SEMI-FINAL MONDAY SUMMARY
UNITED STATES (5) USA SWEDEN (0)
Bostons Aerin Frankel stopped the U.S. to a fifth straight shutout victory with a 23-save performance and lifted the Americans to their seventh gold medal game in eight all-time Olympic women’s hockey tournaments. Seattle defender Cayla Barnes opened the scoring with the winning goal at 5:09 of the first period, her first tally of the tournament, before a string of four American goals in the middle frame. Minnesota forward Taylor Heise‘s second goal earned the insurance marker and Frost’s captaincy Kendall Coyne Schofield and that of Montreal Hayley Scamurra each contributed their third goal of the tournament less than two minutes apart to limit the scoring. Torrent forward Hannah Bilka chipped in two assists, and fleet captain Megan Keller had one helper, bringing their tournament point total to seven. Boston newcomer Haley Winn and Minnesota veterans Britta Curl-Salemme, To Kelly Pan And Lee Stecklein also recorded a pair of assists in a game that the US led in shots 34-23. Sweden could not find the same magic in Italy that led them to an upset victory over the US in the semi-finals two decades ago, the last time they won a medal at the Olympics, with a silver medal in 2006. The Swedes won Olympic bronze in 2002, while the Americans have claimed the gold medal twice in 1998 and 2018.
CANADA (2) USA SWITZERLAND (1)
Captain of Montreal Marie-Philip Poulin made history with a two-goal performance and became the all-time leading goal scorer in the history of Olympic women’s hockey, lifting Canada to its eighth consecutive appearance in the gold medal game. Toronto’s Daryl Watts assisted on both goals and leads the team with eight points in six games, with some of the assists credited to the Vancouver defenseman Sophie Jacques and Sceptres Defender Ella Shelton. Goaltender victory Ann-Renee Desbiens earned the victory, her third of the tournament, with seven saves. Bostons Alina Muller picked up the primary assist on Switzerland’s lone goal to take her tournament points total to five. Despite trailing 46-8, the Swiss held the Canadians to their smallest margin of victory in Olympic semifinal history, including two previous head-to-head matches at this stage of the competition (3-1 in Sochi 2014, 10-3 in Beijing 2022). Switzerland, which won its only Olympic bronze medal in 2014, will face Sweden in the bronze medal match on Thursday. The tournament ends with Canada, the defending Olympic gold medalists, renewing their rivalry with the United States in search of a record sixth gold medal after wins in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022.
THURSDAY FINAL SCHEDULE
BRONZE MEDAL GAME8:40 ET: SWEDEN VS. SWITZERLAND
GOLD MEDAL GAME1:10 PM ET: UNITED STATES VS. CANADA
CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL SCHEDULE AND BROADCAST DETAILS
RECORDS AND MILESTONES
- Poulin is the only player in Olympic women’s hockey history to score 20 career goals, surpassing fellow countrywoman Hayley Wickenheiser’s previous record of 18.
- Poulin set the record in her 26th career game, beating Wickenheiser and Jayna HeffordPWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, for the most Olympic games played by a Canadian.
- Frankel became the first goaltender in Olympic women’s hockey history to record three shutouts in a single tournament.
- Frankel And Gwyneth Phillips (OTT) have combined to produce an Olympic record shutout streak of 331:23.
- Desbiens set a new Canadian Olympic record with her ninth career win, finishing second all-time to Swiss goaltender Florence Schelling and one behind Finland’s Noora Räty’s record of 10 wins.
- Müller moved into a tie for seventh in all-time Olympic scoring alongside Canada’s Meghan Agosta with 28 points (15G, 13A) in 25 career matches.
- Keller is tied for fourth in all-time Olympic scoring by a defenseman with 13 points in 18 games, while her 11 career assists tie her with Tara Mounsey for the rankings by an American defenseman, and second overall behind Claire Thompson (VAN) who has 14.
- Coyne Schofield became the 21st woman and seventh American to score 10 career Olympic goals and is tied with her teammate Alex Timmerman (SEA) and Cammi Granato for fifth in all-time U.S. points with 18.
- To pans became the 19th American woman to score 10 career Olympic points (2G, 8A), reaching the milestone in her 18th career game.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
JOCKS INTO JILLS
Tessa and Julia attended today’s semifinals at the Milano Santagiulia IHO Arena, where the gold and bronze matchups were decided. Tune in to the PWHL YouTube channel for a full recap, analysis, and today’s storylines, including the factors behind the Americans’ continued dominance, Marie-Philip Poulin‘s historic performance for Canada, and what to expect in Thursday’s medal games.
Next – Jocks in Jills will drop two special edition episodes tomorrow, February 16:
- 6:00 AM ET: Tessa and Julia sit down with sports icon and PWHL Advisory Board member Billie Jean King for her very first appearance on the podcast.
- 2:00 PM ET: A second episode features the mothers of Olympians Emma Maltese, To Kelly PanAnd Kristin Della Roveresharing insights into the journey to the Olympic podium and the support systems behind the athletes.
Jocks in Jills regularly shares content from Milano Cortina 2026, featuring behind-the-scenes moments, special cameos and updates as they happen. Stay up to date with the latest Winter Olympics news by following Jocks on the official Jills social channels (@jocksinjills).
#PWHL #recap #Olympic #Games #February #Pro #Hockey #News