Olympics hockey semifinals: Team USA dominates Sweden, will play for gold against Canada
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ThePostMaster- 0
- 34 minutes read
MILAN — Eleven minutes into their team’s semifinal clash against the juggernaut U.S. women’s hockey team, Swedish fans inside Santagiulia Arena roared with approval.
A goal? Sustained pressure? A power play? Nope. The Swedes had just finally registered their first shot on goal.
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Sweden did manage to fire more pucks in the direction of the American net over the course of Monday’s lopsided semifinal, but the Swedes didn’t come any closer to challenging the U.S. than any other opponent in Milan has. Five different American players scored and goaltender Aerin Frankel recorded her team’s fifth consecutive shutout as the U.S. thrashed Sweden 5-0 to advance to Thursday’s 1:10 p.m. ET gold-medal match against Canada.
“We put on a show every time we’re out there because we love to play hockey,” U.S. forward Taylor Heise said. “From the outside, you can’t even understand how thoroughly people do their jobs in that locker room. And that’s the reason why we’re coming out and winning on a daily basis.”
“Today, maybe we needed a plexiglass in front of our net to stay in the game,” Swedish coach Ulf Lundberg said.
America’s neighbor to the north is the reigning Olympic champion, but not even they managed to put up much of a fight against the U.S. in group play. Playing without injured captain Marie-Philip Poulin, Canada fell meekly to the Americans 5-0. It was the first time Canada had been shutout during the Olympics.
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That game was indicative of how these Olympics have gone. The Americans have bulldozed to the gold-medal match by outscoring their opponents 31-1, and haven’t allowed a goal in 16 straight periods of play.
The only goal the U.S. has surrendered was a flukey one in its opening game of group play. Czechia’s Barbora Jurickova emerged from the penalty box at the exact same moment the U.S. coughed up possession of the puck, producing a breakaway opportunity that resulted in the lone blemish against the Americans’ record.
“I’ve been on a lot of teams throughout my career, but there’s something special about this one,” American forward Kendall Coyne Schofield said. “I think it’s ultimately how enjoyable it is to be in that locker room and how everyone is willing to do whatever it takes for this team, no matter what the role is.”
The Swedes were not expected to reach the women’s hockey medal round, but they arrived in Milan with a point to prove. In group-stage play, Olympic organizers placed the five highest-ranked teams in Group A and the remaining five teams in Group B. Sweden viewed its Group B status as an insult, believing that it belonged among the medal hopefuls.
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Over its opening five games in Milan, Sweden won over any non-believers. It cruised through group play, winning all four games by three goals apiece. Then, it took advantage of its first crack at a higher-ranked opponent, shutting out bronze-medal contender Czechia in the quarterfinals.
And yet as impressive as the Swedes have been in Milan, their semifinal challenge against the U.S. was a different beast. Sweden was a 28-to-1 underdog to win the game outright, according to BetMGM. A Swedish victory would have been the women’s hockey equivalent of the New York Giants helmet-catching the New England Patriots or Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson.
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The U.S. sent an early message there would be no upset with a first-period goal just over five minutes into the game. A Cayla Barnes wrist shot from above the right faceoff circle beat Swedish goaltender Svensson Traff gloveside. There was a swarm of bodies in front of the net, which may have made it difficult for Traff to see the puck.
It stayed 1-0 into the second period. Then the avalanche began.
The U.S. converted a 2-on-1 fast break when Hannah Bilka drove at the net and set up Taylor Heise, whose shot somehow made it through Traff. Minutes later, Abbey Murphy made it 3-0 with a rocket from close range to beat Traff at a tight angle. By the end of the second period, it was 5-0 after goals by Coyne Schofield and Hayley Scamurra.
The Americans arrived in Milan on a “gold-or-bust” mission. Now they’re one win away from achieving what they came here to do.
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“We’re very excited to bring what we have on Thursday,” Heise said. “When we focus on what we can do, we’re so good.”
Check out all the live updates, highlights and more from the U.S. women’s win over Sweden in the semifinals of the Olympic hockey tournament:
Ian Casselberry
With a 5-0 lead at six minutes remaining, it appears Team USA will advance to the gold medal game. They will face the winner of Canada-Switzerland, which will begin at 3:10 p.m. ET.
A potential USA vs. Canada game for the gold medal is exactly what women’s ice hockey fans of those countries would’ve hoped for going into the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Ian Casselberry
If you’re just checking in, Team USA has a 5-0 lead over Sweden as their semifinal match goes to the third period. The U.S. will play for the gold medal if they advance.
Cayla Barnes, Taylor Heise, Abbey Murphy, Kendall Coyne and Hayley Scamurra have lit the lamp for Team USA, which has notched 24 shots on goal.
Hilary Knight will set the U.S. Olympic record for women’s ice hockey with her next goal. At 14, she is currently tied with Natalie Darwitz and Katie King.
Ian Casselberry
Not a surprise with a 5-0 lead, but USA is outshooting Sweden after two periods. However, the advantage isn’t as large as might be guessed with Team USA tallying 24 shots to Sweden’s 15.
Chris Cwik
Early in the second period, it looked as though Sweden was going to make it a game. After being outshot 13-2 in the first period, Sweden came out attacking early in the second.
