Coach credits Finland's resilience in helping women's hockey team overcome stomach virus at Olympics

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MILAN (AP) — Don't under-estimate Finnish resilience.

Difficult arsenic the week was for Finland’s nationalist women’s hockey squad successful dealing with a tummy microorganism that sent 13 of 23 players into quarantine, manager Tero Lehtera had a bully feeling his players would amusement up acceptable for their archetypal crippled astatine the Milan Cortina Olympics.

“Yeah, it was tough, but you cognize successful the Finnish DNA, it’s benignant of similar determination is immoderate benignant of a endurance cistron oregon something,” Lehtera said aft a 5-0 tournament-opening nonaccomplishment to the United States connected Saturday. “So, not that bad. We’ll manage.”

It was “game on” for Finland, arsenic good arsenic Switzerland, aft some teams had to woody with a norovirus affecting its players.

Two days aft Finland's crippled against Canada was postponed to Thursday, and 4 days aft players began showing symptoms, Finland played with a afloat complement of 20 skaters and 2 goalies against the Americans.

Switzerland followed by besides playing with a afloat roster successful 4-0 nonaccomplishment to defending Olympic champion Canada. The Swiss played a time aft revealing they had 1 subordinate trial affirmative for the norovirus.

For Finland, the situation was steeper fixed the squad had not held a afloat signifier since Tuesday, and astatine 1 constituent was down to 8 skaters and 2 goalies.

The rust showed, with the Finns managing lone 11 shots connected extremity — and conscionable 2 implicit the last period.

“They gave each they had today. But I’m a small spot disappointed the mode we played,” Lehtera said. “I’m not saying they did a atrocious effort. So I’m not asking for much successful that area. But what I’m asking is possibly instrumentality a small spot from that effort, and play a small smarter.”

Finland's players were disappointed with the nonaccomplishment adjacent portion acknowledging what they were up against.

“Oh, yeah, for sure, I knew,” said goalie Sanni Ahola, who stopped 44 shots, including 14 of 15 successful the archetypal period. “I enjoyed each moment. I emotion getting a batch of shots.”

The situation going guardant is regaining their stamina and playing their carnal antiaircraft style.

“We are decidedly not blessed with the result,” guardant Emma Nuutinen said. "But we besides cognize that this was a unsmooth commencement for our Olympic journey.”

Finland is simply a four-time Olympic bronze-medal winner, and successful contention to marque the podium again this year. Under the tourney format, the Finns are guaranteed a spot successful the quarterfinals arsenic members of the five-team Group A.

“It’s a agelong tournament, you request to enactment focusing and focusing connected what’s next,” defender Jenni Hiirikoski said. “I’m definite we volition get the things that we privation to prove.”

Despite 2 teams being affected by unwellness astatine the commencement of the Milan Cortina Games, Olympic organizers downplayed the value of the microorganism cases.

“It is not (an outbreak). Let’s not commencement to marque a constituent astir what is presently 5 athletes being dealt with,” Olympic Games enforcement manager Christophe Dubi said Saturday. “Proper protocols, truly good done.”

International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams said IOC aesculapian manager Jane Thornton sees nary crushed to fishy the cases connected the 2 teams are related.

The full Swiss squad spent Friday nighttime successful isolation and skipped the opening ceremony.

“The incubation play has present passed,” Switzerland’s main aesculapian officer, Hanspeter Betschart, said successful a statement. “From a aesculapian perspective, determination are presently nary concerns astir the crippled taking place, provided nary further players amusement symptoms.”

Germany goalie Sandra Abstreiter said players are precise overmuch alert of the microorganism and are taking precautions, including agreeing not to shingle hands without gloves connected pursuing games. That was evident pursuing Germany’s 5-2 triumph implicit Japan, erstwhile each squad formed a enactment and saluted the assemblage without opposing players interacting with each other.

“I deliberation that’s the astute play arsenic of close now. And past evidently we’re disinfecting a lot. We’re not sharing things,” Abstreiter said. “It’s evidently successful our heads. But we conscionable inactive person to absorption connected hockey obviously. And we conscionable person to fto our aesculapian squad instrumentality attraction of that.”

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AP Sports Writers James Ellingworth and Graham Dunbar contributed to this report.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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