After losing its last two Olympic openers against Sweden, Japan arrived at Wukesong Sports Center in Beijing hoping to find an answer in their third straight meeting at the Games.
Her name, it turns out, was Rui Ukita.
The 25-year-old delivered a crucial top-shelf goal early in the third period on Thursday evening to give Smile Japan a 2-1 lead that it managed to protect and later eventually expand to a 3-1 win after Haruna Yoneyama slotted into an empty net.
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