Ice hockey-Japan aim to get more physical after bowing out of Games
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics - Ice Hockey - Women's Preliminary Round - Group B - Japan vs Sweden - Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, Milan, Italy - February 10, 2026. Shiori Koike of Japan in action with Josefin Bouveng of Sweden REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo
MILAN, Feb 10 : Japan women's ice hockey team exited the Winter Olympics at the preliminary round stage after defeat by Sweden on Tuesday, having learned some hard lessons about how physical the game can be at this level.
Players and coaches at Milano Cortina have spoken since the start of the tournament about how much physical play referees are allowing, and Japan were not quite as ready as others to deal with that.
"I think we were a little bit pushed back on our heels the first three games," Japan goaltender Rei Halloran told reporters after the 4-0 defeat to Sweden.
"We won our first game, but I do think that we were a little bit surprised maybe with the physicality, the speed. I think all the other teams, they did a really good job preparing, and not saying that we didn't do a good job.
"But it's a little bit hard when a lot of our girls play locally and there's no hitting, no contact really. So that's a huge difference in the game."
The game in Japan, where the majority of their roster plays, is a world away from the Professional Women's Hockey League in the U.S. and Canada or the European leagues.
"I played in the U.S. and Sweden, so that physicality aspect isn't too surprising for me," Halloran added.
"But I do know that it's a big jump to go from nothing to a lot of hitting."
Halloran's teammate and defender Akane Hosoyamada does not believe that the physical size and stature of Japanese players is the issue.
"I think we just need a little more grit getting into the dirty areas," Hosoyamada said.
"I think in Japan we don't play any contact sports, so I think we're just not used to that. But then I think we have the physicality and we're able to do that, so we just need a little more grit getting in there."
