Team USA Shuts Out Sweden 5-0
MILAN — The U.S. women’s hockey team continued its Olympic dominance on Monday, defeating Sweden 5-0 to reach the gold-medal match. Team USA will face the winner of the Canada vs. Switzerland game in Thursday’s championship.
“The energy is great, and we’re improving as the tournament goes along,” defenseman Laila Edwards told NBC News. “What I really respect about this group is that there’s no arrogance. We’re confident, but not complacent.”
Early Lead Sets the Tone
The Americans scored first with 14:51 left in the first period. Forward Kelly Pannek skated behind the net and passed to defenseman Cayla Barles on the right face-off circle. Barles quickly snapped the puck past Sweden goalie Ebba Traff Svensson for a 1-0 lead. It was her first goal of the tournament.
Although the U.S. outshot Sweden 13-2 in the opening period, the score remained 1-0.
Second Period Sparks a Scoring Surge
Ten minutes and 51 seconds into the second period, Abbey Murphy sent a precise pass to Hannah Bilka, who drove toward the goal. At the last moment, Bilka passed to Taylor Heise, who scored a one-timer. This was Heise’s second goal of the tournament.
The momentum continued as Kendall Coyne scored on a deflection less than a minute later, followed by Hayley Scamurra tapping the puck in just over a minute after that.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said team captain Hilary Knight. “We’ve worked hard to reach this opportunity, and when you’re playing with skilled teammates, the game moves fast and is exciting.”
Defense Holds Strong
Team USA’s defense has been equally impressive. Their current shutout streak of 331 minutes and 23 seconds is the longest in Olympic women’s hockey history.
Meanwhile, Knight is tied for the all-time Olympic goal-scoring record for Team USA. She downplayed her personal milestone, focusing instead on the team’s goal. “We’ll see. I just want a gold medal. However that looks, I’m all for it,” she said.
Redemption in the Gold-Medal Game
Team USA narrowly lost 3-2 to Canada in the 2022 Olympics, earning silver. Defenseman Carolina Harvey said the loss still motivates the team. “The highs are great, but the lows stay with you,” she said. “We definitely want redemption, and that’s what we came here for.”
