2026 Olympic Women’s Hockey: Top standouts from Feb. 7
We had a full slate of women’s hockey action at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday, with a couple of Group B games that proved pivotal for quarterfinal hopefuls.
In Group A, the superpowers were also in action, fine-tuning their game as they lead to their inevitable matchup next week.
See who stood out on Day 3 of play in Milan.
Germany 5, Japan 2
It was apparent which team had played before, and which was chomping at the bit after a day of rest. Germany struck first just 44 seconds into the game with captain Daria Gleissner tapping in her first of the tournament.
It was part of a dominant first period that saw the German side pot on a couple of more goals, including a highlight reel marker from veteran Emily Nix.
Germany looked like they were going to blow out the Japanese, as Nicola Hadraschek and Laura Kluge scored twice in the early stage of the second. However, a late power play in the frame led to Japan obtaining some life. Mei Miura scored her first of the tournament, with Yumeka Wajima, Japan’s leading scorer in Beijing, finding the back of the net just 22 seconds later.
While Japan tried to make things interesting, that’s as close as the team would get.
Thanks to a respectable third from Japan, Germany only outshot Japan, 29-22. Miyuu Masuhara was relieved after giving up three goals on 12 shots in the first period. Riko Kawaguchi stopped 15 of the 17 shots she faced. Sandra Abstreiter made 20 saves in the winning effort.
Germany was 0-for-3 on the power play, while Japan went 1-for-3.
Germany
Laura Kluge, F
If Germany is going to have any success in the tournament, they need Laura Kluge to step up. She certainly did that on Saturday. She led the charge with four points, posting three assists, two of which were primary. You could see the confidence in her game that she lacked against Sweden. With some winnable games from here on out, I expect Kluge to continue to shine.
Daria Gleissner, D
After a disappointing loss, you look to your leaders to get things back on track. Gleissner certainly made sure that was the case. Along with scoring the first goal of the game, the captain picked up an assist on Hadrachek’s goal early in the middle stanza. Along with the multi-point effort, she finished the game with a +4 rating, as she was excellent in limiting Japan’s grade-A scoring chances.
Nicola Hadraschek, F
Hadrashchek hasn’t been known as a big-time scorer on the international stage, but she found herself in the right place at the right time against Japan. Her ability to quickly transition led to her first goal in the opening frame, while she knows to put herself in the right place at the right time for her second. I’m excited to see how she continues to excel on the line with Kluge and Nix.
Japan
Mei Miura, F
Japan looked pedestrian for stretches of the first half of the game, but Miura was a catalyst to spark some life into the team. Not only did she get Japan on the board with the long goal on the player advantage in the contest, but she also created the scoring chance that led to Wajima’s tally not long thereafter. While Akane Shiga and Rui Ukita are the team’s stars, players like Miura will need to produce if Japan wants to get to the knockout stage.
Sweden 6, Italy 1
The first period certainly wasn’t indicative of the final outcome. Italy kept things tight against Damkronoma, with Jessica Adolfsson’s goal being the lone tally in the opening 20 minutes, with Azzuree only trailing 10-9 in shots.
However, the ice was tilted in Sweden’s favor from then on. Sofie Lundin and Sara Hjalmarsson score just over two minutes apart to extend their lead. Though Franziska Stocker brought some life to the crowd at Santagiulia, that was also the team could muster up on Saturday. The Swedes posted three unanswered, including a pair from Thea Johansson, to come away with a convincing victory.
Sweden ended up outshooting Italy 47-19, including 20-2 in the third. Italy netminder Martina Fedel was pulled after giving up five goals on 32 shots. Gabrielle Durante made 14 saves on the 15 shots she faced.
Italy went 0-for-1 on the power play, while Sweden was 0-for-2.
The win puts Sweden in the quarterfinals. With a 2-0-0 record, a win against France on Sunday will all but secure first place for the blue and yellow. Italy (1-0-1) is still in the running for a spot in the quarterfinal. However, they have a tough back-to-back to end the group stage, facing Japan on Monday before taking on Germany on Tuesday.
