U.S. women’s hockey team knows all too well it can’t look past Sweden

Reporting from Vancouver, Canada — 

In the relatively short history of women’s hockey in the Olympics, the United States has enjoyed many more successes than failures.

An upset loss to Sweden in the semifinals of 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy, stands out as the low point.

The Americans led 2-0 before the Swedes roared back for a 3-2 shootout win that denied the Americans a chance to face rival Canada for the gold medal.

The U.S. was left playing for the bronze, which it won by defeating Finland, 4-0. Canada beat Sweden, 4-1, for the gold.

The U.S. will have an opportunity to avenge that stunning defeat Monday when it faces Sweden in the semifinals of the tournament.

“It’s a repeat of Torino,” said U.S. defenseman Angela Ruggiero, who is playing in her fourth Olympics. “We plan on bringing everything we’ve been working toward. We’ve been training just for this. We know how important the next game is.

“We know we’re going to have to show up [Monday] to advance to the final.”

The U.S. dismantled its Group B opponents in the preliminary round, finishing 3-0. It outscored opponents 31-1, with the closest margin of victory a 6-0 win over Finland on Thursday.

The Canadians went 3-0 in Group A -- outscoring their opposition 41-2 -- including a 13-1 victory over Sweden on Wednesday.

The powerhouses appear to be on a collision course, but the U.S. first must get past Sweden while Canada will take on Finland.

A win by the Americans would not only help heal an old wound, but it also would put them in position to win their second Olympic gold medal.

Their first came in the inaugural tournament in 1998.

“It’s not revenge because there are 15 new players,” said Ruggiero, one of six holdovers from the 2006 U.S. team. “It’s a lesson that the older players are sharing: Anything again can happen in the Olympics.

“There are upsets and that’s the exciting part about the game. I know all the veterans that were there in ’06 are going to make sure everyone’s ready to go.”

The U.S. is hitting on all cylinders with a surging offense, solid defense and goaltender Jessie Vetter, who has stopped all 30 shots against her in the tournament and has back-to-back shutouts.

Her solid play has given the U.S. confidence heading into the medal round.

“From what I’ve seen in the past in pressure situations . . . I’m very confident, but I think the players playing in front of her will be confident because they’ve been there, too,” U.S. Coach Mark Johnson said. “They’ve been battle-tested in pressure games and championship games.

“I think everybody’s seen on our side how she responds and how she plays in those certain situations.”

Added defenseman Molly Engstrom, also a member of the 2006 team: “You go into the first couple of games and you kind of get through them, and then you play that game against Finland.

“We have to get back to the things that we’re good at and the things we’ve been practicing. We feel good -- we feel confident -- but we have to keep building on it.”

ckuc@tribune.com