Marie-Philip Poulin makes her long-awaited return as Canada cruises to a 5-1 victory over Germany in the Olympic women’s hockey quarterfinals, advancing to the Milan Cortina Games semifinals. The Canadian captain buried a power-play goal with 4:30 remaining in regulation to tie the Olympic career goals record at 18, matching Hockey Hall of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser. In addition to Poulin’s milestone moment, Sarah Fillier contributed a goal and an assist, while Brianne Jenner, Claire Thompson, and Blayre Turnbull each found the back of the net. Emerance Maschmeyer earned the win with 10 saves.
Canada, seeded No. 1 and the defending champions, will face the winner of the Finland-Switzerland quarterfinal on Monday in the semifinals. The Americans, who begin as tournament favorites, take on Sweden after Sweden upset Czechia on Friday. This match marked the first Olympic meeting between Canada and Germany, and Canada has now dominated the series with a 9-0 record in international play this year, outscoring Germany 83-1 overall.
Franziska Feldmeier of Germany broke the shutout with a short-handed breakaway goal at 8:42 of the third period, becoming the first German player to dent Canada’s net in this tournament. Sandra Abstreiter finished with 38 saves but was pressured at times, leaving some doubts about Germany’s chances to contend for a top-six spot in future Olympics.
Germany, after finishing second in Group B with a 3-1 record, still faces a steep climb to break into the world’s elite six teams. This marks Germany’s fourth Olympic appearance and its first since 2014, leaving room for improvement as they rebuild to challenge the powerhouse North American squads.
Poulin’s absence was felt earlier due to a right knee injury sustained in a 5-1 win over Czechia, but the 34-year-old forward—often dubbed “Captain Clutch”—returned to action in a limited role to ease back into rhythm. Her presence clearly energized Canada, and her late-game tally came from a familiar position: parked in front of the net, redirecting Fillier’s shot for the finishing touch.
Key moments in the opening: Canada opened the scoring on its very first shot as Jenner drove the net and redirected Emma Maltais’ feed 1:40 into the game. Thompson then pounded a left-point shot that appeared to knuckle past Abstreiter with 3:19 left in the first period, and Fillier extended the lead to 3-0 on a second-period deflection off Abstreiter’s stick with 2:30 remaining. These early goals set the tone for a dominant Canadian performance as they moved closer to defending their Olympic title.
