USA women romp to opening ice hockey victory over China

From Sportsbeat staff, in Vancouver

JENNY Potter bagged a hat-trick as world champions USA laid down a marker in the women's ice hockey competition with a drubbing of China at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

HAT-TRICK HERO: Jenny Potter celebrates with team-mates as the USA storm to comprehensive victory over China at Thunderbird Arena (Getty Images)

Hosts Canada broke the Olympic record with a 18-0 defeat of Slovakia on Saturday and while USA failed to match their North American rivals' scoreline, they cruised to a 12-1 victory at the Thunderbird Arena.

The USA's Natalie Darwitz said: "The game plan was to come out strong. It was first game of the Olympics with a young team, getting the feel, getting the feet wet and that's important.

"Any time that you get a hat-trick at the Olympics it's pretty special and Jenny was superb. We're going to need her playing well if we're going to do well in this Olympics.

"I think we got a little sloppy in the middle and at the end there. This is a tough game to play, controlling the play. We need to get back to the little things in preparation to play Russia on Tuesday."

Potter, competing in her fourth Olympics, took the plaudits for her three goals but Monique Lamoreux's wonderful solo effort was the undoubted highlight of the match just before the end of the second period.

Megan Duggan also netted a double for the 1998 Olympic champions with Angela Ruggiero, Kelli Stack Lisa Chesson Molly Engstrom and Natalie Darwitz scoring the others.

But despite reaching double figures, USA were far from clinical in front of goal and had their inaccuracy to blame as much as Chinese goaltender Shi Yao's impressive performance.

A massive 49 shots went begging for the Americans and Jin Fengling's 58th minute powerplay strike brought USA's vulnerability at the back to the fore but Julie Chu finished the scoring to wrap up a comfortable victory.

It's exactly the score as when the two teams met each other in Salt Lake City eight years ago.

AS IT HAPPENS: Day three from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver