On a February evening in Milan, Japan's women's hockey team outlasted France 3-2, their third-period resolve converting sustained pressure into a tournament foothold. For France, a team that has twice finished tenth at the world stage, the loss deepens a familiar struggle — not merely to win, but to prove belonging at the highest level. Sport, at its most honest, reveals where a program truly stands, and France now faces a single game that may define their entire Olympic journey.
Japan Edges France 3-2 in Women's Olympic Hockey; France's Tournament Hopes Dim
Two regulation losses in two games has put them in a precarious position.
Mark
So Japan wins 3-2, but the real story seems to be that France is in trouble. How bad is it actually?
Mimi
They've lost twice in two games, both in regulation. Italy beat them 4-1, then Japan got them 3-2. In a tournament this early, two straight losses is genuinely dangerous.
Luke
But we should be careful about the word "eliminated." The source says no team has been eliminated yet. France still has games to play. We don't know the full bracket structure or how many teams advance.
Mark
Fair point. So what does France actually need to do?
Mimi
They have to beat Sweden on Sunday. If they lose that, they're almost certainly out. Sweden is coming off a game on Saturday, so there's a small advantage there—fatigue could help France.
Luke
But Sweden beat Germany, so they're also winning. France is the team that needs the upset, not the other way around.
Mark
What about the individual performances? Lore Baudrit scored for France—is she a key player?
Mimi
She's 34 and this is her Olympic debut, which is unusual at that age. She'd represented France at two previous IIHF tournaments and they finished tenth both times. So she's experienced internationally, but this is her first Olympics.
Luke
The source doesn't tell us much about her role on the team or whether she's a star or a depth player. We know she scored, but we don't know if that goal was a sign of things to come or just a moment.
Mark
And Japan—they outshot France 38-25. That's a pretty big difference.
Mimi
It is. Japan dominated possession and shot volume throughout. They just didn't capitalize until the third period, when they scored twice in quick succession—one even-strength goal and an empty-netter.
Luke
The empty-netter is important to note. It wasn't a close game at the end; France had already pulled their goalie and Japan sealed it. That's different from a tight finish.
Der Puls
- Japan dominated possession and outshooting France 38-25, but the scoreboard stayed dangerously close until the final minutes.
- A 34-year-old forward scoring her first Olympic goal with eighteen seconds left in the second period signaled that France would not simply yield — and briefly made the outcome feel uncertain.
- Japan's Makoto Ito broke the deadlock with a top-shelf finish late in the third, then an empty-net goal stretched the lead before France could respond.
- France's desperate late power play produced a goal with twelve seconds remaining — a flash of resilience that arrived too late to matter.
- France now sits at 0-2 after losses to both Italy and Japan in regulation, with Sunday's match against Sweden becoming an existential must-win.
On a February evening in Milan, Japan's women's hockey team outlasted France 3-2, their third-period resolve converting sustained pressure into a tournament foothold. For France, a team that has twice finished tenth at the world stage, the loss deepens a familiar struggle — not merely to win, but to prove belonging at the highest level. Sport, at its most honest, reveals where a program truly stands, and France now faces a single game that may define their entire Olympic journey.
Japan's women's hockey team secured a 3-2 victory over France on February 6, but the final score understated how thoroughly they controlled the contest. The first period passed without a goal, and it wasn't until late in the second that the game found its voice.
Japan struck first through Rui Ukita, only for France to answer almost immediately. A stolen puck in Japan's zone led to a breakaway chance, and when the initial shot was stopped, Lore Baudrit arrived at full speed to bury the rebound with eighteen seconds left in the period. The goal carried weight beyond the scoreboard — Baudrit, 34, was playing only her second Olympic game, and it announced that France intended to compete.
The third period, however, belonged to Japan. Makoto Ito kept a play alive in France's zone and eventually fired a shot that found the top shelf, putting Japan ahead. When France pulled their goaltender, Suzuka Maeda punished the gamble with an empty-net goal to make it 3-1. France responded with a power-play goal in the final twelve seconds — Gabriele De Serres finishing after sustained pressure — but the comeback never had enough time to breathe.
The loss leaves France in a precarious position. They had already fallen 4-1 to Italy the day before, meaning two regulation losses in their first two games. A match against Sweden on Sunday has become effectively a must-win, with elimination looming if they fall short. Japan, meanwhile, advances with momentum, set to face Germany next as they look to build on a performance that showed both patience and finishing quality when it mattered most.
Japan's women's hockey team seized control of a tight contest against France on Friday, February 6, with a decisive third-period surge that left the French side facing an uphill climb to stay alive in the tournament. The final score was 3-2, but the shape of the game told a story of mounting pressure and, for France, dwindling options.
The first twenty minutes produced no scoring. Japan began to find their rhythm late in the second period when Rui Ukita put them ahead, but France answered almost immediately. Anais Peyne'Dingival stole the puck in Japan's zone and fed Manon le Scodan on a breakaway. Le Scodan's attempt was turned aside by Miyuu Mashuhara, but Lore Baudrit arrived at full speed to bury the rebound with just eighteen seconds remaining in the period. For Baudrit, a 34-year-old forward, this was only her second Olympic game—her first came at these same Games. She had represented France at two previous IIHF tournaments, in 2019 and 2023, where the team finished tenth both times. The goal marked an early statement that France would not go quietly.
But the third period belonged entirely to Japan. With the game appearing headed to overtime, Japan's Makoto Ito kept the puck alive in France's zone late in the frame. Remi Koyama battled for it along the boards, and Ito skated to the front of the net, where her shot found the top shelf over goaltender Alice Philbert's shoulder. France pulled Philbert to add an extra skater, but the move backfired when Suzuka Maeda sent the puck into an empty net to extend Japan's lead to two goals. Japan had dominated the shot count throughout—38 shots to France's 25—and those final moments were when their sustained pressure finally broke through.
France did not surrender. With Kanami Seki in the penalty box for holding, they had a six-on-four advantage and pulled Philbert again. Chloe Aurard-Bushee worked the puck through multiple attempts, and after several resets, Gabriele De Serres eventually found space and fired a shot that slipped past Mashuhara with just twelve seconds left on the clock. It was a power-play goal that showed resilience, but it came far too late to change the outcome.
The loss compounds France's tournament crisis. They had already fallen 4-1 to Italy on Thursday—a result that gave the host nation its first-ever women's hockey Olympic victory but left France reeling. Two regulation losses in two games has put them in a precarious position. While no team has been mathematically eliminated this early in the competition, France's path forward has narrowed sharply. They face Sweden on Sunday, February 8, in their next game. Sweden will be coming off a match against Germany on Saturday, which could work in France's favor if fatigue sets in. But a loss to Sweden would likely end any realistic hope of advancing. Japan, meanwhile, moves on to face Germany on Saturday, looking to build on their strong finish and continue their tournament momentum.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Lore Baudrit, at 34 years old, scored in her first Olympic game, having previously represented France at two IIHF tournaments where the team finished tenth both times.— Tournament record
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei The Hockey Writers ↗
Sports