Azzurre are once again underdogs

The start of the women's Olympic ice hockey tournament on Thursday whetted the appetite for more. After a convincing 4-1 victory against France, host nation Italy will face Sweden on Saturday at 2:40 p.m. in the "Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena".

February 06, 2026

From: kp

The Scandinavians, who are considered the hottest contenders for first place in Group B, also started the tournament with a 4:1 victory (against Germany).

For the Italian national team, things are coming thick and fast in Milan. Just 48 hours after their opening match, the next game awaits the squad under head coach Eric Bouchard, who yesterday led a high-intensity 45-minute training session in the smaller Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. The 34-year-old Canadian explained all the important details about today's opponent to his players and gave them instructions for the game.

Bouchard then looked back on the historic victory – the first in the Olympic history of Italy's women – against France: "Our approach was to play our own style of hockey – our style of hockey. The girls had to do everything precisely and quickly, and that's exactly what they did. Except for the first two minutes, but they improved a lot as the game went on. On Saturday we have a stronger opponent, but that's a challenge we like. We want to show everyone that they have to believe in us."

Sweden is ranked sixth in the world with 3.730 points, eleven places or 685 points ahead of Italy. This is just one reason why Nadia Mattivi and her teammates are once again considered underdogs, but they won't hide. "We don't need to adapt to our opponents, but rather stick to what we've been working on. I expect the Scandinavians to start strong. Therefore, we need to be focused from the beginning and pay attention to lost pucks and puck management. If we play quickly, we can surprise the Swedes."

Caumo: "We must stick to our game plan"

Anna Caumo played against France in the second line, worked tirelessly, and set up Kristin Della Rovere's fourth goal. For the 23-year-old from Bruneck, whose father Mike is the kit manager for the "Azzurre," the motto against Sweden is: "We have to stick to our game plan, no matter how the game goes. We know they are a very strong opponent, but at this point, we have to follow the instructions of our coaching staff. The crowd will probably be even bigger. Let's get carried away and see what happens." Caumo's mother and brother will also be cheering her on from the stands today.

Sweden's women's team has consistently reached the top division at World Championships since 1990. At the Olympic Games, the "Tre Kronor" (Three Crowns) have won two medals: bronze in 2002 and, in Turin in 2006, a silver medal that turned the women's ice hockey hierarchy on its head. Their semifinal victory against the USA meant that, for the first and last time, the final would not be an all-North American affair. The Swedish team is very young, with only Anna Kjellbin and Lisa Johansson older than 27, and has a strong North American influence: seven players come from the NCAA league and four from the PWHL, while twelve play in the national league.

Keywords hockey Olympics 2026 Italian Sweden