MILAN, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The United States sent a message with a resounding 5-0 win over depleted rivals Canada in the Milano Cortina group stage on Tuesday, as the defending Olympic champions were without injured "Captain Clutch" Marie-Philip Poulin.
Forward Hannah Bilka scored twice while forward Kirsten Simms and defenders Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards added goals at Santagiulia Arena for the United States' fourth consecutive win of the Games to clinch the top spot in Group A.
The disjointed Canadian team were playing without their longtime leader after Poulin suffered a lower-body injury during Monday's win over the Czech Republic. They face Finland on Thursday in their final group stage game.
Harvey fired the puck underneath Canada goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens' leg in the fourth minute to open the scoring with her second goal in two days, starting a rout few expected between the typically closely matched teams.
Abbey Murphy, who notched three assists for the U.S., seemingly had eyes on the back of her head as she flipped the puck behind her to connect with forward Bilka, who rifled a shot from the slot into the net late in the first period.
Simms forced the puck over the line on the power play early in the second period, a goal Canadian coach Troy Ryan unsuccessfully challenged, and Murphy assisted Bilka on another goal with seven minutes to go before the intermission for a commanding 4-0 lead.
The game, widely expected to be a preview of the Milan gold-medal contest, had been billed as a battle of U.S. youth versus Canada experience.
The U.S. found another gear to neutralise their arch rivals' offence in the third period and added to its own goal haul.
The 22-year-old converted forward Edwards got her first Olympic goal after she beat the Canadian defender Erin Ambrose for a terrific unassisted effort with just over eight minutes left to complete the scoring.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Milan; additional reporting by Giulio Piovaccari in Milan; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
