In the second period of their opening game of the 2022 Olympics, Team China found the back of the net on their second power play of the game. It was China’s first Olympic goal in 12 years and it was scored by none other than Hannah Miller, who began playing pro hockey in China in the 2018-19 season after completing her collegiate career at St. Lawrence University.
Miller’s Chinese name is Mi Le. She was born in British Columbia, Canada, and has played pro hockey in the CWHL, SDHL, and ZhHL. This is her first appearance for China in a major tournament, so she certainly didn’t waste any time making an impression.
TEAM CHINA IS ON THE BOARD! 🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳
Le Mi with a laser sends the puck flying to the back of the @narodnitymzen net and makes it a 1 goal game. #Beijing2022
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) February 3, 2022
🚨 Mi Le (Hannah Miller) cuts CZE lead by one, scores our first goal at #Beijing2022 !
— Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays (@KRSVankeRays) February 3, 2022
Miller’s goal cut Team Czechia’s lead in half and came at a point in the game where the flow of the game was definitely being controlled by the Czechs and their superior ability to move the puck. Her slap shot goal on the power play was assisted by Leah Lum and Jessica Wong.
This is China’s fourth appearance in the Olympic tournament and first since the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. In that tournament, the Chinese had six goals in five games, three of which were scored on their way out of the tournament in their placement game against Slovakia on Feb. 22, 2010. Of course, Miller’s goal is also the first goal scored by China as the host nation of the Olympic tournament.
We didn’t think it would take too long for us to see some history in Beijing, and, sure enough, some history was made on the very first night.