Italy Achieves Historic Olympic Hockey Milestone, Germany Advances in Overtime Thriller
In a landmark moment for the host nation, Italy has secured its first-ever berth in the quarterfinals of the Olympic women's hockey tournament. The historic achievement came on Monday with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Japan, marking a significant turnaround from Italy's previous Olympic appearance.
Group B Quarterfinalists Confirmed
With this crucial win, Italy improved its record to 2-1 in Group B play. Germany followed suit by claiming its spot in the next round with a dramatic 2-1 overtime victory against France. These results mean that both Italy and Germany join undefeated Sweden (3-0) as the three Group B nations advancing to the quarterfinals, while Japan and France have been eliminated from contention.
Italy's Remarkable Journey
This advancement represents a monumental step forward for Italian hockey. In just its second Olympic appearance—both times as the host nation—Italy has progressed beyond its disappointing 0-4 finish at the 2006 Turin Games, where it placed last in the eight-team field.
"I think this is everybody's dream coming true," said Italy's Canada-born goaltender Gabriella Durante, who played a pivotal role in the victory. "Hopefully this just grows hockey in Italia that much more for little girls all over the country."
Game Highlights: Italy vs. Japan
The match saw Matilde Fantin score the first two goals, giving Italy a commanding 2-0 lead after the opening period. Japan responded in the second period with a goal from Rui Ukita, but Italy answered back in the third period when Kristin Della Rovere found the net.
Japan kept the pressure on with Akane Shiga scoring in the third period, though the goal required a lengthy video review to confirm the puck had completely crossed the goal line. When the final buzzer sounded, Italy's players poured off the bench to celebrate with Durante, who made an impressive 27 saves throughout the contest.
"We had so many people blocking shots and dumping pucks in, just hard work that hurts the body," Durante reflected. "Everybody's willing to sacrifice for the family and it's really an amazing feeling to win like that."
Germany's Overtime Triumph
In the other crucial Group B matchup, Germany secured its quarterfinal berth with a thrilling overtime victory. Katarina Jobst-Smith scored the game-winning goal just 1:17 into the extra period, snapping a shot from the high slot that found the inside of the left post.
Laura Kluge also scored for Germany, while goaltender Sandra Abstreiter stopped 13 shots. France forced overtime when Estelle Duvin scored 8:21 into the third period, with Alice Philbert making 44 saves in a valiant effort. Unfortunately for France, the team finished 0-4 in its Olympic debut, being outscored by a combined margin of 13-4 across the tournament.
Looking Ahead in the Tournament
Later on Monday, the tournament-favored United States was scheduled to seek its third consecutive victory with a game against Switzerland in Group A action. Meanwhile, defending Olympic champion Canada (2-0) was set to face Czechia in another key matchup.
These developments mark significant milestones in Olympic women's hockey, particularly for host nation Italy, which has now established itself as a legitimate contender on the international stage.
