The Preliminary Round of the Women's Ice Hockey Tournament at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will conclude on Thursday and each of the PWHL’s 61 Olympians will compete in the quarterfinal games to be played on Friday and Saturday. Below is a closer look at the action ahead.
THURSDAY’S PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE
8:30 A.M. ET: FINLAND VS. CANADA
Seattle’s Julia Gosling leads the Canadian team that is loaded with 23 PWHL players, scoring three power play goals through three games, while New York’s Sarah Fillier has scored twice with one assist. Ottawa’s Sanni Ahola, one of four PWHL players on Finland, backstopped her team to its first win of the tournament on Tuesday, and captain Michelle Karvinen of Vancouver picked up her first assist and 24th career point. Finland (1-0-0-2) has secured no worse than fourth place in the Group A standings but can overtake Canada (2-0-0-1) for second place with a regulation win, or land in third place ahead of Czechia (1-0-1-2) with an overtime or shootout win. Canada needs just a single point to lock up second place.
QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE SCENARIOS
The only quarterfinal matchup that has been determined at this stage features Group A’s first-place Team USA (4-0-0-0) against Group B’s third-place Team Italy (2-0-0-2). Sweden (4-0-0-0) clinched first-place in Group B and will take on Group A’s third-place team. Germany (2-1-0-1) is the second-place team in Group B and will face the second-place team in Group A. Switzerland (0-1-0-3) finished fifth in Group A and will face the fourth-place team in Group A.
If Canada beats Finland:
Friday at 10:40 a.m. ET: Czechia (A3) vs. Sweden (B1)
Friday at 3:10 p.m. ET: United States (A1) vs. Italy (B3)
Saturday at 10:40 a.m. ET: Canada (A2) vs. Germany (B2)
Saturday at 3:10 p.m. ET: Finland (A4) vs. Switzerland (A5)
If Finland beats Canada in regulation:
Friday at 10:40 a.m. ET: Czechia (A4) vs. Switzerland (A5)
Friday at 3:10 p.m. ET: United States (A1) vs. Italy (B3)
Saturday at 10:40 a.m. ET: Canada (A3) vs. Sweden (B1)
Saturday at 3:10 p.m. ET: Finland (A2) vs. Germany (B2)
If Finland beats Canada in overtime or shootout:
Friday at 10:40 a.m. ET: Czechia (A4) vs. Switzerland (A5)
Friday at 3:10 p.m. ET: United States (A1) vs. Italy (B3)
Saturday at 10:40 a.m. ET: Canada (A2) vs. Germany (B2)
Saturday at 3:10 p.m. ET: Finland (A3) vs. Sweden (B1)
CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL SCHEDULE AND BROADCAST DETAILS
ULTIMATE WATCH PARTIES BRING PWHL FANS CLOSER TO THE OLYMPIC ACTION
The Game Room Bar at American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, NJ was a lot buzzier than your typical Tuesday afternoon yesterday. The reason? The PWHL’s New York Sirens—and the compelling USA-Canada women’s hockey preliminary round game at Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026—to thank. Read more here.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
- Today Show - Olympian Haley Winn's Brothers Are Making Headlines For Their Game Day Outfits
- National Post - Off the ice Natalie Spooner is a TikTok star. On it she's one of Team Canada's heartbeats
- EssentiallySports - Three Black Hockey Players Created History At Milan Olympics
- Ottawa Sun - Olympic hockey players love story compared to Heated Rivalry
- MassLive - Alex Carpenter takes experiences from Massachusetts to Olympic ice
JOCKS IN JILLS
In Case You Missed It: Jocks in Jills has been live throughout the preliminary round, with Tessa and Julia delivering instant reaction and in-depth analysis. Joined by a lineup of special expert guests, the duo has broken down all the key moments and storylines as the tournament has unfolded. With just one game remaining on Thursday before the quarterfinals begin, the JinJ crew has you covered. Catch up on every episode on the PWHL YouTube channel.
Up Next: With the knockout stage set to begin on Friday, Jocks in Jills will be live again on Feb. 13 to break down the first two quarterfinal games. From there, Tessa and Julia will head to Milan to deliver on-the-ground coverage and content from Milano Cortina. Tune in on the PWHL’s YouTube channel and follow Jocks in Jills on social for full coverage.
Feb. 13 – Quarterfinal Day 1 - Live Reaction Show at conclusion of play
Feb. 15 – Quarterfinal Reaction Episode
Feb. 16–19 – Jocks in Jills Live from Milan