USA Dominates Switzerland to Clinch Semifinal Spot at 2024 Euro Women’s Hockey Tour

Tampere, FINLAND – The United States women’s hockey team secured their spot in the semifinals of the 2024 Euro Women’s Hockey Tour with a convincing 6-2 victory over Switzerland on Thursday. This win propelled Team USA to a perfect 2-0 record, securing first place in Group A of the six-team tournament.

Murphy Leads the Charge

Abbey Murphy continued her impressive performance, contributing a goal and an assist, bringing her total points to five in just two games. Cassandra Hall, Sloane Matthews, Tessa Janecke, Casey O’Brien, and Ella Huber also found the back of the net for the Americans. Amanda Thiele stood strong in goal, securing the win.

“This game was a good gut check for this team,” said John Wroblewski, Team USA’s head coach. “It was the second of back-to-back games and Switzerland gave us a physical battle. This team fought from the opening whistle.”

Switzerland Faces Crucial Matchup

Nicole Vallario and Lena Marie Lutz scored for Switzerland, who will now face a crucial match against host Finland on Friday. With both teams currently at 0-1, the winner of this game will advance to Saturday’s semifinals, while the loser will compete in the fifth-place game.

Euro Hockey Tour Continues to Grow

This event in Finland marks the third of four events on the Women’s Euro Hockey Tour for 2024-25. Czechia dominated the first event in August, held in Kloten, Switzerland, followed by another victory in November in Södertälje, Sweden. This week’s event features the inclusion of Canada’s National Women’s Development Team (under-23) and the U.S. Collegiate Women’s Select Team, further expanding the reach and impact of the tour.

The final event will be a three-nations tournament hosted by Czechia in February, featuring Finland and Switzerland. Sweden will not participate due to a scheduling conflict with Olympic qualification.

Canada Cruises to Victory

In the other game on Thursday, Canada’s National Women’s Development Team defeated Czechia 3-0. Hannah Murphy secured the shutout, stopping all 17 shots she faced. Anne Cherkowski opened the scoring in the first period, followed by insurance goals from Sarah Paul and Maya Labad in the second. Canada concluded its round-robin with a 2-0 record, securing a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.

“It felt great (to get the shutout),” said Murphy. “It was an awesome team win for us and to kill some big penalties in the third period was a really good momentum boost for our team. We keep getting better every period; it is really awesome playing behind such talented athletes. If we keep doing what we are doing, we will continue building throughout the tournament.”

Czechia will face Sweden on Friday, with the winner advancing to the semifinals and the loser playing in the consolation game.

Stay tuned for more updates from the 2024 Euro Women’s Hockey Tour!