USA women’s ice hockey team continued its commanding march at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Monday, delivering another shutout performance to clinch a place in the gold medal game. With a 5–0 semifinal victory over Sweden, Team USA not only secured at least a silver medal but also etched its name into the Olympic record books.
Cayla Barnes ignited the scoring early, capitalizing in the first period with assists from Kelly Pannek and Lee Stecklein. That breakthrough set the tone for a relentless American attack that Sweden struggled to contain.
Offensive explosion seals the statement win
The second period showcased the full depth of Team USA’s firepower. Tayler Heise, Abbey Murphy, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Hayley Scamurra each found the back of the net, blowing the game open and eliminating any doubt about the outcome.
Though the Americans did not score in the third period, they did not need to. Their defensive structure remained airtight, completing a fifth consecutive shutout and establishing a new Olympic record for the most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal.
Frankel’s historic streak between the pipes
At the heart of the historic run stands goaltender Aerin Frankel. The 26-year-old delivered another composed performance, stopping all 23 shots she faced against Sweden. Remarkably, Frankel has not allowed a goal since the tournament opener — a 5–1 win over the Czech Republic.
“I mean, any time I put on this jersey, I feel just so lucky to be a part of this group because there’s so much talent in our locker room and it’s just so much fun to play with the best players in the world,” Frankel told USA TODAY after Monday’s game. “It’s hard to kind of zoom out where you’re here and look at the big picture because you’re so focused on the day to day. But I think we look back at this tournament, what we’ve done so far has been amazing.”
One win away from gold
Since the opening match, Team USA has defeated Finland, Switzerland, and Canada 5–0 in group play before overpowering Italy and Sweden by a combined 11–0 in the knockout rounds. They will now face the winner of Canada and Switzerland in Thursday’s gold medal showdown.
A victory would mark the program’s third Olympic gold medal — and first since 2018 — as the Americans aim to reclaim the crown after falling to Canada at the Beijing 2022 Games.