Czechia bounced back from a disappointing shootout loss in their opener two nights ago to defeat Finland tonight by a 2-0 score.

Klara Peslarova was perfect for the Czechs, stopping all 25 shots, but the whole team played a near flawless game inside their blue line in front of her. This marked the first time a European team has shut out Finland in the Olympics, and the first time the Finns have been shut out in consecutive games since 2006 (by Canada and the United States). The Finns have now conceded seven goals here in Milan without scoring one of their own.

"It was very important for us to believe in ourselves and see that we are able to win in this huge tournament," enthused Dominika Laskova. "It's our second time in the Olympics, and last time we were in Group B. Being in Group A means a lot to us. To be able to win games in this group is obviously huge for us, and we're just going to build off it."

"We cannot win a game if we don't score," said Nelli Laitinen. "We have to score on the power play. We had many chances today and were unable to score. We have to get more shots through. That's the first thing. We have to be better when we have our chances. We have to communicate more on the ice, help each other. Shoot the puck and get it through, instead of having it blocked."

Although they have played each other nine times at the Women’s Worlds, this was the first ever Olympics meeting between these women's teams.

The win puts Czechia in second place of Group A with a win and shootout loss, good for four points behind only the United States. The Finns, 0-2, remain in last place. All teams in the group advance to the quarter-finals.

The Czechs now face Canada tomorrow, while the Finns get a day off to nurse their wounds before facing the Swiss on Tuesday.

The Czechs got the early jump in the game, scoring twice in the first period, early and late. Both goals were similar. Taking advantage of a turnover in centre ice, Barbora Jurickova brought the puck in over the line and pushed it ahead to the speeding Tereza Pisteckova. She cut in on goal, and as goalie Anni Keisala started to slide to the middle, Pisteckova roofed a shot to the short side at 2:57. 

The Finns had plenty of chances to get the equalizer, but Klara Peslarova was solid as required. Ida Kuoppala batted a puck netward from in close, but the goalie was right there. Soon after, Peslarova blockered a nice shot by Jenniina Nylund earmarked for the far corner.

And then there were the consecutive power plays, but the Czechia defence came up big and killed those four minutes of short-handed play expertly. These were lost opportunities the Finns would later rue.

Then, Natalie Mlynkova made a sensational play outside the Finland blue line. She got to a loose puck before Ronja Savolianen, flicking it over the Finns’ stick and cutting around her. She, too, cut in on the right side, and she, too, watched Keisala slide to the middle before roofing a shot to the short side.

Suomi had a great chance to tie the game early in the second when Michelle Karvinen came out of the penalty box to take a breakaway pass. She was stoned by a shoulder save from Peslarova. At the other end, Mlynkova burst up the middle, blowing by three Finns and charging in on goal where she was denied by Keisala. 

Tereza Vanisova had the best chance of the period, trying to mimic her teammates from the first. She drove in off the right wing and again went high on the short side, but her high shot clanked off the crossbar and drifted into the corner.