US women’s hockey team surges to 5-0 lead on Italy in Olympic quarterfinal
On Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 (ET), the United States built a commanding 5-0 advantage over host Italy in the women’s Olympic quarterfinal, powered by a two-goal burst from Kendall Coyne Schofield and a lopsided shot share that left the crowd in Milan short of breath and the Americans firmly in control.
Early push becomes a flood of offense
Megan Keller opened the scoring in the first, rewarding a period in which the U. S. generated wave after wave of zone time and looks from the slot. The second period turned the screws: Coyne Schofield struck twice in quick succession, rediscovering her Olympic scoring touch with trademark speed and finish. Laila Edwards added another through traffic, and Britta Curl-Salemme capped the run with a wraparound that punctuated a dominant stretch.
By the time the fifth goal crossed the line, the Americans held a 33-3 edge in shots, an emphatic reflection of how little time Italy spent out of its own end. Even after Italy used a timeout to stem momentum, the U. S. offense kept churning, cycling cleanly and forcing defensive breakdowns.
Penalty kills flip the ice
Italy’s best chances came on special teams—and even there, the Americans found separation. After Cayla Barnes sat for interference and earlier when Guilday was called for boarding Reyes, the U. S. not only denied clean entries but generated shorthanded pressure. Joy Dunne broke free for a wraparound look, denied only by a sharp stick stop from Gabriella Durante. Moments later, Curl-Salemme converted her own wraparound at even strength, a sequence that illustrated how the U. S. is turning defense into instant offense.
Through three Italian power plays, the Americans dictated pace, winning races to loose pucks and forcing clearances that reset precious time. The U. S. forecheck has been layered and relentless, making even man-advantage rushes for Italy feel like sprints into quicksand.
Chippy stretch tests composure
As the score line widened, tempers snapped. Dunne and Franziska Stocker exchanged sticks and words during play and squared up briefly before cooler heads prevailed. With fighting off-limits at the Olympics, officials kept penalties contained and the game moving.
The most anxious moment for the U. S. came on a knee-on-knee hit that left Alex Carpenter smarting and visibly frustrated at the no-call. She returned after missing a couple of shifts, a sigh of relief for an American lineup already dictating terms but still mindful of the grind to the podium.
Defense and goaltending write a familiar script
Italy’s struggles to get pucks on net were no accident. U. S. defenders stepped into lanes, closed gaps early, and forced outside looks. The Americans’ shutout streak reached 240 minutes during the quarterfinal, a testament to structure in front of the crease and sharp goaltending throughout the tournament.
From the first whistle of the Games, Team USA has smothered opponents—outscoring its first four foes 20–1 in group play, with multiple shutouts backstopped by Aerin Frankel and a blue line that breaks up rushes before they bloom.
Coyne Schofield’s spark and a deep lineup
Though slotted on the third line, Coyne Schofield delivered a top-line caliber performance, flipping the game’s rhythm with two in a span of minutes. Grace Zumwinkle was a catalyst on multiple sequences, battling along the boards and serving deft touches in tight, including the build-up to Coyne Schofield’s second. As head coach John Wroblewski continues to tinker—Hannah Bilka and Curl-Salemme have both auditioned on the top line—Friday’s outburst underlined the flexibility and danger baked into every American trio.
Hilary Knight, in her fifth Olympics, continued to drive play and inch toward U. S. career records in goals and points at the Games. That veteran punch blends with a core that has grown up together on this stage, yielding seamless reads and swift support through all three zones.
Big-picture stakes: familiar dominance, higher bar
The Americans have never left the Olympics without a medal in women’s hockey, and their early-round form has only heightened expectations for the final week. With the gold-medal game set for Feb. 19 (ET), the quarterfinal showed a team on schedule—disciplined, deep, and dangerous across the sheet. Seven straight wins over their archrival in recent meetings and an unblemished march through the prelims add context to a performance that felt inevitable as the night wore on.
Friday’s emphatic lead over the hosts doesn’t settle anything yet, but it reinforces everything this group has projected since the opening faceoff: speed on the wings, control on the back end, and a belief that they can turn any stretch of minutes into the decisive ones. With a semifinal berth within reach, the standard only rises from here.
