2026 Olympic Women’s Hockey: Top standouts from Japan vs. Italy
An improbable dream has come true for the host nation.
With a 3-2 win over Japan on Monday, Italy has officially clinched a spot in the quarterfinals of the women’s ice hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics.
The country, made up of both homegrown and nationalized talent, picked up its second win on home ice against an experienced Japanese team, giving Azzurre its second win of the tournament. It came four days after picking up the country’s first Olympic win, marking a seismic change in the program’s culture from its first appearance at the Winter Games two decades ago, when the team finished dead last in Turin.
Italy came out strong against Japan, with Matilde Fantin scoring a pair of goals to put her team out in front in the opening period.
Japan started to fight back, with Rui Ukita scoring her second of the tournament in the second period. However, the Italians went back up by two early in the third thanks to a highlight-reel goal from Kristin Della Rovere. Japan closed the gap within one after a goal was awarded to Akane Shiga just past the halfway mark of the third, but Italy’s defense locked it down in the closing minutes, securing the victory.
Japan outshot Italy, 29-23. Italy went 1-for-2 on the power play, while Japan went 0-for-3.
With the win, Italy (2-0-1) will finish either second or third, depending on how things play out between Japan (1-0-2) and Germany (1-0-1). Japan can only qualify for the quarterfinals if they beat Sweden on Tuesday, and the Germans lose to both France and Italy.
While Italy will be huge underdogs heading into the knockout stage, with a matchup against either the United States or Canada seemingly on the horizon, Monday’s win will be a moment those players will never forget.
Italy
Matilde Fantin, F
My goodness, can Fantin shoot the puck?
Even in watching her play a supporting role on a strong Penn State team in the U.S., you can see what makes Fantin a special player. She showed that she can be a star player and rise to the occasion. Her hands and speed make her tough to stop. On Monday, you could tell she was ready to play. She ended up leading Italy with five shots on goal in 20:10 of ice time.
Gabriella Durante, G
Heading into the Games, it looked like Italy was going to ride Martina Fedel until the cows came home. However, after a tough game against Sweden, head coach Eric Bouchard elected to go with Durante. The move paid off. When Japan’s offense started to ramp up in the second period, the Calgary-born netminder came up with some clutch saves to keep her team out in front. With one more game ahead of the quarterfinals, with a couple of days of rest in between, I’m curious if Durante is back in net against Germany on Tuesday.
Laura Fortino, D
One of the leaders on Italy’s roster, the two-time Olympic medalist has logged a lot of minutes so far in the tournament, mostly against the opponent’s top scorers. On Monday, she led her team with 30:22 of ice time, picking up an assist on Fantin’s power-play goal in the first period. For this being her third Olympics, and first since 2018, Fortino certainly hasn’t looked like she’s lost a step.
Japan
Akane Shiga, F
You have to give credit where credit is due. Shiga did everything she could to keep Japan in the game. Along with the flukey goal she was credited for, the Lulea forward led all skaters with eight shots on goal. You can see her creativity at full speed, recognizing where the openings are in the defense and generating offense when she attacks the back end.