The U.S. women are on the verge of sipping the championship wine.
MILAN — The victory over Sweden has set the stage for what could become a seventh Olympic gold medal clash between the United States and Canada on Thursday. The defending champion Canadians are scheduled to face Switzerland in the day’s other semifinal, with the winner advancing to the final.
The Americans already delivered a commanding statement against Canada, earning a 5–0 shutout in preliminary round play last week. The U.S. has captured Olympic gold twice, in 1998 and 2018, while Canada has claimed the title in the other five tournaments.
Momentum, however, currently favors the United States. The Americans have won seven consecutive meetings against their longtime rivals, a streak that dates back to sweeping Canada twice at the world championships in April.
"Nothing matters. It's the gold medal game," Heise said of a potential rematch against Canada. "Obviously, I'm going to say we've done great and we've had great success. You want to take that confidence and motivation, but you want to move forward. We're going to look for us and we're going do what we need to do on Thursday and hopefully come on top."
Sweden will turn its focus to the bronze medal game Thursday, seeking the program’s third Olympic medal and its first since earning silver at the 2006 Turin Games after upsetting the United States in the semifinals.
"We're not done yet. We're going for the bronze now," Sweden forward Nicole Hall said.
In goal, Ebba Svensson Traff turned aside 19 of 23 shots before being replaced late in the second period. The change came after Coyne Schofield redirected Laila Edwards’ blast from the blue line with 3:50 remaining in the frame.
Emma Soderberg assumed netminding duties and was beaten just 1:49 later when Scamurra tapped in Britta Curl-Salemme’s centering feed. Soderberg closed out the game with 10 saves.
Sweden’s performance at this year’s tournament marked a significant step forward for a youthful and talented roster that includes seven players competing at the collegiate level in the United States. The Swedes went undefeated in Group B, finishing 4–0, before securing a 2–0 upset over Czechia in the quarterfinals.
Although Sweden remained within striking distance through the first 35 minutes, the Americans gradually imposed their pace and physicality, ultimately wearing them down.
"Maybe today we needed a plexiglass in front of the net to stay in the game," coach Ulf Lundberg said, noting his team kept the U.S. mostly at bay with the exception of the late second-period collapse. "I'm proud of the work ethic and I'm proud of the way we could do the third period. So we have a lot of habits to take with us to the bronze medal game."
Contrary to Lundberg’s earlier suggestion that the United States may have preferred another opponent following Sweden’s quarterfinal win over Czechia, the Americans displayed urgency and intent from the outset.
While Sweden effectively limited the U.S. to perimeter opportunities in the opening period, the shot disparity was stark, with the Americans holding a 13–2 advantage.
Cayla Barnes opened the scoring with a crisp snap shot from the top of the right circle, beating Svensson Traff high on the short side. The tally marked Barnes’ first point of the tournament, leaving seventh defender Rory Guilday as the only American skater without a point through six games.
Heise extended the lead to 2–0 at the 9:08 mark of the second period, one-timing Hannah Bilka’s backhand feed through the slot. Svensson Traff managed to get a piece of the shot with her glove, but the puck deflected across her body and into the net off the inside of her stick.
The victory over Sweden sets the stage for a seventh Olympic gold medal showdown against Canada on Thursday after the Canadians edged Switzerland 2–1 to secure their place in the final.