The storybook ending is complete for Team USA and captain Hilary Knight.
“I love this group. It’s so special to be able to play at this level," Knight said after the game. "I feel a lot of gratitude. It’s such a magical moment and I’m just trying to soak it all in,” she added.
The U.S. women's hockey team defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime to win gold at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
It's just the third time in Olympic history that Team USA has won gold in women's hockey, each time over arch-rival Canada.
"It touches every part of you as a human being - to be involved in the Olympics," U.S. head coach John Wroblewski said after the gold medal win. "To see the group that you work with persevere. It's a great moment," he added.
The United States was perfect in 2026 Olympic competition. They went undefeated, won all seven games and only allowed two goals throughout the entirety of the tournament. The Americans were flawless, until now.
While the U.S. triumphed in the end, Canada outplayed the U.S. for much of the final and seemed to dominate the tempo throughout. Kristin O'Neill scored a shorthanded goal less than a minute into the second period and the Canadians held on to a 1-0 lead for most of the game.
Spoiler alert: In terms of storybook endings, this one couldn't have been scripted better.
Down by a goal, with just two minutes and four seconds to go in Knight's Olympic career, no. 21 threw her superhero cape over her jersey because she wasn't done yet.
As the clock ticked down, "Captain America" scored to tie the game and keep the U.S. gold-medal hopes alive by sending the Olympic final to sudden-death overtime.
“There was no way we were losing this game," Knight said. "That’s all. Simple as that. We had some awesome heavy hitters on the ice. I knew we were going to get possession, so I just had to find a place in front of the net," she added.
With the heroic goal, Knight set the record for most Olympic goals and points for in U.S. women's hockey history.
"Crazy ending, took us a little bit to score," Abbey Murphy said. "But you got a captain out there, Hilary Knight, who's destined to put a puck in the net sooner or later at big moments. She's a leader on and off the ice," she added.
Knight tipped the goal into the back of the net off a shot from Laila Edwards. The defenseman bombed the puck from deep and Knight was posted up in front of the goal and maneuvered herself perfectly to get a stick on it to save the day for Team USA.
"I took a lot of high shots that were not going my way," Edwards said. "We had a lot of traffic there, so I skipped it to the net and Hilary Knight was there, and she would take care of it, and she did," she added.
Then it was on to sudden-death overtime in the gold medal game.
"I was just trying to make a move, take a chance," Megan Keller said. "I was trying to win, not play to not lose. That's what we talked about in the locker room," she added.
Four minutes and seven seconds into the do-or-die period, Keller scored to seal the gold-medal win for Team USA.
"I'm lost for words. This is an incredible feeling," Keller said after the win. "I love these girls so much. This group deserves it. Just the effort and the faith that we kept through this four-year journey is something very special," she added.
Caroline Harvey was named the Most Valuable Player and Best Defender of the women's hockey Olympic tournament. She finished nine points, tied with Keller, and was instrumental in every single U.S. victory throughout the tournament.
"In my view, this is the best hockey team the world has ever seen," Keller said after the win.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist and Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin said despite being on the short end this time, she was proud of how her team competed in the final.
"We came out, we wanted to play, we wanted to make it difficult for them and we did," Poulin said. "Honestly, we knew it was going to be a battle, it was going to be up and down, and it was," she added.