(Eagle News) – After losing an overtime thriller to the Canadians in the 2014 gold medal game in Sochi, Team USA seeks redemption.

That loss  fueled their preparations in exhibition games and Olympic pre-qualifiers.

In the opening period of the first game against Finland, the game’s tempo did not reflect a desperate U.S. team.

Telecast of the match showed the U.S. team off to a slow start. They gave up one goal to Finland in the closing seconds of the 1st period.

However, Kendall Coyne and Monique Lamoureux-Morando helped stage a comeback in the 2nd period with a pair of goals.

In the 3rd period, Dani Cameranesi scored an empty-netter, securing a 3-1 victory in a convincing win over Finland.

U.S. Netminder, Maddie Rooney also had 23 saves – a huge game for the 20-year-old Minnesota Native.

Team USA will move on to their second game in the preliminary round on Tuesday as they face the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR), whom their northern rivals, Canada, shut out.

(Eagle News Service with reports from Jay Rosquites)