Women's Olympic Ice Hockey
2026 Winter
Olympics
LIVE
7m ago
Team USA is soaring high after a 5-0 win against rival Canada. Alexander Nemenov / Getty Images
After shutting out its Olympic rival, the U.S. women’s ice hockey team now has to defeat its Olympic host.
Fresh off their 5-0 throttling of Canada, the Americans glide toward gold and earn a quarterfinal matchup with Italy. Team USA brings an absurd 20-to-1 goal differential into Friday’s action. Amid time zone shifts and broadcast overlays, here’s how stateside viewers can catch the game live.
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There’s been nothing but smooth skating for the U.S. side. It netted precisely five goals in all four preliminary matchups and blanked its last three opponents. Only the Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, scored once in the Feb. 5 opener.
The team’s end-to-end dominance starts with Caroline Harvey, who has seven points through those four games. NHL star and men’s team member Matthew Tkachuk compared Harvey to the great Bobby Orr, per The Athletic’s Michael Russo. The 23-year-old breakout tops all skaters in assists and plus-minus. Alex Carpenter and Hannah Bilka lead the U.S. with three goals apiece.
On the other end, Team USA has been lights out between the pipes, thanks to its tight defense and lockdown goaltender Aerin Frankel. The New Yorker has stopped 44 of 45 shots so far, and her 97.78 save percentage is an Olympic best.
The U.S. is a juggernaut in this discipline. It has medaled at every Olympic competition since women’s ice hockey was recognized in 1998. The Americans won gold in the inaugural year, and got back atop the podium at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang.
In contrast, Italy’s squad is amid its second-ever Olympic run. The Italians last competed in 2006, when the Games were held in Turin. Two decades later, surprise wins against France and Japan made for some Milan magic.
Italy is a tremendous underdog against the U.S., but there is certainly precedent for upsets in Olympic ice hockey. Nineteen-year-old Matilde Fantin leads her side with three goals.
The winner of Friday’s clash advances to a semifinal spot on Monday. Sweden and Czechia also face off Friday. Saturday’s quarterfinals are Canada versus Germany, and Finland versus Switzerland. Women’s ice hockey medal games are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 19.
All times below are ET. Listings are subject to change.
Friday, Feb. 13
Saturday, Feb. 14
Monday, Feb. 16
Thursday, Feb. 19
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Steven Louis Goldstein is a Staff Writer for The Athletic. He lives in Los Angeles and graduated from Northwestern University.
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