Sochi, Russia (SportsNetwork.com) - Amanda Kessel, Monique Lamoureux and Kendall Coyne each scored two goals to lead the United States in a 9-0 blowout win over Switzerland Monday at the Sochi Olympics.
The easy victory gave the U.S. a 2-0 record in Group A action ahead of its highly-anticipated game against Canada on Wednesday. The Americans and Canadians entered Sochi as the medal favorites in the tournament.
The U.S. jumped out to a 5-0 lead over the Swiss in the first period, with Kessel recording two goals and an assist in the opening period.
The game was scoreless until the Americans exploded for three goals over a span of 55 seconds around the midway point of the first period. Lamoureux put the U.S. on the board at 9:20, Brianna Decker scored at 10:07 and Kessel notched her first goal just eight seconds later to give the U.S. a 3-0 cushion.
Hilary Knight pushed the lead to 4-0 with 5:37 left in the first and Kessel made it a five-goal advantage with a power-play tally at the 15:42 mark. Lamoureux made it a 6-0 margin with the lone marker of the second period and the U.S. piled on with three more goals in the third.
Kessel and Coyne each had two assists to lead the U.S. offense with four-point games.
American goaltender Molly Schaus made 10 saves to record the shutout. Florence Schelling allowed all nine goals on 53 shots for Switzerland.
Canada posted a 5-0 win over the Swiss on Saturday and will face Finland on Monday. The Americans notched a 3-1 win against Finland on Saturday.
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