As gold as it gets! Captain America! Keller Instinct! Woe, Canada!

How will you remember Team USA’s thrilling victory over Canada that earned the gold medal in the women’s Olympic hockey tournament?

Whatever your answer, USA TODAY Sports will help fans long relive the country’s golden glory with two commemorative page prints.

Buy Team USA gold medal page print!Buy Hilary Knight record page print!

Before you see the details, decide how you will remember the 2-1 overtime victory on Feb. 19 at the 2006 Milano Cortina Games.

Will it be Hilary Knight’s nifty deflection for a 1-1 tie with 2:04 left in the third period? It made her the all-time U.S. leader in goals (15) and points (33).

Will it be Megan Keller’s slick moves that won it after four minutes, seven seconds of overtime? It gave the United States its second gold medal in the last eight years.

Will be the wild, joyous on-ice celebration by players draped in flags with  precious metal dangling from their necks? U.S. women won gold for the third time (1998, 2018, 2026), topping the U.S. men (1960, 1980).

The first full-page commemorative print features Team USA celebrating on the ice after Keller’s golden goal. It has U-S-SLAY! as its big headline.

The second full-page commemorative print celebrates Knight’s fifth and (she says) final Olympics. It has CAPTAIN AMERICA as its big headline.

Page prints come on high-quality art paper, in a variety of sizes and start at $29 (plus shipping and handling) through the USA TODAY Store. For more details, go to usatodaystore.com and search “Olympic.”

These page prints also will make great gifts for the hockey fans in your life. Maybe they will inspire someone the same way years ago Knight, now 36, inspired teammate Laila Edwards, barely 22. Edwards, the first Black Olympian for Team USA, assisted on Knight’s game-tying goal.

And because Moms, Dads and Grads season will be upon us soon, why not check something off the to-do list early, eh?

Buy Team USA gold medal page print! Buy Hilary Knight record page print!

Contact Gene Myers at gmyers@usatodayco.com. Check out books and page prints from theUSA TODAY Network — including books onthe Florida Panthers’ latest Stanley Cup, the Indiana Hoosiers’ football championship and tributes to Dale Earnhardt, Lee Corso and Bob Uecker. Also available are Coach Steve’s youth sports survival guide and a book marking 100 years of the Grand Ole Opry.

Before the United States won Olympic gold on Thursday, a 12U playoff game in Minnesota needed three days, 12 overtime periods and a shootout to decide a winner.

The Cottage Grove Wolfpack managed to get the best of the St. Paul Saints during the shootout to advance in the playoffs.

“It was pretty intense,” Cottage Grove coach Brian Deering told USA Today. “It went on for three days, and the kids showed up ready to play every time. It was pretty bizarre with how to plan for it but it was fun to be a part of.”

The game was tied at 1 following three 15-minute regular periods on Monday, Feb. 16. The two teams played six 10-minute overtime periods the day the game started but it remained tied.

The decision was made for the two teams to return to the ice on Tuesday to finish out the game. 

“I just reminded them that it’s hockey and it’s the same game we’ve played all year,” Deering said. “They were nervous and scared because they didn’t want to let each other down. 

“I just tried to keep it light-hearted as much as possible. We just reminded them to keep it simple and not to do anything too big.”

St. Paul co-head coach John Weiberg told ESPN that after the first three periods played on Tuesday, Feb. 17, the ice needed to be resurfaced with a Zamboni, causing another delay in the action. 

The game reached a 10th overtime, but the game still wasn’t decided.

St. Paul and Cottage Grove were unable to finish the game on Tuesday night because another game was already scheduled and waiting to take place. That forced another pickup on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

With the next round of the playoffs already scheduled to take place on Thursday, a winner had to be decided. Decisions were made and that led to a shakeup in how the game was to be determined.

The 11th overtime took place with the traditional 5-on-5 format but changed to a 3-on-3 format, in a similar fashion to the Olympics’ gold medal game and the NHL regular season, for the 12th period.

It was decided that it was best that the game go to a shootout after the game was still tied after the 12th overtime session.

“I think going through the experience that they did bonded them,” Deering said. “It’s not something you can really coach. They lived through that and experienced that. They started playing for each other.”

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker left Thursday night’s 121-94 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the second quarter with right hip soreness and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

Suns head coach Jordan Ott told reporters that Booker ‘wasn’t moving great’ and the decision to sit him was made to ‘save himself from himself,’ per the Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin.

Booker initially subbed out and went into the locker room with 5:24 left in the first quarter. He checked back in with 4:46 left in the second but then exited again two minutes later and returned to the locker room. His final stat-line for the night was five points and a rebound, shooting two-for-six from the floor in just nine minutes played.

An All-Star for the fifth time this season, Booker has caught the injury bug recently. He missed seven straight games with a sprained ankle that he originally suffered on Jan. 23 against the Atlanta Hawks. He returned to the Suns lineup on Feb. 7 and played in their next game on Feb. 11 before sitting out the team’s final game before the All-Star break against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

At All-Star Weekend, Booker participated in the three-point contest and was part of the USA Stars team, winning the first edition of the new USA vs. the World format All-Star Game.

The Suns are currently the seventh seed in the West, two games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for sixth.

Cade Cunningham had said he likes playing in Madison Square Garden. He wasn’t lying.

Cunningham, the All-Star Detroit Pistons guard who is inserting himself into the conversation for NBA Most Valuable Player, was stellar in a 42-point, 13-assist, 8-rebound Pistons victory Thursday, Feb. 19. And with that 126-111 win, Detroit has won all three of its matchups against the Knicks this season, giving the Pistons a massive edge in potential seeding, should the Eastern Conference tighten up.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 33 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds, but New York struggled with its perimeter shots all night long.

