The U.S. beats Canada to win girls’s ice hockey Olympic gold : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3637x2425+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa7%2F51%2F5e44b56c4874ac168a91c45cb035%2Fgettyimages-2262516066.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3637x2425+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa7%2F51%2F5e44b56c4874ac168a91c45cb035%2Fgettyimages-2262516066.jpg" class="img" alt="Ella Shelton of Canada (L) and Tessa Janecke (R) the United States skate after the puck in the second period during the Women's Gold Medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday in Milan, Italy." fetchpriority="high"/> Ella Shelton of Canada (L) and Tessa Janecke (R) of the US skate after the puck within the second interval throughout the girls's gold medal sport on the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday in Milan, Italy. The U.S. defeated Canada 2-1 in extra time to assert the gold medal. Gregory Shamus/Getty Photos conceal caption

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Gregory Shamus/Getty Photos MILAN — With Olympic gold on the road, with simply over two minutes to play in regulation of Thursday's closing match, it was the U.S. girls's hockey workforce's two greatest stars who saved their dream alive.

The 22-year-old phenom Laila Edwards, a Day 1 starter in her first profession Olympic Video games, launched a rocket towards the purpose, the place the 36-year-old captain of Staff USA, Hilary Knight, tipped the puck into the online — sending Milan's Santagiulia Area into roars and the gold medal match into extra time, the place the Individuals prevailed 2-1.

The equalizer by Knight, with an help by Edwards and Megan Keller, represented the essence of this U.S. workforce — the power of its younger stars mixed with the calm expertise of its veteran management.

Then, simply over 4 minutes into an exhilarating, fast-paced extra time interval, Keller was the hero, maneuvering the puck round Canadian defender Claire Thompson for the game-winner.

Coming into the gold medal match, the Individuals hadn't but trailed of their total Olympic run, by which they'd outscored their opponents 31 to 1.

However Canada struck first with a shorthanded purpose simply 54 seconds into the second interval, after a uncommon defensive lapse by 22-year-old U.S. star Laila Edwards allowed Canadian ahead Laura Stacey to scoop up the puck and cost towards the purpose earlier than passing it throughout to teammate Kristin O'Neill, who completed neatly across the pads of U.S. goaltender Aerin Frenkel.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2739x1826+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5f%2Ff3%2F1159bed54f99b511128a666bd89e%2Fgettyimages-2262524392.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2739x1826+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5f%2Ff3%2F1159bed54f99b511128a666bd89e%2Fgettyimages-2262524392.jpg" class="img" alt="Hilary Knight #21 of the United States celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal late in the third period to even the score 1-1 during the women's gold medal match between the U.S. and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday." loading="lazy"/> Hilary Knight #21 of the US celebrates with teammates after scoring a purpose late within the third interval to even the rating 1-1 throughout the girls's gold medal match between the U.S. and Canada on the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday. Gregory Shamus/Getty Photos conceal caption

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Gregory Shamus/Getty Photos That arrange a nerve-racking second and third interval by which the U.S. gamers pressed repeatedly, desperately even, to maintain alive their desires of a gold medal — then, within the span of barely six minutes, Knight's equalizer and Keller's game-winner.

"Phrases cannot even articulate how I am feeling proper now. That is one thing I've needed for my entire life and I lastly received it," mentioned U.S. ahead Hayley Scamurra. "It is lovely. I am simply so pleased with being on this workforce."

For many years, Canada had been the highest canine of Olympic girls's ice hockey. Because the sport was added to the Winter Video games in 1998, Canada has reached the gold medal match all eight instances and received 5 of these.

The Individuals received the primary gold medal again in 1998, nevertheless it took 20 years to win a second — on a shootout, no much less.

However issues have modified dramatically over the previous 12 months. Since February 2025, the 2 groups have confronted one another 9 instances — together with final week in an Olympic group stage match — and the U.S. has received all however one.

On the Olympic preliminary match simply 9 days in the past, the U.S. received 5-0, though Canada was taking part in with out its captain and finest participant, Marie-Philip Poulin, who returned from harm to play in Thursday's sport.

Coming into the 2026 Video games, Canada positioned its Olympic wager on skilled gamers. The U.S. as an alternative wager on youth improvement. The typical age of the U.S. Olympic roster is below 27 years previous, whereas Canada's roster, on common, is nearly 30. Seven American gamers are nonetheless in school; Canada has zero.

Now, the Individuals' wager has paid off. 4 of the workforce's 5 main scorers in Milan — together with Edwards, defensemen Caroline Harvey and forwards Hannah Bilka and Abbey Murphy — are all 22, 23 or 24 years previous.

"In my view, I feel that is the most effective hockey workforce [that] girls's hockey has ever seen," mentioned U.S. ahead Kelly Pannek. "Up and down the lineup in each single function, whether or not it was factors on the board or penalty kills, energy performs, you title it, everybody knew what their function was going into this and executed."

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4659x3106+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbc%2Ffd%2F1b5435e943d2a12f986d941b7a0a%2Fgettyimages-2261936507.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4659x3106+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbc%2Ffd%2F1b5435e943d2a12f986d941b7a0a%2Fgettyimages-2261936507.jpg" class="img" alt="Canada's #43 Kristin O'Neill (2R) celebrates scoring her team's first goal with teammates during the women's gold medal ice hockey match between USA and Canada at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games." loading="lazy"/> Canada's #43 Kristin O'Neill (2R) celebrates scoring her workforce's first purpose with teammates throughout the girls's gold medal ice hockey match between USA and Canada on the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Area throughout the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Video games. Alexander Nemenov/AFP by way of Getty Photos conceal caption

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Alexander Nemenov/AFP by way of Getty Photos Thursday's closing was the final Olympic sport for Knight, probably the most completed hockey participant in U.S. Olympic historical past. She has competed in 5 Olympic Video games, profitable two gold medals, together with Thursday's, and three silvers. Her equalizer late within the third interval marked her fifteenth profession Olympic purpose, probably the most all-time of any U.S. girls's hockey participant.

Knight's stamp on girls's hockey extends past her Olympic information. She was key within the founding of the Skilled Ladies's Hockey League, probably the most steady and financially profitable such league to this point, with eight groups now and enlargement plans within the works.

In complete, her legacy is just not solely one in all her personal previous success, however a sustained way forward for success for the U.S. girls's nationwide workforce, as extra gamers have the real functionality to pursue hockey professionally and proceed improvement into their 20s and 30s.

"Merely put, we aren't right here with out her," mentioned Heise. "Clearly it is unhappy to say that this may be her final one. We'll hopefully do it for her as properly."