U.S. Women’s Team Triumphs Over Sweden, 5-0; Secures Place in Olympic Gold Medal Match
MILAN – With contributions from five different players and a shutout performance by Aerin Frankel (Chappaqua, N.Y./Boston Fleet), the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team secured its place in the gold medal match of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games following a 5-0 semifinal win over Sweden at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
Team USA will compete for the gold on Thursday (Feb. 19) against the victor of the Canada-Switzerland semifinal. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m. CET (1:10 p.m. ET) at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. It will be available on USA Network and streamed via Peacock.
“Today we moved closer to our ultimate objective,” stated John Wroblewski (Neenah, Wis.), head coach of the 2026 U.S. Olympic Women’s Hockey Team. “We maintained our determination, which paid off, and the involvement of so many players reflects the strength of this team. Now, we will refocus and prepare for Thursday’s gold medal match.”
Cayla Barnes (Eastvale, Calif./Seattle Torrent) opened the scoring at 5:09 of the first period, launching a shot from the top of the right circle that beat Swedish goalie Ebba Svensson Träff after receiving a pass from Kelly Pannek (Plymouth, Minn./Minnesota Frost).
GAME PHOTOS
The U.S. outshot Sweden 13-2 in the first period, dominating possession in the offensive zone for the majority of the frame.
Team USA nearly increased its lead at 3:28 of the second period, but a shot from Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass./Seattle Torrent) hit the post after a rebound.
Taylor Heise (Lake City, Minn./Minnesota Frost) extended the U.S. lead to 2-0 with a one-timer that slipped past Svensson Träff following a cross-ice pass from Hannah Bilka (Coppell, Texas/Seattle Torrent) at 9:09.
Abbey Murphy (Evergreen Park, Ill./University of Minnesota) scored with a wrist shot from a sharp angle at the bottom of the right circle over the shoulder of Svensson Träff at 15:12, making it 3-0.
Just 58 seconds later, Kendall Coyne Schofield (Palos Heights, Ill./Minnesota Frost) redirected a shot from Laila Edwards (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/University of Wisconsin) into the net.
Hayley Scamurra (Buffalo, N.Y./Montreal Victoire) capped the scoring for the U.S. at 17:59, tapping in the puck after a cross-crease pass from Britta Curl-Salemme (Bismarck, N.D./Minnesota Frost).
Frankel was impressive in the second period, stopping all 13 shots she faced. She concluded the game with 23 saves, achieving her third shutout of the tournament and becoming the first goaltender in Olympic women’s hockey history to accomplish this feat.
NOTES: Team USA outshot Sweden, 34-23 … The U.S. did not receive any power plays while Sweden went 0-3 on their power plays … Team USA has outscored its opponents 31-1 across six games and has not allowed a goal in its last 331:23 minutes of play.
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