MILAN — Caroline Harvey and Joy Dunne each contributed a goal and two assists, while Gwyneth Philips made 20 saves in her Olympic debut, leading the United States to a 5-0 victory over Switzerland in the women’s hockey tournament at the Milan Cortina Games on Monday.
Alex Carpenter, Hannah Bilka, and Haley Winn also netted goals as the Americans improved to 3-0, setting up a final Group A preliminary round clash against their border rivals, Canada, the next day. Captain Hilary Knight added two assists, bringing her Olympic career point total to 31—just one shy of equaling Jenny Potter’s U.S. record.
Later in the evening, Canada defeated Czechia 5-1; however, Marie-Philip Poulin, the captain of the defending Olympic champions, did not return after limping off in the first period. It remains uncertain whether Poulin—dubbed “Captain Clutch” for scoring three Olympic gold medal-winning goals—will be available for Tuesday’s game.
Philips’ shutout was complemented by Ava McNaughton, who made one save after stepping in with less than two minutes left in the game. The U.S. has allowed only one goal across three games and registered consecutive shutouts following Aerin Frankel’s 11-save performance in a 5-0 victory against Finland on Saturday.
Switzerland’s record fell to 1-2 as they experienced their second consecutive shutout, following a 4-0 loss to Canada on Saturday. Andrea Braendli performed well, stopping 45 shots, including 35 of the first 37 shots she faced, before the Americans scored three times on six shots in the first 7:42 of the third period.
Winn initiated the scoring just 6:04 into the game by driving to the crease and redirecting Harvey’s centering pass. Dunne added to the score 5:52 into the second period, capitalizing on a turnover behind the Swiss net and banking a shot off the skate of Swiss defender Stefanie Wetli.
Philips made several crucial saves in the first period despite facing only six shots. She extended her left skate just in time to block a shot from Ivana Wey in the first minute, and about 12½ minutes in, she raised her glove to thwart a chance from Rahel Enzler right in front of the net.
The host nation Italy advanced to the quarterfinals of the Olympic women’s hockey tournament for the first time by defeating Japan 3-2 on Monday.
Germany also secured its spot in the next round with a 2-1 overtime victory against France.
Both Italy and Germany finished with records of 2-1 and joined Sweden (3-0) as the three Group B nations to clinch a quarterfinal place, while Japan and France were knocked out of contention.
This marks Italy’s advancement in only their second Olympic appearance, both as hosts, after finishing 0-4 in the 2006 Turin Games and placing last out of eight teams.
“I think this is everybody’s dream come true,” said Italy’s Canada-born goalie Gabriella Durante. “Hopefully, this just grows hockey in Italia even more for little girls all over the country.”
Matilde Fantin scored the first two goals, giving Italy a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period.
After Rui Ukita found the net for Japan in the second period, Italy responded with a goal from Kristin Della Rovere in the third. Akane Shiga’s third-period goal, confirmed after a lengthy video review to ensure the puck crossed the line, kept the pressure on Italy.
Italy’s players rushed off the bench to embrace Durante at the final buzzer; she made 27 saves during the match.
“We had so many players blocking shots and making sacrifices, just hard work that takes its toll on the body,” she commented. “Everybody is willing to sacrifice for the team, and it’s an amazing feeling to win like that.”
Katarina Jobst-Smith netted the winning goal for Germany just 1:17 into overtime with a shot from the high slot that found the back of the net just inside the left post. Laura Kluge also scored, while Sandra Abstreiter recorded 13 saves.
Estelle Duvin tied the game by scoring 8:21 into the third period, forcing the overtime session; Alice Philbert stopped 44 shots for France. France completed its Olympic debut with a record of 0-4, having been outscored 13-4 overall.
