Japan got in a good workout on Saturday, knocking off defending gold medalist Kazakhstan 6-0 in the opener of the Asian Winter Games women's ice hockey tournament.
Smile Japan, which six days earlier qualified to play in next year's Pyeongchang Olympics and is looking for is first Asian Games gold, dominated the ice, outskating the Kazakhs and robbing them of possession at every turn.
"This game was an opportunity for us to grow defensively," Japan head coach Takeshi Yamanaka said. "We accomplished what we came to do. We limited them to three shots and that is extremely satisfying."