2026 Olympic Women’s Hockey: Top standouts from Switzerland vs. Canada
It was clear that one of the most dominant countries in women’s hockey was chomping at the bit to get on the ice.
While the score might’ve said one thing, Canada was unquestionably the superior team in a 4-0 win over Switzerland on Saturday.
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.