Hilary Knight's late deflection forces OT as U.S. wins women's hockey Olympic gold 2-1

Hilary Knight, the record-setting captain of Team United States, deflected a late equalizer to force overtime and the Americans went on to capture Olympic gold with a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada. The dramatic finish unfolded in the women's gold-medal match at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, where a longstanding shutout run was finally broken before the late rally that decided the title.

Hilary Knight's tying deflection and its significance

With about 2: 30 remaining in regulation and the U. S. having pulled its goalie, Hilary Knight redirected a wrister from the top of the zone to tie the score and send the game to overtime. Knight wore number 21 in the match and served as captain for the winning side. That tying goal erased a late deficit and set the stage for the sudden-death period that would decide gold.

How the gold-medal game unfolded

The match began with scoreless play that extended into a remarkable stretch of shutout hockey for the Americans. That streak ended when Canada scored a shorthanded goal early in the second period; the Americans had started that period on a power play created by a penalty at the end of the first.

Late in the third period Canada earned another power play and maintained a scoreless defense against the Americans until the U. S. killed the penalty with just over four minutes remaining. With momentum shifting, the United States pulled its goaltender to add an extra attacker and Hilary Knight's deflection produced the equalizer.

After 60 minutes of regulation the shot count stood at 29-28 in favor of Canada. Overtime delivered the final twist: four minutes and seven seconds into the extra period, Megan Keller maneuvered into position and squeaked the puck past the Canadian goaltender to secure the 2-1 victory and the Olympic gold medal.

Key statistics and timeline

• Final score: United States 2, Canada 1 (overtime)
• Overtime game-winner: Megan Keller, 4: 07 into OT
• Tying goal: Hilary Knight, deflection with about 2: 30 remaining in regulation (goalie pulled)
• Shot total after regulation: Canada 29, United States 28
• Shutout streak ended: 3 hours, 52 minutes, and seven seconds before Canada’s shorthanded goal

This match delivered a dramatic late comeback and an overtime finish that decided Olympic gold. The performance included tight special-teams play, a pivotal shorthanded goal that broke a lengthy shutout, a successful penalty kill in the final minutes, and a high-stakes pulled-goalie equalizer by the captain, Hilary Knight.

This is a developing story; details may evolve as additional information becomes available.