"Alina Muller instantly understood the significance her bronze medal-clinching overtime goal in a 2-1 win over Sweden meant not only to girls back home in Switzerland, but in the bigger picture of women's hockey. Muller has spent the past 12 years experiencing the ups and downs, fitful starts and stops her sport has endured since first splashing on the Swiss hockey scene as a 15-year-old by scoring her nation's first bronze-medal clinching goal at the 2014 Sochi Games."
"Just a few years ago there would have been a hundred people in the stands, and now it's crazy to see, said Muller, the former college star at Northeastern and now in her third season with the Boston Fleet. Every year, it's getting more exciting. We're getting more physical, more athletic, faster, faster game, she added. And the stadiums are filling up."
"And the competitive gap the U.S. and Canada have long enjoyed appears to be closing ever so slightly. This is just the new normal, Canada coach Troy Ryan said following the loss Thursday. Largely because of the impact of the PWHL, you saw a lot of closer games, added Ryan, who also coaches the PWHL Toronto Sceptres. You saw international teams that have PWHL players in it showcase better than they previously did."
Alina Muller scored a bronze-medal-clinching overtime goal as Switzerland beat Sweden 2-1, reflecting her progression from scoring Switzerland's first bronze-clinching goal at the 2014 Sochi Games. The 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics were the first since the Professional Women's Hockey League began in summer 2023, and increased professionalism has boosted attendance, physicality, speed and overall competitiveness. U.S. captain Hilary Knight won gold in her final Olympics as the U.S. defeated Canada 2-1 in an overtime final. Tournament results included two overtime medal finals and signs that other international teams with PWHL players are narrowing the U.S.-Canada gap.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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