MILAN — The United States women’s ice hockey team defeated Sweden 5–0 on Monday to secure a place in the gold medal game at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, extending an unbeaten tournament run built on dominant scoring and defensive play, according to Olympic officials and match reports.
Goaltender Aerin Frankel recorded her third shutout of the tournament, stopping more than 20 shots as the favored Americans controlled play throughout the semifinal. The decisive stretch came late in the second period when Abbey Murphy, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Hayley Scamurra scored on consecutive shots in under three minutes to push the lead to five goals.
The victory kept the United States perfect at 6–0 in Olympic competition and stretched a run of nearly six consecutive scoreless periods allowed, with the team outscoring opponents by a wide margin entering the final.
Earlier in the knockout stage, the Americans advanced past Italy with a 6–0 quarterfinal win in which 13 players registered at least one point, underscoring the roster’s depth and balanced scoring. In group play, the team also defeated Finland and Switzerland by shutout margins, with captain Hilary Knight tying the U.S. Olympic career goal record during the Finland game.
The semifinal result sends the United States to a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal game, where it will face the winner of the Canada–Switzerland matchup. The championship game is scheduled for Thursday afternoon local time in Milan.
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Hannah Price is a digital journalist who covers breaking news, global events, and trending stories with accuracy and speed. She has previously contributed to several online magazines and has built a reputation for verifying facts before publishing. Hannah believes in responsible reporting and aims to present stories in a way that readers can trust.