Sweden
Thea Johnasson, F
Arguably one of the best seniors in college hockey, Johansson had her fingerprints all over the offense on Saturday. She had a hand in Sweden’s final three goals, including both in the third period and probably could’ve scored a hat trick with the number of chances she had earlier in the contest. The Minnesota Duluth star is part of a strong young wave that Damkronoma possesses, and will be a key part if Sweden makes waves in the knockout stages.
Sara Hjalmarsson, F
After not scoring a single point in Beijing, seeing Hjalmarsson get on the scoresheet is a welcome sight for the Swedes. She picked up an assist on Adolfsson’s goal, using her awareness to help navigate the forecheck that led to the marker. Then, the Toronto Sceptre unleashed a great shot for Sweden’s third goal, showing that goal-scoring touch that made her one of the best exports from the country since IKEA.
Hanna Olsson, F
I’ve enjoyed following Olsson’s career, dating back to her days with HV71, and helping Frolunda earn promotion to the SDHL. With the national team, she hasn’t been the noted point producer since that impressive 11-point performance at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship, but a two-point outing against the Italians might ignite her confidence that the Swedes could use later in the tournament.
Italy
Franziska Stocker, D
There wasn’t much to cheer about on the Italian side, but Stocker’s snipe got a significant reaction from the crowd, and many who were broadcasting the game. On a team that has players like Laura Fortino and Nadia Mattivi on the back end, seeing the power from the 28-year-old shows that Azzurre might have a few more tricks up their sleeve offensively. Stocker was credited with three shots on goal in the loss, while finishing third on the team with just under 23 minutes of ice time.
United States 5, Finland 0
By Ben Steiner
Finland was playing their first game of the tournament after a Norovirus outbreak on their team’s sidelines, affecting at least 10 players, leaving them unable to play their scheduled opener against Canada before the opening ceremony.
Minnesota Frost star Taylor Heise, who did not centralize with the U.S. program in 2022, found the back of the net for the first time in her Olympic career to make it 2-0 for the Americans in the second period. Her goal came as a relative tap-in at the back post, after an intricate breakout and buildup alongside her Frost teammate, Britta Curl-Salemme and University of Minnesota standout, Abbey Murphy.
The goal kick-started the onslaught for the Americans, after Seattle Torrent forward Alex Carpenter waited until the final five minutes of the first period to open the scoring. Before the opener on the power play, the USA dominated, controlling play throughout most of the frame and allowing no significant opportunities to test Aerin Frankel in the crease.
It didn’t take long for the U.S. to extend its lead either, as Megan Keller, playing at her third Olympics, found her first goal on the sport’s biggest stage with a slick move finished on a backhand between the legs of Ottawa Charge netminder, Sanni Ahola.
Hilary Knight, playing at her fifth and final Games, extended the lead to 4-0 before the midway mark of the second with a sharp-angle shot to beat Ahola and tie the record for the most Olympic goals in American women’s hockey history with 14.
Murphy added to the historic day with her first Olympic goal in her eighth game to make it 5-0 in the final moments of the third period.
While Finland held strong in the first period, the Americans’ star qualities stood out throughout once they found the breakthrough. They ended the game with a regulation win, having outshot their opponents 49-11 and went two-for-six on the power play, after Finland took several penalties in an effort to keep up with the Americans’ puck movement.
With the win, the U.S. vaulted itself higher atop Group A, bringing its record to 2-0-0 and with a 10-1 positive goal differential.
Now, they look ahead to a matchup against Switzerland on Monday and their group stage finale on Tuesday against Canada, who had yet to hit the competitive ice due to the Norovirus outbreak, by the time the US had completed their second game.
Finland, meanwhile, looks to continue its battle for a higher seed when it takes on Czechia, Switzerland and Canada to round out a condensed group stage timeline.
