MILAN — For the U.S. women’s hockey team, the Milan-Cortina Olympic tournament has been less a competition and more a siege.
With Monday’s 5-0 semifinal victory over Sweden, the U.S. is unbeaten in six games, has outscored its opposition 31-1 and hasn’t given up a goal since the second period of its first game, running its scoreless streak to more than 331 minutes, the longest in tournament history.
“The best team in the world,” Sweden’s Hanna Olsson said. “They are really good.”
Nobody was arguing with that assessment because the Olympics have been more one-sided than an avalanche for the U.S.. Fifteen different Americans have scored, 11 have multiple goals. The U.S. has scored at least five times in each of its six games, scored at least one goal in 16 of the 18 periods it has played and has never trailed.
Kendall Coyne Schofield, top left, celebrates with her teammates after scoring against Sweden in the second period Monday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The U.S. hasn’t just beaten teams, it has destroyed them.
“I feel so lucky to be part of this group,” goaltender Aerin Frankel said. “There is so much talent in our locker room. It’s so much fun to play with the best players in the world.”
And those players will ride that huge wave of momentum into Thursday’s gold-medal game, where it will face defending champion Canada, a 2-1 winner over Switzerland in the other semifinal on a pair of second-period goals from Marie-Philip Poulin.
The goals Monday came from Cayla Barnes, Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Hayley Scamurra and Abbey Murphy, with the last three coming on consecutive shots in a 2-minute, 47-second span late in the second period, turning a close game into a rout. Hannah Bilka, who leads the tournament with four goals, had two assists while Frankel turned back 23 shots in pitching the Americans’ fifth consecutive shutout in goal.
“It’s just the way we play and the way we compete,” forward Kirsten Simms said. “We always play as if it’s 0-0 and it’s a tight game. We’re always pushing at the same level.
“We start off from the drop of the puck with that hunting game and kind of that downhill-style play. And I think we do a great job of sticking to that throughout the entire game, no matter what the score is.”
U.S. forward Abbey Murphy, right, scores past Sweden goalkeeper Ebba Svensson Traff in the second period Monday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Asked if this team is best one she ever played for Simms, a two-time world championship medalist, didn’t have to think long for an answer.
“By far,” she said. “Easily. 100%.”
But here’s the scary part. Simms also said the team hasn’t peaked yet.
“You can always get better,” he said said. “There’s obviously a ton of talent, top to bottom.”
The U.S. speed has given opponents fits in Milan but its passing, puck movement and situational awareness has been even better. At times the Americans have been so fast and so technical it appears as if they have two extra players on the ice.
“We’re doing really successful right now,” Simms said. “We just continue to play at that level and kind of show what we can do.”
For Frankel there will be plenty of time to judge where this U.S. ranks among the best of all time when the Olympics are over. For now, there’s still one game to go.
“I’s hard to kind of zoom out while you’re here and look at the big picture, because you’re so focused on the day to day,” she said. “But I think when we look back at this tournament and what we’ve done so far, it has been amazing.
“But obviously the job’s not done yet.”
There was never any doubt that the Milan tournament would finish with a U.S.-Canada final since six of the previous seven Olympic tournaments ended that way. This time, however, there’s a twist because it’s the Americans who are ranked No. 1 in the world after beating Canada 5-0 earlier in the Milan-Cortina Games, running their winning streak over their northern neighbor to seven in a row.
Beat Canada again on Thursday and the U.S. will collect its second gold medal in the last three Olympics. Stumble and all the talk of the U.S. having the best team of all time will be just that: talk.
“I want it so much. I want it more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life,” Scamurra said. “The whole team feels the same way. This has been our end goal and we’re one step from that.”