Amber Searls-Imagn ImagesLou OrlandoFri, February 20, 2026 at 3:37 AM UTC·11 min readFor the third time in Olympic history, the United States women’s hockey team stood atop the podium. But only after the Americans rallied for a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Canada in the gold medal game Thursday.
Captain Hilary Knight provided a late third-period equalizer, and Megan Keller delivered the golden goal at 4:04 of overtime to clinch glory for the United States at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
When USA coach John Wroblewski used his timeout at 17:37 of the third period, his team found itself in an unfamiliar position. An American squad that outscored opponents 31-1 in six previous contests, trailed for the first time in these Games.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCanada led 1-0 in the game’s waning minutes, thanks to a short-handed goal from New York Sirens center Kristin O’Neill just 54 seconds into the second period. In fact, the Canadians held the upper hand for most of regulation, frustrating the dangerous American offense.
Wroblewski pulled goalie Aerin Frankel for an extra attacker after the timeout, with the face-off in Canada’s end of the ice. The United States searched for an answer against Canada’s stifling defense. They found one, courtesy of their captain.
After Alex Carpenter won yet another draw, Knight set up shop in front of Canada goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens and deflected a long shot from defender Laila Edwards into the net with just 2:04 remaining in regulation. It marked Knight’s 15th career Olympic goal, giving the five-time Olympian sole possession of the American goals and points records.
“We just knew that we needed to put one good shot on net and get through and advance,” Knight said postgame. “And we were gonna put a second one in.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementKnight got the United States to overtime, and Keller took care of the rest. The Boston Fleet defender took a stretch pass from Taylor Heise up the left-side boards, performed a slip deke past Canada defender Claire Thompson, and put a backhander on net that trickled through Desbiens on her blocker side.
The Americans entered play as heavy favorites. Nine days earlier, USA dismantled Canada 5-0 in the preliminary round — part of a perfect 6-0-0-0 path to the gold medal game. But things didn’t come as easily in the highly anticipated rematch.
Canada dictated play in the first period, flying out to their best start in these Games. It translated to two early power plays, although the United States killed both. The Americans nearly struck short-handed with Joy Dunne in the box for tripping. Carpenter stripped Renata Fast at the blue line, but Fast chased down Carpenter before she could get a shot against Desbiens.
Canada’s Elle Shelton took a hooking penalty at 19:45 of the opening frame, giving USA a power play that carried into the second. Instead, it was Canada that capitalized.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementA bad offensive zone bounce for the Americans sprung Laura Stacey on a 2-on-1 short-handed rush. Stacey slid the puck across to O’Neill, who baited Frankel to bite on a sharp deke before backhanding the puck into an open net.
Amber Searls-Imagn ImagesNew York Sirens forward Sarah Fillier nearly extended Canada’s lead to 2-0 on two different occasions in the closing minutes of the second, but Frankel denied her both times.
American frustration mounted in the third, culminating in a boarding penalty by Britta Curl-Salemme at 13:37. USA killed the penalty, but couldn’t get much going in the offensive zone in the lead-up to Wroblewski’s timeout. Fortunately for the Americans, Frankel kept them in the game — until she headed off to the bench with 2:37 left in regulation.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We definitely had to will something. We came out a little slow in the first,” noted Knight. “When you have a one-goal deficit against Canada, you have to find the back of the net, especially against a great goaltender. We knew it was just a matter of time, but you can also run out of time against a great team.”
Carpenter won the offensive draw with their net empty, allowing the United States to set up Knight’s equalizer. Knight, a 2012 graduate from the University of Wisconsin, got her stick on a shot from Edwards, currently a senior at the same school.
USA made multiple plays to stave off Canada at the beginning of 3-on-3 overtime. University of Minnesota graduate student Abbey Murphy chased down Daryl Watts on a breakaway, lifting the Toronto Sceptres forward’s stick at the last second to prevent a shot against. Not long after, Edwards broke up a 2-on-1 rush for the Canadians.
A brilliant feed from Heise set Keller up to go one-on-one with Thompson, and Keller delivered the final blow to clinch USA’s second gold medal in the past three Winter Olympic Games. The Americans also claimed gold at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, snapping a 20-year drought that dated back to 1998 in Nagano.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I didn’t want to put more pressure on us by saying we’re the best hockey team in the world,” Knight said postgame. “But I truly felt that at every step.”
“That’s why it’s the best rivalry in the sport,” Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin said bluntly.
Keller finished with two points, also picking up a secondary assist on Knight’s third-period score. Frankel made 30 saves, battling to keep USA afloat through choppy play.
Fast led all skaters in TOI (31:22), and picked up a secondary assist on O’Neill’s short-handed goal. Stacey was another notable standout, notching an assist and giving the Americans fits with her physical play. Desbiens could not complete her shutout bid, but the three-time Olympian stopped 31 of 33 shots in a valiant effort.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCaroline Harvey of the United States earned MVP and Best Defender honors in this tournament. Her nine points (two goals, seven assists) tied Keller for the Olympic lead in scoring, and her plus-14 rating paced all skaters. Two other Americans — Edwards and forward Hannah Bilka — joined Harvey on the Olympic All-Star team.
