MILAN — Of all the elite players making up the U.S. women’s national team’s roster, coach John Wroblewski insisted the one he couldn’t do without at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games was Hayley Scamurra.

It’s a decision Wroblewski made upon taking over the team four years ago, and one immediately validated in the Americans’ 5-1 Olympic tournament-opening win over Czechia on Thursday.

United States’ Joy Dunne, right, celebrates after scoring her sides second goal during a preliminary round match of women’s ice hockey between United States and Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Scamurra — regarded as the team’s 13th “Jill-of-all-trades” forward — scored twice while logging just 6:45 minutes of ice time over 11 shifts.

“I was adamant with it. We weren’t going to Milan without her at the start of this quad. She carries so much spirit to your team,” Wroblewski said. “I’m not gonna speak for every other federation, but I just can’t image there’s anyone that works harder and wants it more than she does. It’s inspiring, frankly.”

The 31-year-old from Buffalo, New York, is the daughter of former NHL defenseman Peter Scamurra. And though she built a reputation of being a top defensive forward during her four-year college career at Northeastern, Scamurra went mostly overlooked by USA Hockey until making the national team in 2019.

And now she’s doubled her goal total in her second Olympic appearance after winning silver in 2022.

“I just do my best to bring that energy in every shift that I have. It feels a little extra special to be able to help on the scoreboard and physically, too,” Scamurra said before addressing her journey.

“Honestly I think it just shows it’s never too late to keep chasing your dreams,” she said. “So, I think, it just shows with hard work that anything is possible, for sure.”

Alex Carpenter had a goal and assist, and captain Hilary Knight and Joy Dunne also scored for the Americans, who improved to 8-0 against the Czechs in international play. Aerin Frankel, making her Olympic debut in net, stopped 13 shots.

Laila Edwards had an assist while becoming the first Black female to represent America in hockey at the Olympics.

Barbora Jurickova scored Czechia’s lone goal. She was set up on a breakaway as she exited the penalty box to cut the Americans’ lead to 3-1 midway through the second period. Klara Peslarova finished with 37 saves in an outing where Czechia was outshot, 31-9, through two periods.

The day’s only other scheduled Group A game between defending Olympic champion Canada and Finland was postponed to Feb. 12. The Finns’ roster was down to eight skaters and two goalies, with the remaining 13 players dealing with a stomach virus that hit the team on Tuesday.

The Americans were greeted by a loud cheer and a “U-S-A!” chant began at puck drop.

Among those on hand in a nearly packed 5,000-plus seat Rho Ice Hockey Arena, were U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived about 12 minutes in, and departed with just over six minutes remaining. The large delegation that included USA Hockey officials and a security detail, filled a section of seats directly behind the penalty box and immediately opposite the U.S. bench.

Carpenter opened the scoring with a power-play goal with 4:05 left in the first period. The tournament-favored Americans then blew the game open with three goals in the second period to build a 4-1 lead.

Scamurra’s first goal put the U.S. up 3-1 and came when she dug the puck out of a scrum to the right of the net, and got a low shot off to beat Peslarova through the legs. She then closed the scoring in the third period, by one-timing in a pass from Frost forward and former Gopher Kelly Pannek.

“Honestly, it’s inspiring,” Knight said of Scamurra. “You can put her anywhere. … I was hoping she’d get a third, to be honest.”

The Czechs are making their second Olympic appearance after debuting in 2022 and have quickly risen to become a power in the four years under coach Carla MacLeod. Czechia has won two bronze medals and finished fourth twice over the past four world championships.

MacLeod called the outing a foundation her players can build on.

“You’re not worried, sort of, about the outcome at this point. You’re just (thinking), ‘Are we generating chances? Are we playing our way? Are believing in what we’re doing?’ ” she said. ” And I saw all that. And for me, that’s a great thing for us as we continue to build and get better.”

Next up for the U.S. is facing Finland on Saturday, and the uncertainty of how many Finns will be healthy enough to play.

“I hope that they’re OK, let’s just leave it at that. That’s the most important part,” Wroblewski said.

Sweden 4, Germany 1

In an earlier Group B game, Lina Ljungblom scored twice in Sweden’s comeback victory. The win already puts the Swedes in the driver’s seat to win their pool and secure a better seeding for the quarterfinals.

Italy 4, France 1

Making its second appearance, Italy posted its first Olympic victory. France is making its Olympic debut. The game was the played at the main rink, the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, which faced scrutiny over construction delays.

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Fresh from a year that saw her open for Post Malone at U.S. Bank Stadium, sell out Surly Brewing Festival Field, make a surprise appearance at Farm Aid and sweep the roots categories at the Grammy Awards with four wins, buzzy Americana act Sierra Ferrell will headline 89.3 The Current’s Music On-a-Stick on Sunday, Aug. 30 at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand.

Tickets are priced from $99.25 to $46 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 12 through Etix or by phone at 800-514-3849. Ferrell’s opening acts will be announced at a later date.

A native of West Virginia, Ferrell grew up living in a trailer with her single mother and one of her two siblings. Despite the region’s rich history in bluegrass music, the young Ferrell spent her time exploring her mom’s collection of cassettes from ’90s acts like 10,000 Maniacs and Tracy Chapman.

Ferrell began performing in band and choir in school, eventually learning to play the guitar and playing in a Grateful Dead cover band. In her early 20s, she lived a nomadic lifestyle, hitch-hiking, freight hopping and living in her van, while busking in Seattle and New Orleans.

