PWHL’s affect obvious at Olympics with OT medal video games

Alina Muller immediately understood the importance her bronze medal-clinching time beyond regulation purpose in a 2-1 win over Sweden meant not solely to ladies again house in Switzerland, however within the larger image of girls’s hockey.

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Muller has spent the previous 12 years experiencing the ups and downs, fitful begins and stops her sport has endured since first splashing on the Swiss hockey scene as a 15-year-old by scoring her nation’s first bronze-medal clinching purpose on the 2014 Sochi Games.

These Milan Cortina Games, nevertheless, have been totally different for Muller and the remainder of the rivals.

They symbolize the primary Olympics because the Professional Women’s Hockey League was launched in the summertime of 2023.

“Just a few years ago there would have been a hundred people in the stands, and now it’s crazy to see,” mentioned Muller, the previous school star at Northeastern and now in her third season with the Boston Fleet.

“Every year, it’s getting more exciting. We’re getting more physical, more athletic, faster, faster game,” she added. “And the stadiums are filling up.”

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United States’ Megan Keller, left, who scored the sport successful purpose in time beyond regulation, takes a selfie with teammates as they have a good time after defeating Canada within the girls’s ice hockey gold medal sport on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone through AP)

For a sport and league banking on having fun with a post-Olympic increase, the match delivered on many fronts.

U.S. captain Hilary Knight is heading house with a gold medal in closing her Olympic profession. The match featured two thrilling medal finals, each ending in time beyond regulation, with the Americans beating Canada 2-1. And the aggressive hole the U.S. and Canada have lengthy loved seems to be closing ever so barely.

“This is just the new normal,” Canada coach Troy Ryan mentioned following the loss Thursday.

“Largely because of the impact of the PWHL, you saw a lot of closer games,” added Ryan, who additionally coaches the PWHL Toronto Sceptres. “You saw international teams that have PWHL players in it showcase better than they previously did.”

Four years after Czechia broke by means of by successful its first medal, a bronze, on the world championships, Switzerland and Sweden climbed the ranks by reaching the medal spherical because the fifth- and sixth-seeded groups.

Just as essential have been the shortage of lopsided scores, which beforehand raised questions as as to whether anybody can catch Canada and the U.S. The most one-sided consequence was the top-seeded Americans’ 6-0 win over host Italy within the quarterfinals.

That’s a big departure from the previous when Canada routed the Italian hosts 16-0 on the 2006 Turin Games, adopted by Canada’s 18-0 win over Slovakia in 2010.

Four years in the past in Beijing, 5 video games have been determined by seven or extra objectives, together with Canada’s 10-3 win over Switzerland within the semifinals.

In Milan, 9 video games have been determined by one-goal margins, together with 4 of eight within the knockout and medal rounds.

“What the entire world enjoyed in Milan was the highest level of Olympic women’s hockey we’ve ever seen,” PWHL government vice chairman of hockey operations and Hockey Hall of Famer Jayna Hefford advised The Associated Press. “The speed, the skill, the physicality, it’s all been elevated, and the competitive balance is stronger than ever.”

PWHL hats have been notable round Milan, and the league’s Olympic pins so in demand they have been traded in to pay for a minimum of one dinner.

And the league’s affect on worldwide competitors is just anticipated to develop with extra roster spots opening on the horizon.

PWHL Seattle to debut at Climate Pledge Arena (Image: Caroline Anne / Seattle Refined)

After including two franchises final yr, the eight-team PWHL is getting ready to develop by as many as 4 extra for subsequent season.

The progress is a mirrored image of the league’s want to draw much more expertise from Europe. And the timing coincides with a deep and gifted prospect class eligible for this yr’s draft. It’s a gaggle topped by Americans Caroline Harvey, the match MVP, Abbey Murphy and Laila Edwards, and likewise contains Sweden’s Josefin Bouveng, Finland’s Elisa Holopainen and Swiss goalie Andrea Braendli.

“I think it’s a big game changer,” Swedish coach Ulf Lundberg mentioned of the PWHL.

“I’ve been there watching a lot of games and I can see it,” added Lundberg, whose group featured seven U.S. collegiate athletes. “It’s big events for every game and it’s for real, so I think it’s very important for women’s hockey.”

There’s a payoff, too, for PWHL gamers.

They now have a league to return to, with the PWHL schedule resuming subsequent week, moderately than spend a lot of the following 4 years enjoying and working towards in relative obscurity as they’ve accomplished prior to now.

“I think it’s just the reality that women’s hockey isn’t going to go silent. It’s not going to go dark,” U.S. ahead and Minnesota Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield mentioned, a day earlier than the gold medal ultimate. “You’ll be able to see every one of these players in tomorrow night’s game a week from now, which is pretty awesome and hasn’t been the case for the existence of women’s hockey and the Olympic games.”