New York Sirens forward Casey O'Brien made an immediate impact in her senior national team debut, recording two points as the United States defeated Switzerland 7-0 at the 2026 IIHF Women's World Championship on Friday.
O'Brien, 25, scored her first international goal 3:44 into the second period and added a secondary assist on a power-play goal at 12:56. She also initiated the play leading to Kirsten Simms' third-period goal, finishing with a plus-three rating and winning eight of nine faceoffs in 14:20 of ice time.
The performance made O'Brien the third-oldest American to debut for the senior women's team since the 1998 Winter Olympics. After missing the 2026 Olympic roster, she said, "I've dreamed of wearing the jersey for so long... I'm just really excited and excited about this group."
O'Brien's strong rookie season in the PWHL (22 points, 53.6% faceoff win rate) earned her All-Rookie Team honors. At the World Championship, she centers a line with former Wisconsin teammates Simms and Lacey Eden, a combination that produced two goals on Friday.
Coach John Wroblewski also deployed O'Brien on the power play, where she won the faceoff that led to Laila Edwards' deflection goal.
In other tournament action, New York Sirens draft pick Elisa Holopainen opened the scoring for Finland in a 4-1 win over host Denmark, continuing her strong form from the Euro Hockey Tour and SDHL.
Canada's Sarah Fillier, also a Sirens forward, is day-to-day with an upper-body injury but is expected to be ready for the PWHL season. Canada opened with a 5-1 victory over Sweden without her.
