The hockey schedule for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics was unveiled on Thursday. The women’s tournament will begin on Thursday, February 3, 2022 - one day before the Opening Ceremony of the Games.
With just over four months until the first puck drops, here are a few key things to know:
Which women’s hockey teams will compete in Beijing?
A total of 10 women’s hockey teams will compete in Beijing, up from 8 at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Of the 10 teams, seven have already qualified:
- United States (qualified via world ranking)
- Canada (qualified via world ranking)
- Finland (qualified via world ranking)
- Russian Olympic Committee (qualified via world ranking)
- Switzerland (qualified via world ranking)
- Japan (qualified via world ranking)
- China (qualified as host nation)
The three remaining women’s hockey teams will qualify at last chance tournaments scheduled for November 2021.
The women’s Olympic hockey tournament uses weighted pools. The top five teams in the world will compete in Group A, while Group B will contain the five lower ranked teams. This format has been used since the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Here are the women’s hockey groups for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics:
Group A Teams | Group B Teams |
|
|
At the end of group play, all five Group A teams and the top three Group B teams will progress to the quarterfinal round.
ALSO FROM ON HER TURF: How to watch every women’s event at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Where does the USA-Canada rivalry stand?
Since women’s hockey debuted in 1998, United States and Canada have combined to win every gold medal in the event. The Americans will enter Beijing as the defending Olympic champions, while Canada won the most recent world title in August.
While the U.S. and Canada remain the top two teams in the world, don’t count out Finland. The Finns have consistently challenged for bronze, and in 2019, they almost won the world title. That year, Finland scored the overtime winner against the United States - until a controversial review resulted in the goal being called back. The U.S. went on to win the world title in a shootout.
Olympics | United States Result | Canada Result |
| 1998 Nagano | Gold | Silver |
| 2002 Salt Lake | Silver | Gold |
| 2006 Torino | Bronze | Gold |
| 2010 Vancouver | Silver | Gold |
| 2014 Sochi | Silver | Gold |
| 2018 PyeongChang | Gold | Silver |
Women’s Hockey Schedule - 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
The women’s tournament will begin before the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics, with group play games scheduled to begin on Thursday, February 3 in Beijing (the night of Wednesday, February 2 in the United States).
Per tradition, the host nation - China - will open the tournament. China’s first opponent will be one of the three teams that qualifies in November.
The Americans will open their Olympic title defense with a game against Finland, a rematch of the 2019 World Championship final.
The most anticipated game of the group play round is the U.S.-Canada matchup on the night of February 7 in the United States (the afternoon of February 8 in Beijing). Here’s a look at the full U.S. schedule:
U.S. Women’s Hockey Schedule - Group Play Games - 2022 Winter Olympics
Game | New York Time | Beijing Time |
| USA vs. Finland (FIN) | February 3 at 8:10am EST | February 3 at 9:10pm CST |
| USA vs. Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) | February 5 at 8:10am EST | February 5 at 9:10pm CST |
| USA vs. Switzerland (SUI) | February 6 at 8:10am EST | February 6 at 9:10pm CST |
| USA vs. Canada (CAN) | February 7 at 11:10pm EST | February 8 at 12:10pm CST |
Women’s Hockey Schedule - Playoffs and Medal Games - 2022 Winter Olympics
Game | New York Time | Beijing Time |
| Quarterfinal #1 | February 10 at 11:10pm EST | February 11 at 12:10pm CST |
| Quarterfinal #2 | February 11 at 8:10am EST | February 11 at 9:10pm CST |
| Quarterfinal #3 | February 11 at 11:10pm EST | February 12 at 12:10pm CST |
| Quarterfinal #4 | February 12 at 3:40am EST | February 12 at 4:40pm CST |
| Semifinal #1 | February 13 at 11:10pm EST | February 14 at 12:10pm CST |
| Semifinal #2 | February 14 at 8:10am EST | February 14 at 9:10pm CST |
| Bronze Medal Game | February 16 at 6:30am EST | February 16 at 7:30pm CST |
| Gold Medal Game | February 16 at 11:10pm EST | February 17 at 12:10pm CST |
ALSO FROM ON HER TURF: Bobsled medalist Elana Meyers Taylor tests positive for Covid-19
Follow Alex Azzi on Twitter @AlexAzziNBC
