Team USA’s women’s hockey team is headed back to the Olympic gold medal game after a dominant 5–0 semifinal victory over Sweden at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, continuing a remarkable run through the tournament.
The Americans have overwhelmed opponents from the opening puck drop of Olympic play, now outscoring the competition 31–1 as they prepare for a chance to reclaim Olympic gold.
The semifinal began as a physical and tightly contested battle. Sweden matched the United States’ intensity throughout the opening period, but Cayla Barnes broke through with the lone goal of the first, giving Team USA a 1–0 edge and momentum heading into intermission.
That momentum quickly turned into a scoring avalanche in the second period.
Just over nine minutes into the frame, Taylor Heise doubled the American lead after Hannah Bilka delivered a perfectly timed backhanded cross-ice pass that Heise finished cleanly. The goal opened the floodgates for a relentless U.S. attack.
Less than three minutes later, the Americans struck three more times in rapid succession. Abbey Murphy ignited the surge with a top-shelf finish to make it 3–0. Moments later, Laila Edwards teamed up with Kendall Coyne Schofield to extend the lead again, overwhelming the Swedish defense.
The four-goal burst forced Sweden to replace starting goaltender Ebba Svensson Traff with Emma Soderberg, but the change provided little relief. Hayley Scamurra added the fifth goal before the end of the second period, putting the game firmly out of reach.
Soderberg held strong in the third period and prevented further damage, but the outcome was already decided.
In net for the United States, Aerin Frankel delivered another historic performance. With the shutout victory, Frankel became the first goaltender in Olympic women’s hockey history to record three shutouts in a single tournament. After the game, she credited the defensive unit in front of her for limiting Sweden’s scoring opportunities and maintaining control throughout the matchup.
With the win, the United States advances to the gold medal game on February 19, where it will face the winner of the Canada–Switzerland semifinal. Sweden will move on to compete in the bronze medal game earlier that day.
Now one victory away from Olympic glory, Team USA enters the championship game playing its most complete hockey of the tournament — dominant defensively, explosive offensively, and confident in pursuit of gold.
