Italy has already earned their first ever Olympic women's hockey win. But the host nation isn't happy with one. They're looking for a second win, which would punch their ticket to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Olympic women's hockey tournament.
Italy's opening win in the Olympic women's hockey tournament was historic for their program. It was Italy's first ever win in women's hockey at an Olympic Games.
It's been a year of firsts for the Italian women's national team, including earning promotion from the Division 1B World Championships. But the program's first Olympic win was a significant milestone, one that was felt in their dressing room.
"This victory was so emotional, but we always believed in it. It's a testament to the hard work we put in with the team; in the locker room, we knew we could make such a debut," captain Nadia Mattivi said in a translated statement. "However, we know there are other tough matches to come; we need to reset and stay focused. It's also great to win in front of this crowd; we actually have a seventh player on the ice with us, and she gave us a tremendous boost right from the warmup. All this in a group led by a staff that has always believed in us from the start."
"We've worked incredibly hard over the last two months, but our efforts have paid off," echoed Matilde Fantin. "We were good at reacting well to going behind, but we had also prepared for this because we had a precise game plan. The moment of the goal was incredible; I'm struggling to understand what happened, especially since the cheering was incredible. I expected so many people, but it wasn't like we'd dreamed of this; we've been waiting for this moment for a long time."
9,356 fans packed Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena to cheer Italy to their first ever Olympic victory, a 4-1 decision over France.
While it was a good start to their tournament, Italy believes they can achieve more. Another victory, whether it were to come against Germany, Japan, or Sweden, would punch Italy's ticket to the quarterfinals.
Next up for Italy is Sweden, the early favorite to finish atop Group B. Italy knows it will be a challenge, but they also have faith in the roster they've built.
"We don't have to adapt to our opponents, but stick to the things we've worked on so far. I expect the Scandinavians to start strong. We'll have to be focused from the start, paying attention to turnovers and puck management. Let's move quickly and we'll be able to surprise the Swedes," said Italian head coach Eric Bouchard.
Italy expects an even larger crowd than their opener, and even stronger support. The rest is up to them.
"We need to stick to our game plan, no matter what the match goes," said Italian forward Anna Caumo. "We know they're a very strong opponent, but at this point we have to follow the advice of our coaching staff. There will probably be even more fans, so let's get carried away and see what happens."