On Thursday, Feb. 19, the USA and Canada faced off in the women’s Olympic ice hockey tournament to play for the gold medal game.
Canada faced two power-play opportunities in the first period but couldn’t capitalize. Towards the end of the period, Canada took a penalty of their own, giving the USA a chance to capitalize on their first power-play chance to kick off the second period. Instead, Canada scored a shorthanded goal to take the lead.
The score was still in favor of Canada until the USA tied it late in the third, forcing the game to go into overtime. Four minutes into the three-on-three, Megan Keller scored to bring home the gold for the USA with a 2-1 win.
USA’s Shutout Streak Spoiled
Canada struck first to score the first goal of the gold medal game, ending the USA’s shutout streak. Both Aerin Frankel and Gwyneth Phillips recorded five total shutouts throughout the course of the tournament, only allowing one goal from Czechia in their first preliminary game.
Related: USA’s 2026 Women’s Olympics Roster
The USA played 17 periods of hockey without allowing a single goal. Although Canada took an early lead and spoiled the shutout streak, Frankel and Phillips should be proud of their performance throughout the entire tournament. They made Olympic hockey history, recording the longest shutout amongst 351:23; that’s something to celebrate alone.
Knight Ties the Game and Makes History
Time was dwindling in the third period, and Team USA pulled Frankel from the net in an attempt to even the score. The USA won the initial faceoff following this move, keeping the puck in their zone. The puck found Keller, who passed it to Laila Edwards at the blue line. She took a shot, and Hilary Knight was in front of the net to tip the puck in and put Team USA on the board.
With this goal, Knight now holds the record for the most goals scored by a woman at the Olympic level. She tied Natalie Darwitz and Katie King earlier in the tournament, with all three players scoring 14 goals. This was Knight’s 15th goal at the Olympic level, making her the sole owner of the record now.
Ahead of the 2026 Olympics, Knight stated that this would be her last year competing at the Olympic level. Even before breaking the record, the 36-year-old had cemented herself in hockey history.
Keller the OT Hero
Four minutes into three-on-three, Taylor Heise sent the puck across the stretch of the ice for Keller. The defender picked up the puck and began skating it towards the net while Canada was in the middle of a line change. Claire Thompson tried to defend her, but Keller deked her out, sending the puck past Thompson and skating behind her. She picked the puck back up and skated it in front of Ann-Renee Desbiens. She took a shot, which went under Desbiens’ blocker and past the goal line to win the game for the USA.
The 2026 Olympics mark her third time representing the USA at the Olympic level. However, this was the first time she scored a goal. She ends the tournament with nine points in seven games, scoring three goals and recording six assists. This Olympic performance is something that will sit with Keller for a long time.
USA Earned the Gold
After their performance in the Olympics, there is no denying that the USA earned the gold medal. With the tournament now over, 16 of the 23 players will get ready to return to the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) to finish out the second half of the season. The remaining seven players will return to the NCAA, where they will complete their collegiate season.
