Germany held off host Italy with a 2-1 win to wrap up Group B action at the 2026 Olympic women's hockey tournament.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDRE RINGUETTE
Laura Kluge scored the winner late in the third period as Germany edged Italy 2-1 on Tuesday to finish second in Group B behind Sweden.
On a breakaway, Kluge converted with a nice forehand move with 1:29 left. It was the Boston Fleet forward's third goal of these Olympics and team-leading seventh point, as she also had an assist.
"I'm just glad that our group got it done today in regulation and proved what we could do," said German defender Nina Jobst-Smith.
Emily Nix had the other goal for Germany. Justine Reyes scored for Italy.
Both teams will now gear up for the quarter-finals, with Italy facing the winner of the Canada-U.S. game and Germany the loser. It’s a daunting challenge against either of the North American superpowers.
"I think we competed till the very end," said Italian captain Nadia Mattivi. "It's obviously a very sour loss, because we thought till the very end that we could have won. I think if we play it again 10 times, we could probably win half if not most of them. So it's just the way it went today."
The Italian women defied the pundits with a surprising 4-1 opening win over France and a 3-2 upset of Japan to secure their quarter-final berth. In a country where football is king, they have generated excitement among Italian sports fans with coverage everywhere from La Gazzetta della Sport to La Repubblica. Their run under the stewardship of general manager Daniele Sauvageau, who coached Canada to gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, is a monumental achievement.
Final shots were even at 24 apiece. It was a good duel between Italian starter Gabriella Durante and German PWHL veteran Sandra Abstreiter.
In a scoreless first period, Italy and Germany played hard and gritty from the drop of the puck. Durante foiled Svenja Voigt’s breakaway attempt in the first minute. It got physical early on as well. Italy's Anna Caumo was left gasping when Kluge tumbled on top of her in open ice. The packed rink rocked with chants of “Italia!”
The Italians couldn't cash in on two first-period power plays, but they persevered to grab the lead just 0:21 into the middle frame. Kristin Della Rovere won a faceoff in the German end and Caumo fired a shot that Reyes deflected past Abstreiter's blocker.
Just before the halfway point, captain Nadia Mattivi found Matilde Fantin cross-ice on the rush, and the 19-year-old Penn State sniper rang one off Abstreiter's left post as the crowd oohed.
The Germans found the equalizer at 12:47. Kluge powered down the left side to loop below the goal line and sent the puck in front to Nix, who scored into a gaping cage.
Late in the second period, Fantin rocked German captain Daria Gleissner with a stiff shoulder-to-chest check in the German zone. Gleissner went off shaken up, but returned for the third period.
"It was physical," Jobst-Smith said. "I think that's what happens when you have two teams that are tired and both know how to play physical. You kind of end up relying on that side of your game a little more."
The robust play continued in the final stanza, whether it was Luisa Welcke taking a puck in the pit of the stomach or Fantin a tough hit in the defensive zone. Reyes and Caumo swarmed the German net mid-period but couldn't break through.
Wtih under seven minutes left in regulation time, Fantin was assessed a kneeing minor on Nix at the Italian blue line in a collision that she took the worst of. The Germans couldn't convert, and then Jobst-Smith was handed a minor after taking liberties on an onrushing Caumo.
After Kluge's go-ahead goal, Italian coach Eric Bouchard pulled Durante for the extra attacker, but it was to no avail.
"I'm just so proud of the girls for what we've done so far in the tournament," Mattivi said. "We've made history, and we're leaving a legacy."
Whatever the quarter-finals may bring, this is a far cry from Italy’s first stint as the host nation at the 2006 Olympics. In Turin, the Italian women lost five straight games and were outscored by a 48-3 margin. Their 2026 success is just another testament to how our game is growing worldwide.
Preliminary-round action wraps up on Thursday with the rescheduled Finland-Canada game.
On a breakaway, Kluge converted with a nice forehand move with 1:29 left. It was the Boston Fleet forward's third goal of these Olympics and team-leading seventh point, as she also had an assist.
"I'm just glad that our group got it done today in regulation and proved what we could do," said German defender Nina Jobst-Smith.
Emily Nix had the other goal for Germany. Justine Reyes scored for Italy.
Both teams will now gear up for the quarter-finals, with Italy facing the winner of the Canada-U.S. game and Germany the loser. It’s a daunting challenge against either of the North American superpowers.
"I think we competed till the very end," said Italian captain Nadia Mattivi. "It's obviously a very sour loss, because we thought till the very end that we could have won. I think if we play it again 10 times, we could probably win half if not most of them. So it's just the way it went today."
The Italian women defied the pundits with a surprising 4-1 opening win over France and a 3-2 upset of Japan to secure their quarter-final berth. In a country where football is king, they have generated excitement among Italian sports fans with coverage everywhere from La Gazzetta della Sport to La Repubblica. Their run under the stewardship of general manager Daniele Sauvageau, who coached Canada to gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, is a monumental achievement.
Final shots were even at 24 apiece. It was a good duel between Italian starter Gabriella Durante and German PWHL veteran Sandra Abstreiter.
In a scoreless first period, Italy and Germany played hard and gritty from the drop of the puck. Durante foiled Svenja Voigt’s breakaway attempt in the first minute. It got physical early on as well. Italy's Anna Caumo was left gasping when Kluge tumbled on top of her in open ice. The packed rink rocked with chants of “Italia!”
The Italians couldn't cash in on two first-period power plays, but they persevered to grab the lead just 0:21 into the middle frame. Kristin Della Rovere won a faceoff in the German end and Caumo fired a shot that Reyes deflected past Abstreiter's blocker.
Just before the halfway point, captain Nadia Mattivi found Matilde Fantin cross-ice on the rush, and the 19-year-old Penn State sniper rang one off Abstreiter's left post as the crowd oohed.
The Germans found the equalizer at 12:47. Kluge powered down the left side to loop below the goal line and sent the puck in front to Nix, who scored into a gaping cage.
Late in the second period, Fantin rocked German captain Daria Gleissner with a stiff shoulder-to-chest check in the German zone. Gleissner went off shaken up, but returned for the third period.
"It was physical," Jobst-Smith said. "I think that's what happens when you have two teams that are tired and both know how to play physical. You kind of end up relying on that side of your game a little more."
The robust play continued in the final stanza, whether it was Luisa Welcke taking a puck in the pit of the stomach or Fantin a tough hit in the defensive zone. Reyes and Caumo swarmed the German net mid-period but couldn't break through.
Wtih under seven minutes left in regulation time, Fantin was assessed a kneeing minor on Nix at the Italian blue line in a collision that she took the worst of. The Germans couldn't convert, and then Jobst-Smith was handed a minor after taking liberties on an onrushing Caumo.
After Kluge's go-ahead goal, Italian coach Eric Bouchard pulled Durante for the extra attacker, but it was to no avail.
"I'm just so proud of the girls for what we've done so far in the tournament," Mattivi said. "We've made history, and we're leaving a legacy."
Whatever the quarter-finals may bring, this is a far cry from Italy’s first stint as the host nation at the 2006 Olympics. In Turin, the Italian women lost five straight games and were outscored by a 48-3 margin. Their 2026 success is just another testament to how our game is growing worldwide.
Preliminary-round action wraps up on Thursday with the rescheduled Finland-Canada game.
Italy vs Germany - 2026 Women's Olympic Games
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