2026 Olympic Women’s Hockey: Top standouts from USA vs. Italy quarterfinal game
The Americans continue to dominate in Milan, and they’re looking unstoppable heading toward another gold medal game appearance at the Winter Games.
The United States took care of business against the host nation, Italy, in its quarterfinal matchup on Friday, pulling away with a 6-0 victory.
While Italian goaltender Gabrielle Durante put up a valiant effort in the opening period, the U.S. was all over the home team from the drop of the puck. Yet, Durante was only beaten once in the first 20 minutes thanks to Megan Keller’s second goal of the Olympics.
The dam broke early in the middle frame. Kendall Coyne Schofield scored her first two points of the tournament, less than four minutes apart, to extend the lead to three. The Americans continued to pour it on, as another Laila Edwards snipe put her team up by four. Britta Curl-Salemme and Hannah Bilka also found the back of the net before the second intermission.
Tensions started to rise in the second period. Along with some physical play that was unwelcome by the U.S., including hard hits on their star players, Italy took exception to Bilka getting too close to Durante during her goal. The pent-up aggression even spilled over onto the benches, as Italy head coach Eric Bouchard and U.S. bench boss John Wroblewski were seen barking at each other.
The U.S. played keep away for much of the third period, cruising to its fifth victory in Milan. The team has now outscored its opponents 26-1.
Team USA ended up outshooting Italy 51-6. Gwyneth Philips might have had a light day at the office, but she had to come up clutch in the opening minutes of the game, as Italy Justine Reyes had a breakaway. Yet, the Ottawa Charge netminder came up with a big stop to keep the game scoreless at the time.
Both teams had many chances on the power play, but failed to capitalize. The USA went 0-for-5, while Italy was 0-for-4.
The U.S. will now face underdog Sweden in its semifinal on Monday. It will be the first time the two countries have met in the Olympics since the semifinals in Sochi 12 years ago.
While Italy was unceremoniously defeated on Friday, the team’s effort captured the imagination of home supporters and many fans around the world.
United States
Kendall Coyne Schofield, F
With how dominant the U.S. has been, it might be surprising to think that Coyne Scofield hadn’t posted a point in the group stage. Yet, one of the team’s top veterans put up a couple of nice goals against Italy. The Illinois native showed that it doesn’t matter how often she contributes; she will step up in the big games.
Laila Edwards, F
That shot…it’s so lethal.
Watching Edwards play makes me worry if the PWHL is ready for what the Cleveland Heights, Ohio native is capable of. She went from being a dominant power forward at Wisconsin to being a two-way blueliner at the international and collegiate levels. The cute give-and-go on the set play on Keller’s goal shows her ability to read what’s going on around her, making her a versatile asset at both ends of the rink.
Megan Keller, D
Speaking of Keller, another great game out of the Boston Fleet captain. Whenever I see her wind up for a one-timer, I wince for the goaltender who’s placed in that situation. The way she can maintain possession of the puck and easily get it back for her team is why she’s one of the best blueliners in the game today.
Italy
Gabriella Durante, G
In a game like this, you have to feel for the person who faces the brunt of the team’s attack. Durante came up clutch for the team during the group stage and made some ridiculous saves early on against the U.S. on Friday. With the 45-save performance, the Calgary-born netminder finished the Olympics with 108 saves, making her the third netminder to reach the century mark in Milan.