The semifinals of the women’s ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics are here. One of the most dominant teams in the history of the Winter Games looks to advance to another gold medal game, while Sweden will look to pull off an upset:
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The United States has been by far the best team in the tournament. They ran through the group stage, outscoring their opponents 20-1, including shutting out Canada, 5-0, to clinch first place in Group A. The Americans followed that up with a strong quarterfinal win over host nation Italy on Friday. The team has hardly been tested so far, even by the rival Canadians. They’ve controlled the play against whoever they’ve played, with no team looking capable of stopping that trend.
While Sweden has been improving over the past couple of years, few expected it to reach this point. Coming from the lower-tiered Group B, some believed their impressive numbers in the preliminary round were inflated due to the lesser competition. Yet, Damkronoma finished atop the group after outscoring their opponents 18-2. Then, in the quarterfinals, Sweden put together a gutsy effort, coming away with a 2-0 win to advance to the final four at the Olympics for the first time since 2014.
WHEN THEY LAST MET
The Sochi Winter Games marked the last time these two teams have faced off on the Olympic stage. Team USA won 6-1 in the semis on its way to the silver medal. The United States is 4-1 against Sweden, with Sweden’s lone win coming in the semifinal in 2006, the last time the Games were held in Italy.
TOP SCORERS
United States
Caroline Harvey, 9 pts
Alex Carpenter, 6 pts
Megan Keller 6 pts
Laila Edwards, 6 pts
Five with 5 pts
Sweden
Hanna Olsson, 7 pts
Thea Johansson, 6 pts
Hilda Svensson, 6 pts
Sara Hjalmarsson, 5 pts,
Three with 4 pts
SCOUTING REPORT
United States
I don’t know what more needs to be said about the U.S. This is unquestionably the best roster the program has ever sent to the Olympics, with almost no holes in its lineup. From the forward group that includes legends like Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Alex Carpenter, to youngsters Hanna Bilka, Kirsten Simms and Joy Dunne. Then, there’s the defense, which has the high-flying duo from Wisconsin, Laila Edwards and Caroline Harvey, complemented by Megan Keller and Lee Stecklein.
Did I forget to mention they have the best goaltender in the world? Gwyneth Philips might’ve played a couple of games thus far (making some excellent saves as well), but Aerin Frankel is more than capable of taking this team the distance. The tandem has given up just one goal in the team’s first five games.
The U.S. has made it to seven of the eight gold medal games at the Olympics.
Sweden
Sweden showed it could be a high-flying scoring team against the teams in Group B. Frölunda HC star Hanna Olsson has scored so many big goals so far, including the game-winner against Czechia on Friday. She comes into the semis tied for second overall with seven points. On top of that, college stars Thea Johansson and Hilda Svensson have also been heavily involved in the scoring.
However, the quarterfinal victory proved that Sweden can bunker down defensively. The top pair of Maja Nylen Persson and Mira Jungaker logged some heavy minutes against the Czechs and limited a strong offensive group’s attack. Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t look at the heroics of Ebba Svensson Träff. The 21-year-old goaltender has burst onto the scene in Milan and has been sensational in the Swedes’ run to the semis.
The 2006 Turin Games marked Sweden’s only appearance in the gold medal game at the Olympics. In fact, it was the first and, so far, only time a European team has played in the women’s championship game.
BURNING QUESTIONS
What do the Americans need to focus on?
Going up against a Swedish team that’s most likely going to park the bus and focus on defense, Team USA has to do exactly what it did against the Italians on Friday. Keep pressuring and do not get discouraged. The Americans were only up by one after 20 minutes thanks to a valiant effort from Italy netminder Gabriella Durante. Yet the persistent U.S. attack led to the dam bursting in the second period.
Is Sweden emotionally drained?
It’s been 12 years since Damkronoma has made it this far. The players even said that winning a quarterfinal game was the team’s goal. Now that they’re playing in the semifinals, now what? Are they feeling fulfilled when this game is played with house money? It’s going to be interesting to see how much energy the Swedes have coming into this game, because if they lose focus for even a second, the Americans can make it a long day for them.
PREDICTION
While Sweden was able to do the thing on Italian ice 20 years ago, I don’t think they have enough to do it again, especially with how dominant the Americans are this year. Barring another incredible effort from Svensson Träff, the U.S. is going to play for the gold medal at the Olympics once again.
The two teams will meet Monday at 10:40 a.m. ET.
Read more women’s Olympic stories at DFO
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