United States
Megan Keller, D
It’s her third Olympics, but that will go down as one of Keller’s better performances on the international stage, with a goal and two assists to lead the Americans’ offensive onslaught from the blueline. She’s looking strong alongside Laila Edwards.
Hilary Knight, F
Knight only got onto the scoresheet once, but was present throughout this game in a more savvy way than usual. Her goal was one thing, but she nearly set up Hanna Bilka with a stunning saucer pass to spring a breakaway in the second period and had several more organizational opportunities.
Abbey Murphy, F
If the U.S. had collegiate players in the Rivalry Series, the domination of Team Canada could have been even more dramatic. Murphy, who went viral just weeks ago for a slick and skillful assist with Minnesota, scored a goal and an assist in a dynamic line alongside Heise and Curl-Salemme.
Finland
Petra Nieminen, F
A two-time Olympic bronze medalist, Petra Nieminen knows the state of the game at the Olympics, but put together a strong performance against the overwhelming U.S. roster, mustering two shots and forcing a strong save out of Frankel in the third period.
Switzerland 0, Canada 4
The Canadians were playing in Milan for the first time, as their game against Finland was postponed due to a Norovirus outbreak within the Finnish roster. Canada came out flying, forcing Swiss goaltender Saskia Maurer, who was making her second start in as many days, to work early and often.
Maurer displayed some of the heroics that led Switzerland to a shootout victory on Friday against Czechia, keeping the game scoreless for almost half the contest. Canada finally broke through in the second as veteran Natalie Spooner scored her sixth career goal at the Olympics to put Canada on the board. Despite the five-time Olympic gold medalists leading in every statistical category, Switzerland only trailed by one heading into the third.
However, the Swiss got into penalty trouble in the final frame, and Canada made them pay with a couple of power-play goals, with Julia Gosling and Daryl Watts scoring their first Olympic markers. Capping off the tournament-opening win.
Even while Canada was pulling away in the third, they refused to let up. The team posted 25 shots on goal in the final 20 minutes, outshooting the Swiss 55-6 overall.
Canada ended up going 3-for-6 on the power play, the most goals by any team on the player advantage so far in Italy. Switzerland failed to capitalize on its two chances.
As strong as Canada looked in the win, Switzerland shouldn’t hang their heads after the result. Just over 24 hours removed from their emotional win over the Czechs, and the chaos that led to them missing out on the Opening Ceremony, they kept the well-rested Canadians off the board for nearly 30 minutes – a silver lining they can take into the later games of the preliminary round.
Canada (1-0-0) has a day off before taking on Czechia on Monday. The Swiss (1-0-1) face Finland on Monday in a key matchup that could determine third place in Group A.
Canada
Renata Fast, D
The reigning PWHL Defender of the Year was arguably the most dominant player on either side on Saturday night. From the opening puck drop, she seemed to be everywhere, with or without the puck. She might’ve only picked up an assist on Sarah Fillier’s power-play goal in the third, but the Toronto Sceptres blueliner was an offensive catalyst, and one of the many reasons Canada controlled the play for the entirety of the game. Fast delivered four shots on goal while leading Canada in ice time (23:40).
Sarah Fillier, F
The way the first 40 minutes went, you would’ve thought Fillier was snake-bitten. Whether it was because of near-misses or Maurer coming up with some dandy saves, it seemed as if the New York Sirens star couldn’t buy a goal. Yet, she ended the game with a goal and an assist, finishing tied with Laura Stacey with six shots on goal each. Fillier was a key part in Canada’s gold-medal run four years ago, and she undoubtedly has an even bigger role this year.
Switzerland
Saskia Maurer, G
Maruer channeled her inner Andrea Brändli against Canada, putting together the type of performance that put the latter on the map. Making 51 saves against a team that is shaping up to be a contender for the gold medal is nothing to overlook. Even if Brändli gets to 100%, I would be comfortable keeping Maurer in the net, especially with a couple of winnable games on the horizon.