Brändli's 40-save Shutout Advances Switzerland to Olympic Semifinals
A shutout against Finland takes Switzerland to the semifinals.
MILAN - Andrea Brändli made 40 saves, including three heart-stoppers in the closing seconds, to guide Switzerland to a 1-0 win over Finland in the Milano-Cortina Olympic quarterfinals on Saturday.
"A lot of ignoring my nerves," Brändli said of composing herself in the final moments. "Every time I felt my heart increase, I suppressed it, and it was a pretty successful night. I was calm as a lake. Nothing could have gotten to me in that moment. It helped that my team really helped me out. It brings a lot of motivation and energy."
Meredith Foster
Alina Müller scored the game's lone goal with 5:43 to play in the second period. Lara Stalder and Rahel Enzler assisted Muller off a faceoff in the Finnish zone to give her a third Olympic goal, which is more than the rest of her team combined.
The intensity increased with four and a half minutes to play, when Swiss forward Laura Zimmermann was sent to the penalty box for high sticking. After killing the penalty, Ivana Wey was called for cross-checking. Finland pulled Sanni Ahola from the goal and went on a six-on four advantage. The opportunity went into disarray when Noora Tulus was penalized for tripping. Still, the Finns fought on. Viivi Vainikka and Nelli Laitinen had back-to-back chances on Brändli with 34 ticks left, then Laitinen another with 2.6 seconds.
"We felt confident," Enzler said. "We knew that if we played our game, we could beat them. For sure, we knew we had to play better in the defensive zone. We needed to get pucks out from in front of the net. We had to box out, and that is what we did great today."
Ahola made 12 saves on 13 Swiss shots. Finland was coming off a 3-1 win over Switzerland earlier this week in the group stage. However, that was with Saskia Maurer in the Swiss net.
"Our goalies in this tournament -both of them have been it great," Swiss coach Colin Muller said. "It was a tough decision, but after Saskia lost the last game against the Finns, I was going to go with Andrea. I knew she could handle the pressure, but Saskia can, as well. Both of them can do the job."
Maurer was also between the crease for Switzerland's lone preliminary win over Czechia, which ended in a shootout.
"Going into a tournament with a shootout win is huge," Brändli added. "It set the tone a bit and boosted everyone's motivation for sure. We know that when everyone is on their best, we can achieve something special."
Next, Switzerland will meet Canada in the semifinals on Monday, while the United States plays Sweden in the other. Canada topped the Swiss in the earlier round, 4-0, with Maurer in goal.
"We need to skate hard," Enzler added. "They are a fast team, they work hard, and we need to match it. We have to get out there every shift and skate as hard as we can."
Finland also defeated Switzerland, 4-0, in the bronze medal game at Beijing in 2022. The quarterfinal loss was a disappointment for the third-ranked team in the world, but the Swiss are now in position for their first medal since a bronze at Sochi in 2014.
"Our goal of ours was to make sure we came home with a medal," Muller said, "so the dream is still alive. I am so happy for them. If we could play with some more self-confidence, then anything is possible."
Scott Mammoser is reporting on the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics from Italy. He has been to eight Olympics in total and traveled to more than 100 countries.
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