Poulin was named Best Forward; she was Canada’s lone representative on the All-Star team.
Key takeaways after USA captures gold with OT win over Canada
David W Cerny/Reuters via Imagn Images1. Hilary Knight gets storybook ending
You couldn’t write a better ending to Knight’s storied Olympic career than the one she wrote for herself.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Milan-Cortina Games marked Knight’s fifth Olympic appearance, and she announced it would be her last. One day before puck drop between the United States and Canada, Knight confirmed her engagement to speed skater Brittany Bowe, after the two met and began dating at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Her final chapter concluded with another gold medal and her name etched in American record books.
Knight notched her 15th goal and 33rd point in the Olympics with her third-period score; she surpassed Natalie Darwitz and Kathryn in goals, and Jenny Potter in points.
Of course, it wasn’t just any goal. Knight’s deflection saved the United States from heartbreak. For all their dominance in these Games, a 1-0 loss to Canada in the gold medal game would have dulled an otherwise flawless run and a special stretch of hockey for the Americans. Instead, Knight willed USA to overtime, and earned her second Olympic gold medal in the process.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“That’s the perfect way for her to break it,” USA defender Lee Stecklein said postgame. “She’s the best player of all time, I think. To score goals like that, as consistently as she did, it’s insane. And we believe in that. We know that she’s someone who gets that done.”
Knight scored her first goal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Sixteen years later, she delivered the record-breaker. Asked if it would be her last, Knight coyly responded, “We’ll see.”
“You can always change your mind, right?” chuckled NBC play-by-play broadcaster Kenny Albert.
If it is indeed her last, the future Hall of Famer went out on top.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement2. Saving their best for last
David W Cerny/Reuters via Imagn ImagesA commendable effort from Canada may get lost in the annals of history, but it shouldn’t. A Canadian squad that was older and slower than its USA counterpart seemed poorly equipped to upset an American juggernaut. But Canada looked neither old nor slow Thursday.
Despite their inconsistency in the leadup to the gold medal game — including an uninspiring 2-1 win over Switzerland in the semifinal Monday — Canada brought its A-game, and nearly took gold because of it.
“We wanted to put forth an effort that would put us in a position to win a gold medal,” defender Erin Ambrose said tearfully postgame. “That’s why I’m so proud of this team and so proud to be a Canadian.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementA United States offense that averaged 5.2 goals per game in its six previous contests looked completely off-kilter. Passes missed sticks, shots missed the net, and the Americans struggled to get looks in between the circles against a Canadian defense that came to play when it mattered most.
Coach Troy Ryan switched up his top defensive pair; Shelton replaced 37-year-old Jocelyne Larocque on the left side of Fast. The Sceptres teammates nearly played half of the game; Shelton logged 28:25 TOI alongside Fast’s game-high 31:22.
Stacey was a force at both ends of the ice, pacing all forwards on either side with 22:28 TOI. It was well deserved, as the 31-year-old’s physicality helped put Canada in the driver’s seat, preventing notable American disruptors like Murphy from taking over the game. Fillier and Watts couldn’t crack the score sheet, but the two wingers — centered by Poulin — gave Canada’s offense a dangerous feel.
An experienced Canadian squad played responsible, composed hockey, and the Americans scrambled for much of the game because of it. Eventually, though, USA’s talent prevailed.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementClose isn’t good enough, especially in a Canadian market that demands excellence. Team Canada may be better served by pivoting to younger options — namely NCAA star defender Chloe Primerano — for the 2030 French Alps Olympics.
Poulin said she was unsure if she would return for the 2030 Olympics. The 34-year-old star missed two games in this tournament after sustaining an injury to her right knee during the preliminary round against Czechia.
3. Stick taps for the goalies
Mike Segar/Reuters via Imagn ImagesA star-studded goalie matchup between Frankel and Desbiens lived up to the billing. The two frontrunners for PWHL Goaltender of the Year in 2025-26 dazzled in net, each making saves to keep their squad in the game.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDesbiens likely wants the overtime winner back, since Keller’s shot found an opening between her pad and blocker.
“I’ll see that one for a long time,” the Montreal Victoire goalie said postgame.
But it doesn’t take away from a brilliant performance in net. Less than two weeks earlier, Desbiens surrendered five goals to USA in the preliminary round. On Thursday, she became the only goalie in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics to hold the United States under five goals in a single game. Desbiens made a key save on Hannah Bilka in the first period, getting back into position to stymie USA’s leading scorer on an odd-man rush.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnd though Knight sent the game to overtime, it was only possible thanks to Frankel’s brilliance. The Boston Fleet goalie stood on her head to keep USA in striking distance, despite sustained offensive pressure from Canada.
“That save she made — I don’t know if it was off her head or whatever — she’s unbelievable,” gushed Knight, a teammate of Frankel’s for two seasons in Boston. “She’s been lights out for us all year. I miss playing with her in the P-dub, but she’s an incredible talent. I’m so glad the world gets to see it.”
Frankel led all goalies with a 0.39 goals against average and .980 save percentage in her first Olympic tournament. She set an Olympic record with three shutouts, despite playing in five of USA’s seven games.
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