Team USA held up to the early onslaught before finding its offensive stride as the period went on. Taylor Heise broke through to make it 2-0 for the Americans.
After a few minutes with no scores, Team USA decided to go on a scoring barrage. The team scored three goals in three minutes, one of which came right after Sweden changed it goalie.
Team USA lead 5-0 heading into the third period. A win would put the Americans in the gold-medal game.
Chris Cwik
Abbie Murphy picked up a late penalty in the second period for goalie interference. With Sweden goaltender Emma Soderberg behind the net, Murphy crashed into her, causing Soderberg to hit the ice.
There was a delayed penalty, and Murphy was called for a penalty once Team USA took control of the puck. But Sweden was also called for a penalty after Jessica Adolfsson retaliated against Murphy.
Chris Cwik
Team Sweden is scrambling after an excellent start from Team USA. With Sweden trailing 4-0 in the second period, the team decided to swap goaltenders.
Ebba Svensson Traff was removed from the game by Sweden. She was replaced by Emma Soderberg.
It didn’t take long for the Americans to score on Soderberg. With 2:01 left, Hayley Scamurra managed a goal to put Team USA up 5-0.
Chris Cwik
A defensive breakdown leads to another goal for Team USA. With the Americans scrambling to take control of a puck deep in Sweden’s territory, Abbie Murphy found an open gap in the defense.
Murphy found herself wide open when the puck arrived, and then drilled a shot past Sweden’s goaltender to go up 3-0.
It wasn’t long before Laila Edwards got in on the action. Shortly after Murphy’s score, Edwards got one of her own to make it 4-0 with under four minutes to go in the second period.
Chris Cwik
Here’s the goal that put Team USA up 2-0 in the second period.
Hannah Bilka found Taylor Heise, who managed to rattle the puck around the goalkeeper’s pads to pick up the goal.
Chris Cwik
Team USA found itself at a disadvantage, but managed to survive again. Another Sweden power play did not result in a score, allowing the Americans to hold their 2-0 lead in the second period.
Team USA nearly scored despite being down a player, as they managed a breakaway. Sweden’s goalkeeper came up with a save, however, keeping it 2-0.
Sweden has closed the gap in shots on goal, and has played better in the second period, but Team USA’s offense has proven too relentless so far.
Chris Cwik
Sweden managed two shots but Team USA was able to survive Sweden’s power play in the second.
Shortly after the penalty, Team USA nearly scored its second goal.
It wasn’t long before the Americans converted, though. After a near-offsides penalty, Hannah Bilka found Taylor Heise on a two-on-one. Heise’s shot rattled off Sweden’s goaltender’s pads before dropping into the goal for the second score of the game.
Chris Cwik
Roughly six minutes into the second period, Sweden appears to have found its footing. After registering just two shots in the first period, Sweden quickly upped that number to eight shots early in the second quarter.
Sweden actually leads the way in shots early in the period, with a 6-2 advantage.
On top of that, Team Sweden just went on a power play, and will look to tie things up 1-1 while they have the advantage.
Chris Cwik
After a quick break, the second period is underway. Sweden showed some life right away, picking up their third shot of the game early in the period.
After another shot by Sweden, there was nearly a fight on the ice. Cooler heads prevailed, but Sweden looks much feistier to start the second period.
Chris Cwik
The first period couldn’t have gone much better for Team USA. The Americans lead 1-0 after outshooting Sweden 13-2 in the period.
Team USA dominated the possession in the period, spending a lot of time putting pressure on Sweden’s defense. Sweden, to their credit, mostly got the job done. An early coal by Cayla Barnes put Team USA up, but Sweden was able to get stops the rest of the period.
While Sweden didn’t have many moments on offense during the period, the team threatened late, nearly scoring on their second shot of the game.
While it was an encouraging start for the Americans, Sweden’s late rally was a reminder that it’s still a one-score game. Team USA will need to convert on more of its shots in the second period if it wants to win this one comfortably.
Chris Cwik
Roughly three quarters of the way through the first period, and Team USA is dominating Sweden. While the U.S. is up just 1-0, Team USA has a massive edge in shots on goal.
With 6:37 to go in the period, Team USA has 9 shots on goal. Sweden has just one.
Team USA has done a great job attacking Sweden’s defense and preventing the Swedes from clearing the puck in their own territory. Sweden will need to find a way to close that deficit if the team wants to pull off a win over the Americans.
Chris Cwik
Here’s the shot that gave Team USA the early lead over Sweden.
Chris Cwik
Team USA is off to a fantastic start against Sweden. With 14:51 left in the first period, Cayla Barnes hit on a long-range shot to put the U.S. up 1-0.
It was a dominant possession for Team USA, who spent a lot of time deep in Sweden’s territory before the goal. Despite Sweden’s best efforts, the team couldn’t clear the puck. Team USA moved the puck well during the possession before Barnes connected on the goal.
Chris Cwik
Here we go! Team USA and Sweden are officially underway in the battle of the unbeaten teams. The winner will advance to the gold-medal game. The loser will play for bronze.
Team USA won the initial face off but play stopped quickly after an icing call seven seconds into the contest.
Yahoo Sports Staff
Knight is on the verge of making history, tied for the most Olympic goals in women’s hockey at 14.
