2026 Olympic women’s hockey semifinal preview: Canada vs. Switzerland
We’ve reached the semifinal portion of the women’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. While the usual suspects in Canada and the United States have made it this far, it’s two unlikely nations in Switzerland and Sweden that have advanced to the medal round.
Here’s Daily Faceoff’s preview of the semifinal matchup between Canada and Switzerland.
How they got here
The Canadians have looked like a team on a mission after their preliminary round loss to the United States. Since then, they defeated Finland 5-0, then won their quarterfinal matchup 5-1 over Germany.
As for the Swiss, they opened the tournament with a 4-3 shootout win over Czechia, followed by three straight regulation losses to Canada, the U.S. and Finland. However, in a rematch against the Finns in the quarterfinals, they earned a 1-0 win and advanced to the medal round.
When they last met
The two nations squared off in the preliminary round, with the Swiss holding the Canadians to just one goal through 40 minutes. However, a three-goal burst in the third period, two of which came on the power play, gave Canada a 4-0 win over Switzerland. The Canadians outshot the Swiss 55-6.
Top scorers
Canada
Sarah Fillier, 6 pts
Daryl Watts, 6 pts
Julia Gosling, 5 pts
Kristin O’Neill, 4 pts
Claire Thompson, 4 pts
Switzerland
Alina Muller, 4 pts
Lara Stalder, 2 pts
Rahel Enzler, 2 pts
Three players with one point
Scouting report
Canada
The Canadians are the defending Olympic gold medal championships, and a number of players from that team are in this lineup. However, the offensive production has been underwhelming through the first chunk of the tournament, with the combination of Laura Stacey, Sarah Nurse, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull and Emma Maltais producing three total goals.
Captain Marie-Philip Poulin was out of the lineup with injury against both the U.S. and Finland, but in her return against Germany on Saturday, she scored a goal and looked confident in just over 13 minutes of ice time. It will be interesting to see how Poulin and the rest of Canada’s veteran talent is deployed against Switzerland.
It’s been the young talent that’s stood out in Milan, with Sarah Fillier, Daryl Watts and Julia Gosling leading the way in terms of offense. While their ice time is still lower than the veterans in this group, there’s no doubt Canada has needed their production to advance.
Switzerland
This Swiss group has relied heavily on great goaltending and enough defensive responsibility to suffocate their opponent’s offensive chances. Goaltender Andrea Braendli has been a tournament standout, stopping 40 shots against Finland in the quarterfinals and producing a .944 save percentage through the tournament. It’s not hyperbole to say she’s a major reason as to why the Swiss are competing in the medal round.
Offensively, Alina Muller has been an offensive force, scoring three goals in this tournament, including the lone goal in the quarterfinals. She is the coal that makes the Swiss train roll, and will be relied on heavily against the Canadians. Same goes for captain Lara Stalder, whose ability to make crisp passes and find the opening teammate for scoring opportunities was pivotal in their wins over Finland and Czechia.
Burning questions
Will Troy Ryan increase playing time for youth?
After watching Switzerland stifle a relentless Finland squad, Canada won’t take this Swiss group lightly. However, this year’s Canadians have produced slow starts through the tournament, and as mentioned earlier, it’s been the youth who have led the way in terms of offense. Will head coach Troy Ryan increase their playing time in the semifinals?
Can Braendli steal another one?
Switzerland has been doubled in shots by their opponents in every game this tournament, including a 40-14 margin against Finland. There’s no doubt Canada will pepper the Swiss with chances, but the focus will be on how many Braendli can prevent from going in. If she can keep her team in it, the underdogs have a shot.
Prediction
Canada has much more finishing power than the Finns (Is that a pun? Kind of?) and will be extra motivated to clinch a berth in the gold-medal game against the U.S. While it’s no doubt impressive that Switzerland’s Braendli has earned them a spot in the medal round, the Canadians possess too much world-class talent and should overwhelm the Swiss in a multi-goal victory.
The two teams will play Monday at 3:10 p.m. ET.