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A goal? Sustained pressure? A power play? Nope. The Swedes had just finally registered their first shot on goal.<\/p>\n
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Sweden did manage to fire more pucks in the direction of the American net over the course of Monday\u2019s lopsided semifinal, but the Swedes didn\u2019t come any closer to challenging the U.S. than any other opponent in Milan has. Five different American players scored and goaltender Aerin Frankel recorded her team\u2019s fifth consecutive shutout as the U.S. thrashed Sweden 5-0 to advance to Thursday\u2019s 1:10 p.m. ET gold-medal match against Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe put on a show every time we\u2019re out there because we love to play hockey,\u201d U.S. forward Taylor Heise said. \u201cFrom the outside, you can\u2019t even understand how thoroughly people do their jobs in that locker room. And that\u2019s the reason why we\u2019re coming out and winning on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, maybe we needed a plexiglass in front of our net to stay in the game,\u201d Swedish coach Ulf Lundberg said.<\/p>\n
America\u2019s neighbor to the north is the reigning Olympic champion, but not even they managed to put up much of a fight against the U.S. in group play. Playing without injured captain Marie-Philip Poulin, Canada fell meekly to the Americans 5-0. It was the first time Canada had been shutout during the Olympics.<\/p>\n
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That game was indicative of how these Olympics have gone. The Americans have bulldozed to the gold-medal match by outscoring their opponents 31-1, and haven\u2019t allowed a goal in 16 straight periods of play.<\/p>\n
The only goal the U.S. has surrendered was a flukey one in its opening game of group play. Czechia\u2019s Barbora Jurickova emerged from the penalty box at the exact same moment the U.S. coughed up possession of the puck, producing a breakaway opportunity that resulted in the lone blemish against the Americans\u2019 record.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve been on a lot of teams throughout my career, but there\u2019s something special about this one,\u201d American forward Kendall Coyne Schofield said. \u201cI think it’s ultimately how enjoyable it is to be in that locker room and how everyone is willing to do whatever it takes for this team, no matter what the role is.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Swedes were not expected to reach the women\u2019s hockey medal round, but they arrived in Milan with a point to prove. In group-stage play, Olympic organizers placed the five highest-ranked teams in Group A and the remaining five teams in Group B. Sweden viewed its Group B status as an insult, believing that it belonged among the medal hopefuls.<\/p>\n
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Over its opening five games in Milan, Sweden won over any non-believers. It cruised through group play, winning all four games by three goals apiece. Then, it took advantage of its first crack at a higher-ranked opponent, shutting out bronze-medal contender Czechia in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
And yet as impressive as the Swedes have been in Milan, their semifinal challenge against the U.S. was a different beast. Sweden was a 28-to-1 underdog to win the game outright, according to BetMGM. A Swedish victory would have been the women\u2019s hockey equivalent of the New York Giants helmet-catching the New England Patriots or Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson.<\/p>\n
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The U.S. sent an early message there would be no upset with a first-period goal just over five minutes into the game. A Cayla Barnes wrist shot from above the right faceoff circle beat Swedish goaltender Svensson Traff gloveside. There was a swarm of bodies in front of the net, which may have made it difficult for Traff to see the puck.<\/p>\n
It stayed 1-0 into the second period. Then the avalanche began.<\/p>\n
The U.S. converted a 2-on-1 fast break when Hannah Bilka drove at the net and set up Taylor Heise, whose shot somehow made it through Traff. Minutes later, Abbey Murphy made it 3-0 with a rocket from close range to beat Traff at a tight angle. By the end of the second period, it was 5-0 after goals by Coyne Schofield and Hayley Scamurra.<\/p>\n
The Americans arrived in Milan on a \u201cgold-or-bust\u201d mission. Now they\u2019re one win away from achieving what they came here to do.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re very excited to bring what we have on Thursday,\u201d Heise said. \u201cWhen we focus on what we can do, we\u2019re so good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Check out all the live updates, highlights and more from the U.S. women\u2019s win over Sweden in the semifinals of the Olympic hockey tournament:<\/em><\/p>\n\n