Megan Keller OT Winner Caps Rivalry in Womens Hockey Gold Medal Game
The Womens Hockey Gold Medal Game ended in dramatic fashion on Thursday, Feb. 19 (ET) as Megan Keller's overtime goal delivered a 2-1 victory and Olympic gold to the United States at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Womens Hockey Gold Medal Game: Keller's OT Goal Decides Final
Keller's sudden-death strike ended a tightly contested final between the sport's two dominant powers. The 2-1 outcome came after a tournament in which the United States went undefeated through the qualifying round, while Canada, the defending Olympic champion, had dominated its opponents outside of a 5-0 preliminary loss to the Americans. The final marked the seventh time the U. S. and Canada met for Olympic women's hockey gold.
Star Power and Storylines: Knight, Poulin and a Passing Torch
The match carried extra narrative weight beyond the final score. One storyline centered on Hilary Knight, who entered the Games announcing this would be her fifth and final Olympics and expressing a desire for a storybook ending. Her leadership and record-filled career were highlighted in pregame coverage, and the final represented the last Olympic opportunity to chase another gold.
On the other side, Canada's captain, Marie-Philip Poulin, added to her legacy during the tournament by becoming the all-time leading goal scorer in women's Olympic hockey. Poulin scored her 19th career Olympic goal in Canada's semifinal win over Switzerland and later reached 20 career goals, a first for a woman in Olympic women's hockey. Her history of scoring decisive goals in gold-medal moments made the final between these teams feel like a passing of eras as much as a single championship game.
How the Tournament Built to This Climactic Finish
The path to the final reinforced why the matchup was billed as a heavyweight clash. The United States remained unbeaten through qualifying play, setting the tone for their run to the title. Canada, despite being the defending Olympic champion, hit a notable snag in the preliminary round with a 5-0 loss to the Americans but otherwise advanced through the bracket and secured a semifinal win over Switzerland that pushed Poulin past prior goal-scoring marks.
The final itself unfolded as a low-scoring, high-pressure affair, with both teams known for defensive strength and veteran leadership. When Keller broke the deadlock in overtime, it not only completed a hard-fought win but also altered the historical gold-medal ledger: Canada has now won five Olympic women's hockey golds and the United States has reached three.
Beyond the goals and the record books, individual tournament performances shaped the narrative. An American defender led her team in tournament points with nine, and U. S. players framed their run as a deliberate process of returning to the top after the prior Games ended without gold. On Canada's side, players emphasized the long-term goal of repeating as champions and the fight required to represent their country with pride.
In sum, the Womens Hockey Gold Medal Game at Milano Cortina combined individual milestones, generational storylines and a result that will be a touchstone for this rivalry: an overtime victory that added another dramatic chapter to the history between these two hockey powers.
