Italy’s quarterfinal loss at the 2025 Olympic women’s hockey tournament wasn’t the end of a journey, it was the start of something bigger, including the chance to again win promotion at the upcoming World Championships.
A clean sheet of ice is barely dry in Milan following Italy's 6-0 loss to the United States in the quarter finals, but the program is turning their eyes from their current success, to the upcoming World Championships. Italy celebrated, and will continue to celebrate their great successes in the 2026 Olympic women's hockey tournament, but the national team is unwilling to settle for their current status.
As Italian Ice Sports Federation president Andrea Gios told the team following the game via translation, the nation is beyond proud of their women’s ice hockey team, but after earning promotion from the Division 1B World Championships last spring, the nation wants to double bounce to the top group when they compete at the Division 1A tournament this April facing nations they’ve already bested.
“Here you have completed part of your journey, which began almost three years ago. The idea back then was to significantly develop women's hockey and make it appreciated by the general public,” Gios told the team following their quarterfinal loss to the United States. “Thanks to you, we achieved that goal and everyone was able to appreciate you. You played excellently, you played international-level hockey, and together you have grown enormously, achieving a result that, as I've already said, is worthy of a medal in another Olympic discipline… Now we focus on the World Championships in April, where we want to see you play with heart and passion again.”
Gios also touted the efforts of Montreal Victoire general manager and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Daniele Sauvageau in building Italy’s roster and setting a foundation for the future.
She not only brought in dual passport players like goaltender Gabriella Durante, forwards Justine Reyes and Kristin Della Rovere, and defender Laura Fortino, among others, to bolster Italy’s lineup, but created an environment for their domestic stars to thrive on the international stage.
“I’m taking home some unforgettable weeks from these Olympics, the best experience of my life, made possible also by the support of the Italian fans,” said Matilde Fantin, a rookie at Penn State who was Italy’s top forward at the tournament. “Now let's focus on the World Championships, I'm sure we'll be ready after playing this great tournament. We can still improve a lot, starting with the defensive zone, and I'm sure we'll arrive in Budapest even stronger."
“This is far from the end for us; rather, let's consider it a starting point for the entire women's movement,” said Italian defender Franziska Stocker. “We've shown all of Italy that we're here and can challenge the strongest teams in the world. It will be important to make the most of the visibility our journey has given us to inspire as many girls as possible to fall in love with this beautiful sport and introduce them to it. This is just one of the many goals we've achieved; we've also demonstrated how this team could amaze by putting on a great tournament. Until our debut against France, no one believed in us, but now everyone has realized Italy's value."