USA rout Sweden 5-0 to secure spot in Olympic women’s hockey final
The United States have powered into the women’s ice hockey final at the Milan Cortina Games with a commanding 5-0 victory over Sweden.
Dominant display in Milan
Aerin Frankel made 21 saves to record her third shutout of the tournament as the Americans maintained their perfect record.
A devastating spell in the second period saw the tournament favorites score three times in just two minutes and 47 seconds to take the game away from their opponents.
Abbey Murphy, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Hayley Scamurra all found the net during the blitz to secure the team’s passage to the gold-medal match.
The victory improves the USA’s record to 6-0, having outscored their opponents by a remarkable aggregate of 31-1 in Italy.
Defensive perfection
The Americans have yet to trail or be tied after a scoreless deadlock at any point during the competition.
They are on course to become only the third women’s team to go an entire Olympic campaign without falling behind, emulating Canada’s rosters from 2006 and 2010.
Frankel’s net has been unbreached for over 331 minutes, with the last goal conceded coming against Czechia in the opening game.
Cayla Barnes opened the scoring with a snap shot, while Taylor Heise also added her name to the scoresheet.
Sweden play for bronze
Sweden kept the contest competitive for 35 minutes before the US offensive explosion eventually wore them down.
Goaltender Ebba Svensson Traff made 19 saves before being replaced by Emma Soderberg following the fourth American goal.
Ulf Lundberg’s side will now play for the bronze medal on Thursday, aiming for their third podium finish in team history.
It marks a strong tournament for the Swedes, who topped Group B and upset Czechia to reach the last four with a young, talented roster.
Star-studded support
Former NFL center Jason Kelce was in attendance in Milan to support forward Laila Edwards.
Kelce, who hails from Edwards’ hometown in Ohio, was seen on the scoreboard applauding as the Americans closed out the win.
The USA will now await the winner of the semi-final between defending champions Canada and Switzerland.
A showdown with Canada would mark the seventh gold-medal meeting between the two North American heavyweights.