The scoreboard could have been worse for Switzerland, mostly because it had been worse in a previous meeting, less than two weeks ago.
The only measure that matters, though, at this point in the Olympic women’s hockey tournament is a win or a loss. And on that front, Canada maintained its ferocious dominance to earn a spot in the gold medal game and extend an appearance streak that started in 1998, when women’s hockey became an Olympic sport.
The outcome of Monday’s semifinal matchup between the Canadians and the Swiss was mostly a foregone conclusion — the final score wound up at 10-3 — and the meeting sometimes had the feel of a scrimmage ahead of both teams’ medal games this week.
Their opponents will be determined later on Monday, after a decidedly favored American team plays Finland in the tournament’s other semifinal.
The game between the Canadians and the Swiss was a rematch from the tournament’s first day in Beijing, when Canada won, 12-1.
It took 64 seconds for Canada to score in that game. On Monday, though, the Canadians took about seven minutes to find the net. Then it seemed as if they would never stop scoring.
There was a fierce shot from the face-off circle by Claire Thompson. A deflection gave Jamie Lee Rattray a chance she seized. Blayre Turnbull scored. So did Renata Fast and Erin Ambrose.
Five Canadian goals in under four minutes.
The Swiss, having already surrendered the day’s winning goal, did not entirely fade away. Lara Stalder put the Swiss on the scoreboard near the end of the first period, and Alina Muller, a sensational forward who was 15 years old when she helped Switzerland win the bronze medal at the 2014 Games, capped a fast-developing play early in the second with a goal of her own. Stalder scored again later in the period.
The Canadians, though, had kept scoring all the while. By the end of the second, it was 8-3.
Emma Maltais and Brianne Jenner added goals for Canada in the third period.
The gold medal game will be played on Thursday afternoon in Beijing. The bronze medal will be decided on Wednesday night.
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