” in Wong Kim Ark, which the administration says indicates that the court's view of birthright citizenship excluded people in the country temporarily or illegally.

Roberts said the word is used 20 times in the 1898 decision. “Isn’t it at least something to be concerned about?” he asked.

Wang says it’s true that the Chinese parents in that case were domiciled in the U.S. but that the decision did not turn on that fact.

Generally, though, the intensity of the justices' questions dropped off during her presentation, often a signal of where the court will come out.

More than one-quarter of a million babies born in the U.S. each year would be affected by the executive order, according to research by the Migration Policy Institute and Pennsylvania State University’s Population Research Institute.

While Trump has largely focused on illegal immigration in his rhetoric and actions, the birthright restrictions also would apply to people who are legally in the United States, including students and applicants for green cards, or permanent resident status.

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

Demonstrators rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court after justices hear oral arguments on whether President Donald Trump can deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

Pro and anti-Trump demonstrators rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court, before justices hear oral arguments on whether President Donald Trump can deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President Donald Trump leaves the U.S. Supreme Court, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump's motorcade arrives at the U.S. Supreme Court, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

Pro and anti-Trump demonstrators rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court, before justices hear oral arguments on whether President Donald Trump can deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President Donald Trump's motorcade arrives at the U.S. Supreme Court, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

Demonstrators holding opposing views verbally engage ahead of President Donald Trump's arrival at the U.S. Supreme Court, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

President Donald Trump's limo exits the White House en route to the Supreme Court, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump's motorcade arrives at the U.S. Supreme Court, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

Pro and anti-Trump demonstrators rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court, before justices hear oral arguments on whether President Donald Trump can deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

People arrive to walk inside the U.S. Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. The Supreme Court justices will hear oral arguments today on whether President Donald Trump can deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

People arrive to walk inside the U.S. Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. The Supreme Court justices will hear oral arguments today on whether President Donald Trump can deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Washington, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick listens. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen as the moon rises Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)