One year before the start of the Pyeongchang Olympics, the Japan women's ice hockey team took a good first step toward being there.
Smile Japan defeated Austria 6-1 on Thursday behind Hanae Kubo's hat trick to move to the top of its final Olympic qualifying pool on the first day of competition. The four-team tournament got underway south of Sapporo earlier, when Germany defeated France 3-2 in a penalty shootout.
Japan leads the group with three points, with Germany second, a point back, France (one) third and Austria bringing up the rear with none. The top team from the pool will be playing in South Korea a year from now.