The Medal Round of the Women's Ice Hockey Tournament at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 continued today with 45 of the PWHL’s 61 Olympians on the ice for the Semifinals. Below is a recap of today’s results, notable performances, and a closer look at the action ahead.
MONDAY’S SEMIFINAL RECAP
UNITED STATES (5) VS. SWEDEN (0)
Boston’s Aerin Frankel backstopped the U.S. to a fifth straight shutout victory with a 23-save performance to advance the Americans to their seventh gold medal game in eight all-time Olympic women’s hockey tournaments. Seattle defender Cayla Barnes opened the scoring with the winning goal at 5:09 of the first period, her first tally of the tournament, before a string of four U.S. goals in the middle frame. Minnesota forward Taylor Heise’s second goal provided the insurance marker, and Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield and Montréal’s Hayley Scamurra each contributed their third goals of the tournament less than two minutes apart to cap the scoring. Torrent forward Hannah Bilka chipped in two assists, and Fleet captain Megan Keller had a single helper, both bringing their tournament point totals to seven. Boston rookie Haley Winn and Minnesota veterans Britta Curl-Salemme, Kelly Pannek and Lee Stecklein also recorded single assists in a contest the U.S. led 34-23 in shots. Sweden could not find the same magic in Italy that led them to an upset victory over the U.S. in the semifinals 20 years ago, the last time they medaled at the Olympics, with a silver medal finish in 2006. The Swedes won Olympic bronze in 2002, while the Americans have claimed the gold medal twice in 1998 and 2018.
CANADA (2) VS. SWITZERLAND (1)
Montréal captain Marie-Philip Poulin made history with a two-goal performance, becoming the all-time leading goal scorer in Olympic women’s hockey history, lifting Canada to an eighth straight appearance in the gold medal game. Toronto’s Daryl Watts assisted on both goals and leads the team with eight points in six games, with single assists credited to Vancouver defender Sophie Jaques and Sceptres defender Ella Shelton. Victoire goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens earned the win, her third of the tournament, with seven saves. Boston’s Alina Müller picked up the primary assist on Switzerland’s lone goal to bring her tournament point total to five. Despite being outshot 46-8, the Swiss held the Canadians to their smallest margin of victory in Olympic semifinal history, including two previous head-to-head matchups at this stage of the competition (3-1 in Sochi 2014, 10-3 in Beijing 2022). Switzerland, who won their only Olympic bronze medal in 2014, will face Sweden in Thursday’s bronze medal matchup. The tournament concludes when Canada, the defending Olympic gold medalists, renew their rivalry with the United States in search of a record sixth gold medal following wins in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022.
THURSDAY’S FINAL SCHEDULE
BRONZE MEDAL GAME, 8:40 A.M. ET: SWEDEN VS. SWITZERLAND
GOLD MEDAL GAME, 1:10 P.M. ET: UNITED STATES VS. CANADA
CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL SCHEDULE AND BROADCAST DETAILS
RECORDS AND MILESTONES
- Poulin is the only player in Olympic women’s hockey history to score 20 career goals, eclipsing the previous record of 18 held by fellow Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser.
- Poulin set the record in her 26th career game, tying Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, for the most Olympic games played by any Canadian.
- Frankel became the first goaltender in Olympic women’s hockey history to record three shutouts in a single tournament.
- Frankel and Gwyneth Philips (OTT) have combined to produce an Olympic-record shutout streak of 331:23.
- Desbiens set a new Canadian Olympic record with her ninth career win, tied for second all-time with Swiss goaltender Florence Schelling and one behind the record of 10 wins held by Finland’s Noora Räty.
- Müller moved into a tie for seventh in all-time Olympic scoring alongside Canadian Meghan Agosta with 28 points (15G, 13A) in 25 career games.
- Keller is tied for fourth in all-time Olympic scoring by a defender with 13 points in 18 games, while her 11 career assists bring her tied with Tara Mounsey for the most by an American defender, and second overall behind Claire Thompson (VAN) who has 14.
- Coyne Schofield became the 21st woman and seventh American to score 10 career Olympic goals and is tied with teammate Alex Carpenter (SEA) and Cammi Granato for fifth in all-time U.S. points with 18.
- Pannek became the 19th American woman to record 10 career Olympic points (2G, 8A), reaching the mark in her 18th career game.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
- Sportsnet – Canada’s Poulin makes history, sets up gold-medal showdown vs. U.S.
- USA Today - For USA women's hockey, their 'goaltending is everything' in Olympic gold pursuit
- Reuters - Ice hockey-Swede dreams are made of bronze after semi-final loss
- CBC – From the PWHL to the Olympics, how has women's hockey changed over time?
- NPR - The U.S. women's hockey team is dominating the Olympics. Now they will play for gold
JOCKS IN JILLS
Tessa and Julia were on-site for today’s semifinals at Milano Santagiulia IHO Arena as the gold and bronze matchups were decided. Tune in on the PWHL YouTube Channel for a full recap, analysis, and today’s storylines including the factors behind the Americans’ continued dominance, Marie-Philip Poulin’s historic performance for Canada, and what to expect in Thursday’s medal games.
Up Next – Jocks in Jills will drop two special edition episodes tomorrow, Feb. 16:
- 6 a.m. ET: Tessa and Julia sit down with sports icon and PWHL Advisory Board Member Billie Jean King for her first-ever appearance on the podcast.
- 2 p.m. ET: A second episode features the mothers of Olympians Emma Maltais, Kelly Pannek, and Kristin Della Rovere, sharing insights on the journey to the Olympic stage and the support systems behind the athletes.
Jocks in Jills is regularly sharing content from Milano Cortina 2026, featuring behind-the-scenes moments, special cameos and as-they-happen updates. Stay updated on the latest from The Winter Olympics by following Jocks in Jills’ official social channels (@jocksinjills).