Team Italy makes early Olympic statement in loss to Team Sweden

MILAN -- It was not “il miracolo sul ghiaccio,” Italian for “the Miracle on Ice.”

In the end, Team Italy lost to Team Sweden 5-2 at Santagiulia Arena on Wednesday in the first of three preliminary games for each team at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. The result was expected.

But no one expected this. Overwhelming underdogs, the Italians were outshot 60-22. But thanks in large part to goalie Damian Clara, an Anaheim Ducks prospect who made 46 saves before leaving with an injury in the third period, they led 1-0 in the first period, tied the game 2-2 in the second and made a statement.

“We want to show the world that we can actually play hockey, because some people don’t believe in us,” forward Luca Frigo said. “We want to show that we actually can, and I think we showed pretty well.”

Frigo was born near Turin, Italy, site of the Torino 2006 Olympics. He said he went to one of Sweden’s games but couldn’t remember the opponent. That was the last time Sweden won Olympic gold in men’s hockey.

Now here he was at 32 years old facing Sweden in the Olympics.

“It’s very, very exciting,” he said. “It’s amazing.”

Sweden is one of the top hockey powers; Italy made the tournament only because it received a bye as the host country. Sweden’s 25-man roster had 16,880 games of NHL experience; Italy’s had zero. It should have been no contest.

But early in the first period, Sweden goalie Filip Gustavsson stopped a long shot and dropped his stick before he could play the puck. Frigo raced ahead, collected the puck at the hash marks and fired a shot. The puck squeaked past Gustavsson’s blocker and dropped into the net at 4:14.

Italy led 1-0.

Frigo pumped his fist as the home crowd roared. It was the first goal Italy had scored in an Olympics involving NHL players since the Games that Frigo attended as a kid. Tony Iob had the last goal in a 3-3 tie with Team Switzerland on Feb. 21, 2006.

“It was incredible,” he said. “I mean, I saw the puck bouncing in front, and the goalie lost his stick, and I was like, ‘I got to put in.’ I got lucky it went in. In front of my family, in front of my friends, in front of the Italian crowd, it was unbelievable.”

Sweden captain Gabriel Landeskog tied it 1-1 with a power-play goal at 9:06, and defenseman Gustav Forsling gave the Swedes a 2-1 lead at 17:53. The shots were 27-3, Sweden.

One more shot, and the Swedes would have tied the record for shots on goal in a period in an Olympics involving NHL players. Team Canada had 28 in the second of a 7-2 win against Italy on Feb. 15, 2006.

Then 37 seconds into the second period, Italy forward Matthew Bradley tied it 2-2. Bradley was born in Vancouver and was selected in the fifth round (No. 131) by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2015 NHL Draft. But he never made the NHL, has been playing in Italy and is playing for his 95-year-old grandfather, Guido Garizitto, who grew up in Italy and lives in Canada.

“To score a goal for my nonno back home, a once-in-a-lifetime amazing feeling,” Bradley said. “Overjoyed with emotions for that.”

Forward William Nylander gave Sweden a 3-2 lead at 16:46 of the second, and the Swedes led in shots 43-11 after two periods.

But who knows what would have happened had Clara stayed in the game?

Clara, selected in the second round (No. 60) by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2023 NHL Draft, plays in Sweden and was holding the fort against it.

He stretched out his right pad to stop forward Elias Pettersson on a breakaway 4:28 into the third, and he had to leave the game at 6:08 after making 46 saves.

Forward Mika Zibanejad gave Sweden a 4-2 lead at 15:42 of the third, and defenseman Victor Hedman added an empty-net goal at 17:11.

“We knew Clara was their big talent,” Hedman said. “Anaheim is lucky to have a prospect like that. He played unbelievable and kept them in the game. We could have been a little bit more direct, but felt like a typical opening game. Nerves. It doesn’t matter where you play.”

Bradley said the Italians weren’t expected to do much, but they used that to their advantage.

“At the end of the day, we all lace up the skates the same way, and we went out there and kind of used that motto,” he said. “A big confidence game for us moving forward, and we’re going to try to compete as much as we can.”

Italy coach Jukka Jalonen said he didn’t know Clara’s status, and a lot may depend on that. But the Swedes were supposed to be the Italians’ most difficult opponents in Group B. Their next game is against Slovakia at Rho Arena on Friday (6:10 a.m. ET; Peacock, ICI Télé, CBC Gem, SN).

“I think in our group, Sweden was -- is -- the best team, I think,” Frigo said. “We just go out there and enjoy, have fun and play the way we know how to play, and anything can happen.”