All group A teams make it to the knockout round, but only the top 3 group B teams advance. The seeds are ordered: A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, B1, B2, B3. For a full explanation please see my other blog post.

This is the quarterfinal I am most excited for. Sweden was by far the most dominant team in Group B but we have not seen them play against any of the Group A teams yet. This game is kind of a wild card but I think Czechia are still the favorites.

Team Italy is way better than people expected them to be. Team Italy practiced in Montreal prior to the Olympics and even has some awesome Canadian players, such as as Laura Fortino. Team USA is an absolute juggernaut and I expect them to take care of business.

I expect this to be an easy win for Team Canada, but this is still a great opportunity for Germany to put the world on notice. Could we potentially see a Victoire goalie duel? (Desbiens for Canada vs Abstreiter for Germany)?

This might be the closest game of all of the quarterfinals. Both of these teams are hungry for a medal. Finland are the favorites, having defeated Switzerland 3-1 in the group stage, but there’s something special about this Swiss team, I think they could upset Finland for sure.

Redemption for Team Canada?

Canada veteran Emily Clark scored twice. This game also showed a new wave of Canadian talent, with 3 goals from 3 first time Olympians: Jenn Gardiner, Daryl Watts, and Kristen O’Neill. Seattle Torrent Julia Gosling also recorded 2 assists.

Much better from Team Canada, but Team USA still seems to be in a class of their own.

Finland kept this game close until midway through the game. Shots were also relatively even.

I’m rooting for Czechia because they are the ultimate underdog. This is a team that wasn’t in group A in the 2022 Olympics, and has never gotten a medal.

People keep saying “bronze medal for Czechia”, but I’m like, why stop there?

This team plays with so much heart and they have bewitched me. Carla was right about everything.