OLYMPICS: Ice Hockey-Top scorer Johansson and Sweden stay focused on group stage before medal hunt

MILAN – Sweden’s Thea Johansson scored her fourth goal of the Milano Cortina Games in a 4-0 victory over France on Sunday, securing her team’s spot in the quarter-finals. Despite the win, Johansson and her teammates remain focused on closing out the group stage before fully shifting their attention to a potential medal run.

Johansson opened the scoring against France, adding to her two goals against Italy on Saturday and another in Sweden’s opening Group B match against Germany. In a tournament often dominated by North American powerhouses Canada and the United States in Group A, Johansson is currently leading the goal-scoring charts. She attributes her strong performance to last year’s move from Mercyhurst University to Minnesota Duluth.

“I think it just comes from a lot of self-confidence,” Johansson told reporters. “I’m playing with my best friends, I’m logging a few more minutes, and I’ve been working on my goal scoring since changing schools. Even with the national team, we’ve been putting in extra work on scoring, and it seems to be paying off. It’s super fun, and that’s how you win hockey games.”

With one group-stage match remaining against Japan on Tuesday, Sweden can secure the top spot in Group B with a win, improving their seeding for the knockout stage. A medal would be Sweden’s first since winning silver in 2006.

“I think our chances are pretty good, but we’re focusing on the group stage first,” Johansson said. “We want to win all our games. Every game is important, so we’re taking it one at a time and aiming to top the group.”

Teammate Sara Hjalmarsson, who scored Sweden’s second goal against France, shared similar thoughts about ending the country’s long medal drought.

“It’s been a while, so it’s about time,” Hjalmarsson said. “But we’re taking it one game at a time. I’m super happy with today’s win. After three games, we’re where we want to be. Next up is Japan on Tuesday, so we’ll rest tomorrow and get ready for that match.” -Reporting by Trevor Stynes and Giulio Piovaccari; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne/Reuters