MILAN (AP) — Finland defender Jenni Hiirikoski’s fifth and potentially final Olympic Games are over due to an upper-body injury that will require surgery, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association announced on Saturday.

Two European rivals meet with a spot in the semifinals on the line, as Finland and Switzerland face off in the final women’s hockey quarterfinal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Canada, Finland, Czechia and Slovakia won Friday's men's hockey games at the 2026 Olympics. Switzerland's Kevin Fiala left the ice on a stretcher.

Meanwhile, USA scratches LaCombe as the Olympic hockey tournament intensifies with preliminary round play winding down.

Slovakia opened the 2026 Winter Olympics with a decisive 4–1 victory over defending champion Finland, powered by two goals from Juraj Slafkovský and a 38-save performance from Samuel Hlavaj.

Try this on for size: Between Finland and Sweden, the two combined for 100 shots in their opening games of the 2026 Winter Olympics preliminary round. One lost, 4-1, and the other failed to cover its 5.

Finland’s national women’s hockey team canceled practice due to a stomach illness affecting at least four players, a team spokesman confirmed to The Associated Press.

Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games Men's Hockey Event The main event of the Olympic Winter Games is slotted to feature a competition among 12 participating teams in the 2026 Winter Olympics. These teams participating in the Winter Olympics shall be competing with other participants in different groups or categories.

The blueprint delivered Finland its second win against Sweden in five Olympic meetings involving NHL players, the first since 1998 in Nagano. "Identity game, I felt like," said Fi