The United States women’s hockey team is headed back to the Olympic final after a dominant 5-0 semifinal win over Sweden at the Milano Cortina Games on Monday.
Goaltender Aerin Frankel turned aside 21 shots to record her third shutout of the tournament, extending the Americans’ remarkable defensive run. Team USA has now posted five consecutive shutouts and has not allowed a goal in 331 minutes, 23 seconds — the longest shutout streak in Olympic history. The only puck to beat them came in their opening game against Czechia.
Although the U.S. controlled play early — outshooting Sweden 13-2 in the first period — it led just 1-0 after 20 minutes. Defenseman Cayla Barnes opened the scoring with a snap shot from the right circle, assisted by Kelly Pannek and Lee Stecklein. Taylor Heise doubled the lead at 9:08, finishing a setup from Hannah Bilka that slipped past Swedish goalie Ebba Svensson Traff. Then came a decisive burst: Abbey Murphy, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Hayley Scamurra scored on consecutive shots in a span of 2:47 late in the period, pushing the advantage to 5-0. Coyne Schofield’s goal chased Svensson Traff from the net after she stopped 19 of 23 shots. Emma Soderberg came on in relief and made 10 saves but was beaten by Scamurra less than two minutes later. The third period remained scoreless. “After the first, we came in and thought we have a little bit more to give,” Heise said after the game.
Five different Americans found the net, and 13 players recorded at least one point in the balanced effort. Through six games, the United States is 6-0 and has outscored opponents 31-1. The team has yet to trail or even be tied beyond 0-0 and has won every game by at least five goals — a rare feat previously achieved only by Canada in 2006 and 2010.
Team USA will face Canada in Thursday’s gold medal game at Santagiulia Arena. Canada defeated Switzerland 2-1 in their semifinal match on Monday to advance to the final. USA’s matchup against Canada marks the seventh Olympic final meeting between the longtime rivals. The U.S. has already defeated Canada 5-0 earlier in the tournament.
Sweden, which had impressed with a 4-0 run in group play and a 2-0 quarterfinal upset of Czechia, will compete for bronze. The Swedes are seeking their first Olympic medal since claiming silver in 2006.
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