She self-released her first two albums in 2018 and 2019, selling hard copies while busking and uploading her original music and cover versions online. That caught the attention of producer Gary Paczosa, who is known for his work with Alison Krauss and Dolly Parton. Paczosa helped Ferrell land a three-album deal with Rounder Records in 2019.

Sierra Ferrell poses in the press room with the Grammys for Best Americana Album, Best Americana Roots Song, Best Americana Performance and Best Americana Roots Performance during the 67th Annual Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, 2025. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)

“Long Time Coming,” her 2021 Rounder debut, earned rave reviews and made it to No. 15 on Billboard’s Americana chart. She followed that by guesting on tracks from the Black Keys, Ray LaMontagne, Shakey Graves and Zach Bryan.

Ferrell’s fourth album, 2024’s “Trail of Flowers,” further expanded her audience. In addition to winning her four Grammys, it landed her artist and album of the year at the Americana Music Honors and Awards.

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Make your claim to fame with a new name — for a snowplow.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is inviting the public to join in on its sixth annual Name a Snowplow contest. Voting is open as of Thursday and goes through noon on Feb. 13, with votes deciding eight new snowplow names – one for each MnDOT district.

Participants can only vote once but can select up to eight names from the list of 30 finalists. To see that list and to vote, go to mndot.gov/nameasnowplow.

The 30 finalists were selected by MnDOT from more than 6,750 submissions received in December.

They include names such as 867-530 Brine, presumably a reference to the 1981 song 867-5309/Jenny by the band Tommy Tutone. Another finalist, O Brother, Where Art Plow?, likely gives a nod to the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which was written and directed by Minnesota-natives Joel and Ethan Coen.

‘Anthony Sledwards,’ ‘Taylor Drift,’ among past winners

Last year’s winner was Anthony Sledwards, likely in honor of Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards. Other past winners include Taylor Drift, Plowy McPlowFace and The Big Leplowski. Previous contests have named 40 snowplows, in addition to four snowplows named by MnDot staff in recognition of the highways they maintain next to tribal lands.

There’s a slight chance of snow next week, according the National Weather Service.

“MnDOT’s 800 snowplows keep Minnesota’s roads clear, drivers safe and traffic moving, despite the snow and cold,” said MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger, in a news release. “Name a Snowplow is a fun way to highlight the work of these plows and their operators, and to celebrate one of the ways Minnesotans get through winter together. We hope Minnesotans take time to notice all of our plows — named or not — so all of our operators can safely do their work.”

MnDOT staff select their finalists based on factors such as frequency of submissions, Minnesota-specific ideas and names easily recognizable to most people.

For updates on the Name a Snowplow contest, follow MnDOT on Facebook (facebook.com/mndot), X (x.com/MnDOT) and Instagram (instagram.com/mndot). The department also updates its social media with winter weather alerts, safety messages, construction updates and more.

Real-time travel information on current road conditions, road closures, traffic cameras and more is available at 511mn.org or with the 511MN mobile phone app.

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By MATTHEW PERRONE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Telehealth company Hims & Hers said Thursday it will launch a cheaper, off-brand version of the weight-loss pill Wegovy, just weeks after drugmaker Novo Nordisk launched its highly anticipated reformulation of the blockbuster medication.

The announcement from Hims is the latest example of the company’s efforts to capitalize on the booming popularity of GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy, which have revolutionized weight loss treatment in the U.S.

For years, Hims has sold compounded versions of the weight-loss drugs, which were initially only available as injections. Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy is the first of the medications to become available in a pill format.

The Danish drugmaker responded to the news Thursday by vowing to sue Hims, calling the new product “an unapproved, inauthentic, and untested knockoff” of semaglutide, the chemical name for Wegovy.

“Novo Nordisk will take legal and regulatory action to protect patients, our intellectual property and the integrity of the U.S. gold-standard drug approval framework,” the company said in a statement.

Despite previous threats and warnings from the Food and Drug Administration, Hims has been able to keep its products on the market due to their status as compounded medications, a class of drugs that are customized and aren’t subject to strict federal regulations.

San Francisco-based Hims said it will launch its compounded pill at $49 for the first month, as part of an introductory offer for new customers, followed by $99 per month. That’s well below Novo’s price of $149 per month.

In September, the FDA issued a warning letter to Hims over “false and misleading” marketing language which regulators said suggested its compounded products were the same as FDA-approved GLP-1 drugs.

Thursday’s announcement from the company states that its pill contains “the same active ingredient as Wegovy,” but also mentions that is it not “approved or evaluated for safety, effectiveness, or quality by the FDA.”

The FDA permits specialty pharmacies and other companies to make compounded versions of brand name drugs when they are in short supply. And the booming demand for GLP-1 drugs in recent years prompted companies like Hims to jump into the multibillion-dollar market for the drugs, with many patients willing to pay cash.

Beginning in 2024, FDA began announcing that GLP-1 drugs were no longer in a shortage, a step that was expected to put an end to the compounding. But there is an exception: The practice is still permitted when a prescription is customized for the patient.

Hims and other companies say they offer “personalized” dosages and formulations of GLP-1 drugs that benefit patients.

“Whether a patient needs a specific dosage adjustment or prefers a compounded semaglutide pill over an injection, our platform now supports a deeper level of personalization,” said Dr. Craig Primack, who heads weight-loss products at Hims, in a statement Thursday.

Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S fell more than 8% in afternoon Thursday.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.