Coyne Schofield scores 2 goals as US routs Italy 6-0 to advance to Olympic women's hockey semifinals

MILAN (AP) — The upstart Italians didn’t make it easy on the Americans, and that’s everything veteran forward Kelly Pannek could have asked for as the top-seeded U.S. continued its run through the Olympic women’s hockey tournament.

A festive atmosphere, a determined opponent, a little chippiness and a 6-0 win in which 13 players — led by Kendall Coyne Schofield’s two goals — registered at least a point.

“It feels like right now we’re finding different ways within our identity to get the job done,” Pannek said. “And it’s taken every single person on the ice on our team and our staff to do it. And it feels like we’re still building to what we really can be.”

After a first period in which the Americans out-shot Italy 20-2, but only led 1-0 on Megan Keller’s goal, the U.S finally broke through with a five-goal second period.

Laila Edwards, Hannah Bilka and Britta Curl-Salemme also scored. Gwyneth Philips finished with six saves as the Americans posted their fourth straight shutout.

The Group A-winning U.S. has outscored its opponents by a combined 26-1 in winning all five games, with the lone goal allowed in a 5-1 tournament-opening win over Czechia.

With Coyne Schofield, Lee Stecklein and Grace Zumwinkle making the scoresheet Friday, the U.S. has only two skaters — defenders Cayla Barnes and Rory Guilday — without a point.

“At the other day I think it’s everyone’s willing to do whatever it takes to be a part of the success of this team,” Coyne Schofield said. “And whatever role’s asked of us on a given night that’s what we’re going to do.”

Now two wins away from winning its third Olympic gold medal, the U.S. advanced to the semifinals on Monday. The Americans will play either Sweden, after the Group B winner upset Czechia 2-0 earlier in the day, or Germany, should the seventh-seeded team knock off Canada in its quarterfinal on Saturday.

Finland faces Switzerland in the other quarterfinal on Saturday.

The game on Friday featured dueling chants, with each chorus of “USA! USA! USA!” met with an even louder “EEE-TA-LIA!”

Italy stood little chance making its second Olympic appearance, each time as the host team. Advancing to the knockout round was considered an accomplishment for the Italians, who went 2-2 in the preliminary round, and after going 0-4 at the 2006 Turin Games.

Goalie Gabriella Durante stole the show by stopping 19 of 20 shots through the opening period, and 45 overall.

“There’s definitely obviously sadness and disappointment, but at the same time, I don’t think the team has any regrets in how hard we played,” said Durante, who noted the team watched the movie “Miracle,” about the U.S. men's run in the 1980 Olympics as motivation the night before.

“We were just believing from the very start. And obviously the second it got away from us a little bit but at the same time like it’s the best in the world,” she added. “I’ll remember it for the rest of my life, the crowd specifically, the atmosphere.”

Things also got heated following a scuffle after Bilka scored to put the U.S. up 6-0 late in the second period. As Abbey Murphy and Italy’s Franziska Stocker were sent off for penalties, U.S. coach John Wroblewski began shouting across the bench at Italy coach Eric Bouchard.

Wroblewski said he was unhappy with the calls seeming to favor the Italians, because Murphy stepped in after Bilka was cross-checked from behind.

“I think his team got frustrated for sure,” Bouchard said. “They’re the best hockey team in the world, and they found a way to capitalize on their chances. But that third period, the girls never quit.”

Coach Ulf Lundberg declared “the time is now” for Sweden before the women’s hockey tournament opened.

A little more than a week and five wins later, his young, talented and fearless team has delivered.

Hanna Olsson scored, Ebba Traff Svensson stopped 29 shots and Sweden upset Czechia 2-0 on Friday to advance to the semifinal round for the first time in 12 years.

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” Lundberg said of a team that has finished no better than sixth at the past five world championships. “Going back to the worlds in the Czech Republic, we were close. But everyone talks about when are they going to take the step to the semifinal? And now we have done it. I’m so satisfied.”

After Olsson scored a power-play goal 4:47 into the second period, Hilda Svensson sparked a huge celebration by sealing the victory with an empty-net goal with 25 seconds remaining.

Sweden had not advanced to the semifinals since finishing fourth at the 2014 Sochi Games. And the nation is in position to earn its third Olympic medal, and first since winning silver at the 2006 Turin Games, when Sweden upset the U.S. in the semifinals.

The Swedes feature a young, talented roster made up of a core of the team that won silver at the 2018 Under-18 championships. There are eight players 22 and younger, with seven currently competing at U.S. colleges. They include Svensson, the 19-year-old Ohio State freshman, who’s tied for seventh in the nation with 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) in 26 games.

Sweden entered the quarterfinals as the tournament’s sixth seed after going 4-0 through preliminary round play to win the Group B title.

Czechia’s Klara Peslarova finished with 21 saves.

The loss was a major disappointment for a Czech team on the rise since finishing seventh in its Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games. Czechia has since won two bronze medals — its first in women’s play — and finished fourth twice over the past four world championships.

“There’s just no words for this. It hurts. It’s going to hurt for a long time,” Natalie Mlynkova said. “We were supposed to have this one.”

AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Czechia's Tereza Vanisova (21) challenges with Sweden's Ebba Svensson Traff (1) during a women's quarterfinal game between Czechia and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Team United States players celebrate a goal by Kendall Coyne, second from left, during the second period of a women's ice hockey quarterfinal match against Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Italy's goalkeeper Gabriella Durante reaches for the puck as United States' Hannah Bilka (23) and Italy's Franziska Stocker (18) close in during the second period of a women's ice hockey quarterfinal match at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Team United States players celebrate after a goal by Britta Curl, center top, during the second period of a women's ice hockey quarterfinal match between the United States and Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

United States' Britta Curl (17) celebrates with Megan Keller (5) after Curl scored a goal against Italy during the second period of a women's ice hockey quarterfinal match at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Iran fired missiles at Israel and some Gulf nations while explosions could be heard around Tehran and the central Iranian city of Isfahan on Friday, as the United States prepared to further reinforce its already significant military forces in the Middle East.

As the war that began Feb. 28 was to enter its sixth week, Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait warned about incoming missile fire, although it was unclear if anything was struck. Activists reported strikes around Tehran and the central city of Isfahan but it wasn’t immediately clear what was hit.

Iran’s attacks on Gulf region energy infrastructure and its tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas transits in peacetime, has sent oil prices skyrocketing.

Oil prices surged while Asian financial markets rose moderately during cautious trading. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 11.4% to $111.54 a barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.8% to $109.03 per barrel.

U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will keep hitting Iran “very hard” in the next two or three weeks.

The largest American aircraft carrier in service sailed out of Split, in Croatia and “remains poised for full mission tasking in support of national objectives in any area of operation,” the Navy’s 6th Fleet announced.

It was unclear where it was going. The USS Abraham Lincoln remains in the Arabian Sea and the USS George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier departed Norfolk on Wednesday to head to the Mideast.

Here is the latest:

Oil prices continued to surge on worries of a prolonged Iran war but the Asian markets that were open Friday rose moderately in cautious trading, while others were closed for the Good Friday holidays.

Benchmark U.S. crude rose 11.4% to $111.54 a barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.8% to $109.03 per barrel.

The U.S. only relies on the Persian Gulf for a fraction of the oil it imports, but oil is a commodity and prices are set in a global market.

The situation is very different in Asia. Japan, for example, relies on access to the Strait of Hormuz for much of the nation’s oil import needs and would need to rely on alternative routes. But some analysts say Japan and oher nations are counting on an agreement with Iran to allow transports.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 0.9% in Friday morning trading to 52,938.62. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 2.1% to 5,344.41. The Shanghai Composite sank 0.5% to 3,899.57. Trading was closed in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia and India.

Wall Street, where trading is closed Friday, finished its first winning week since the start of the Iran war, although trading started out with a decline driven by a surge in oil prices.

Bangladesh is curtailing office hours and enforcing early closure of malls and shops beginning Friday to handle its energy crisis related to the war.

The country’s cabinet ordered 30% spending cuts for fuel and power at government offices, suspended some staff training and stopped purchases of new vehicles, ships and aircraft. Decorative lighting will not be allowed for celebrations.

Bangladesh, a nation of more than 170 million people, is seeking alternative fuel sources and $2.5 billion in external financing for imports, which account for 95% of its fuel.

Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen on Friday urged motorists getting away for a long weekend during the Easter holiday to fill up in cities because most of the nation’s fuel shortages are in rural areas.

Among 2,400 gas stations in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, 182 had run out of diesel by Friday.

In Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, 76 gas stations were out of diesel. In the remaining states ranked by the most populous first, Queensland had 75 stations without diesel, Western Australia had 37, South Australia had 28 and in Tasmania there were seven.

“For those Australians planning a road trip this weekend, given our shortages are predominantly in rural and regional Australia, it makes sense to fill up in the city to help the country if you can,” Bowen said in Sydney.

The government, which blamed regional shortages on panic buying and distribution problems, is concentrating on delivering fuel to farmers for planting crops.

Palestinian Muslims attend Friday prayers outside Jerusalem's Old City due to restrictions linked to the Iran war, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Tamara and her sister Amal color pictures on the floor as their parents, Sara and Ahmed, who fled their village of Khiyam in southern Lebanon due to Israeli bombardment, sit inside a tent used as a shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

A painting lies on the floor of a residential building damaged by recent U.S.-Israeli strikes in Fardis, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Journalists from foreign media based in Tehran document damage from U.S.-Israeli strikes in a residential area of the town of Fardis, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Mohammad Qubaisi, 53, with burn wounds from an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon undergoes surgery by Dr. Mohammed Ziara, left, and his team, at the Sidon Government Hospital in Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Israeli security forces and rescue teams inspect a site struck by an Iranian missile in Petah Tikva, Israel,Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A newly constructed bridge struck by U.S. airstrikes Thursday is seen in Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A newly constructed bridge struck by U.S. airstrikes Thursday is seen in Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A bridge struck by U.S. airstrikes on Thursday is seen in the town of Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Israeli security forces and rescue teams inspect a site struck by an Iranian missile in Petah Tikva, Israel,Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Members from the Popular Mobilization Forces attend a funeral of fighters who were killed in a U.S. airstrike, in Tal Afar, Nineveh province, north of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

A man with burn wounds from an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon sits on a bed at the Sidon Government Hospital in Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

A boy who fled with his family following Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon sits inside the van they are using as shelter in Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

President Donald Trump arrives from the Blue Room to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)