The U.S. women’s hockey team continued to steamroll its way through the Olympics with a 9-1 trouncing of Sweden in Monday’s semifinal matchup.
The Americans have outscored their first four opponents 40-2 and will now face either Canada or Finland in Thursday’s gold-medal game.
The dominant performance avenged the Swedes’ upset of the U.S. in the semifinals of the 2006 Turin Games, a shootout victory that barred the Americans from the title game for the first time in any international competition.
There was no such drama Monday afternoon. The U.S. controlled play throughout and outshot Sweden 46-12. Neither Sweden’s defense nor its goalie Kim Martin, who turned in a spectacular 37-save performance four years ago, had an answer for the Americans’ advantage in talent.
Monique Lamoureux netted a hat trick to lead the offensive firestorm and Caitlin Cahow, Karen Thatcher and Boston College’s Kelli Stack added a goal and an assist each. Thirteen different Americans registered at least a point.
The U.S. made a habit of scoring goals in quick succession. Lamoureux and Meghan Duggan scored just over a minute apart midway through the first to make it 2-0. Angela Ruggiero and Cahow upped the lead to 4-0 with goals 2 1/2 minutes apart early in the second.
After the two sides alternated goals to end the second, Lamoureux made it 6-1 six minutes into the third and Kerry Weiland followed up with another less than a minute and a half later. Stack tallied her goal with 4:40 remaining in the game to make it 8-1 and Lamoureux completed her hat trick two minutes later.
The Swedes’ lone goal came on the power play. The Americans held Sweden to a 1-for-4 showing on the power play while going 3-for-5 on their own man advantages.
