2026 Olympic Women’s Hockey: Top standouts from Sweden vs. Italy
While there was optimism for the host nation, the Group B favorites showed why they are destined for another quarterfinal appearance in Milan.
Though Italy showed some fight in the early going, Sweden’s depth and talent overpowered the home team, pulling away with a 6-1 victory.
The first period certainly wasn’t indicative of the final outcome. Italy kept things tight against Damkronoma, with Jessica Adolfsson’s goal being the lone tally in the opening 20 minutes, with Azzuree only trailing 10-9 in shots.
However, the ice was tilted in Sweden’s favor from then on. Sofie Lundin and Sara Hjalmarsson score just over two minutes apart to extend their lead. Though Franziska Stocker brought some life to the crowd at Santagiulia, that was also the team could muster up on Saturday. The Swedes posted three unanswered, including a pair from Thea Johansson, to come away with a convincing victory.
Sweden ended up outshooting Italy 47-19, including 20-2 in the third. Italy netminder Martina Fedel was pulled after giving up five goals on 32 shots. Gabrielle Durante made 14 saves on the 15 shots she faced.
Italy went 0-for-1 on the power play, while Sweden was 0-for-2.
The win puts Sweden in the quarterfinals. With a 2-0-0 record, a win against France on Sunday will all but secure first place for the blue and yellow. Italy (1-0-1) is still in the running for a spot in the quarterfinal. However, they have a tough back-to-back to end the group stage, facing Japan on Monday before taking on Germany on Tuesday.
Sweden
Thea Johnasson, F
Arguably one of the best seniors in college hockey, Johansson had her fingerprints all over the offense on Saturday. She had a hand in Sweden’s final three goals, including both in the third period and probably could’ve scored a hat trick with the number of chances she had earlier in the contest. The Minnesota Duluth star is part of a strong young wave that Damkronoma possesses, and will be a key part if Sweden makes waves in the knockout stages.
Sara Hjalmarsson, F
After not scoring a single point in Beijing, seeing Hjalmarsson get on the scoresheet is a welcome sight for the Swedes. She picked up an assist on Adolfsson’s goal, using her awareness to help navigate the forecheck that led to the marker. Then, the Toronto Sceptre unleashed a great shot for Sweden’s third goal, showing that goal-scoring touch that made her one of the best exports from the country since IKEA.
Hanna Olsson, F
I’ve enjoyed following Olsson’s career, dating back to her days with HV71, and helping Frolunda earn promotion to the SDHL. With the national team, she hasn’t been the noted point producer since that impressive 11-point performance at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship, but a two-point outing against the Italians might ignite her confidence that the Swedes could use later in the tournament.
Italy
Franziska Stocker, D
There wasn’t much to cheer about on the Italian side, but Stocker’s snipe got a significant reaction from the crowd, and many who were broadcasting the game. On a team that has players like Laura Fortino and Nadia Mattivi on the back end, seeing the power from the 28-year-old shows that Azzurre might have a few more tricks up their sleeve offensively. Stocker was credited with three shots on goal in the loss, while finishing third on the team with just under 23 minutes of ice time.