Attending my first Winter Olympics medal event was both an exhilarating and nerve-wracking experience. The women’s hockey bronze medal game between Switzerland and Sweden had everything a fan could hope for. Having the opportunity to watch two international teams compete on the largest stage was everything I could have hoped for, with a game filled with drama, coming down to the wire.
The environment was exciting from the start, with dozens of huge Sweden and Switzerland flags surrounding the arena. There were many flags from the host country, Italy, as well as Great Britain and Australia.
It was a back-and-forth battle in the first period, with Sweden outshooting Switzerland 8-5 on shots on goal. Heading into the second period scoreless, 31:40 into the game, Sweden took the early lead with a goal from No. 7 Mira Jungaker. It didn’t take long for Switzerland to respond, as No. 1 Sonja Leemann answered with her own goal four minutes later to even up the score.
I loved how the tens of thousands of fans were thoroughly engaged throughout the entire game, doing the wave, the YMCA, the dance cam and more. When the lights were at their brightest, the defense, and especially the goalies, showed out. A scoreless third period forced overtime and a three-on-three matchup, plus each team’s goalie instead of the normal five-on-five for a 10-minute overtime period.
I was on the edge of my seat the entire overtime period, with a medal on the line, since whoever scored first would capture the bronze. It looked like the game might come down to penalty shots, and the crowd was on the edge of their seats. But with 50.6 seconds left in overtime, Switzerland’s No. 25, Alina Müller, nailed the game-winning goal to clinch bronze, smashing the hearts of the Swedish players and fans.
The atmosphere in Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena was unreal, with the Swiss bench rushing onto the ice to celebrate immediately after Müller’s medal-sealing goal. It was just the second time the Swiss women’s hockey team had ever won an Olympic medal, their second bronze, and the country’s first medal in 12 years.
This game was the perfect precursor to the overtime thriller of the gold medal rivalry game between the United States and Canada, and I’m so glad I was able to witness it.
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