Scroll below for a recap and highlights from Detroit’s impressive win over the Knicks Thursday night:

Pistons vs. Knicks highlights

End Q4: Pistons 126, Knicks 111

It was too much Cade Cunningham, too big a deficit on the glass and too few 3-pointers for the New York Knicks.

And with that, the Knicks have been swept in three regular season games by the No. 1-seeded Pistons (41-13), establishing a clear pattern of dominance over New York (35-21).

Cunningham played masterfully, dropping 42 points, 13 assists and 8 rebounds in a complete performance that should elevate his Most Valuable Player candidacy. Cunningham was deliberate and decisive in his movements, as Cunningham went 17-of-34 from the floor, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range.

The Knicks lost the rebounding battle 53-48 and shot just 8-of-35 from beyond the arc.

Jalen Brunson led New York with 33 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds.

Pistons open biggest lead of game

The Knicks will lose this game if they don’t turn things around — and quickly. Detroit has opened up a 16-point lead, its biggest of the game, early in the fourth, leading to a Mike Brown timeout.

The Pistons have launched a 7-2 run to open the period.

End Q3: Pistons 90, Knicks 79

Cade Cunningham is on an absolute heater.

Cunningham, the Pistons’ All-Star guard and MVP candidate, has 35 points and 9 assists through three quarters, as he’s carrying Detroit to another solid game against the Knicks.

Cunningham has played excellently in his career against the Knicks and in Madison Square Garden and Thursday night has been no different. Cunningham, who dropped 11 points in the third, is in complete control, getting to his spots and not forcing anything. And, when New York sends extra pressure toward him, Cunningham is finding open teammates.

The Knicks, meanwhile, cooled off after a hot start to the period. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 12 points in the period, but New York has not been able to catch fire from deep. The Knicks are 4-of-25 (16%) from 3-point range.

Knicks cut it to 4 behind KAT attack

Clearly, New York adjusted at the half to get the ball in the hands of Karl-Anthony Towns, who has 8 points through the first two-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter. More importantly for the Knicks, they’ve shaved 6 points off the deficit and trail 62-58.

End Q2: Pistons 58, Knicks 48

The Pistons may be missing their top two centers, All-Star Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart (both to suspension), but they’re taking it to the Knicks.

Detroit closed the second quarter on a 7-0 run to open a 10-point lead in Madison Square Garden. The Knicks committed far too many turnovers and continued to struggle with their perimeter shooting in the second; New York has now missed 16 consecutive 3 pointers after it made its first of the game and is shooting just 6.3% from beyond the arc.

Cade Cunningham is continuing to control the offense for Detroit. He’s pushing the ball out in transition, finding his spots and dishing passes to his teammates to the tune of 24 points and 4 assists on 9-of-19 shooting.

New York, meanwhile, will need to scheme ways for Karl-Anthony Towns to become more active and engaged on offense. Towns is just 1-of-3 for 2 points with 5 rebounds. Towns is having a tough time finding his spots and at times has appeared disengaged.

Knicks 3-point shooting woes continue

New York made its first 3 pointer of the game, just seconds into the night. Since then, the Knicks have missed 14 consecutive 3s to shoot just 7.1% from beyond the arc, midway through the second quarter.

Karl-Anthony Towns with a quiet quarter

The Knicks big man has faced criticism over the past several weeks for a lack of intensity and intentional play. Towns had just 1 shot attempt in the first quarter, though he did look to distribute with two assists.

Still, for the Knicks to be elite, they will need more offensive production out of Towns.

End Q1: Pistons 28, Knicks 26

The Pistons battled back.

Detroit clamped up its defense and pestered New York into contested shots, which led to chances for Cade Cunningham to operate the offense in open space. Cunningham was the catalyst for Detroit, dropping a game-high 14 points in the first quarter on 5-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

That was the difference in the first quarter, as Detroit was able to hit its open 3s, while the Knicks struggled to find bottom on theirs; the Pistons converted 3 pointers at 40%, while New York went just 1-of-8 (12.5%) in the period.

Jalen Brunson led the way for New York with 9 points.

Late in the first, new acquisition Jeremy Sochan made his Knicks debut, after the team signed him following his buyout with the Spurs.

Knicks vs. Pistons is underway

Jalen Brunson laced his first shot post-All-Star break, a stepback 3, and the Pistons missed their first four shots of the game as we’re underway in the Garden.

Detroit has started just 1-of-8 from the field, as New York has opened an early 9-2 lead just minutes into the game.

Knicks vs. Pistons starting lineups

Detroit Pistons

Cade Cunningham
Duncan Robinson
Ausar Thompson
Tobias Harris
Paul Reed

New York Knicks

Jalen Brunson
OG Anunoby
Mikal Bridges
Josh Hart
Karl-Anthony Towns

Knicks vs. Pistons injury report

(Updated 5:00 p.m. ET)

Knicks: OG Anunoby (right toenail avulsion; probable), Miles McBride (pelvic, core muscle surgery; out), Pacome Dadiet (G League assignment; questionable), Trey Jemison III (G League – two-way; questionable), Dillon Jones (G League – two-way; questionable), Kevin McCullar Jr. (G League – two-way; questionable)

Pistons: Jalen Duren (league suspension; out), Isaiah Stewart (league suspension; out), Bobi Klintman (G League assignment; out), Wendell Moore Jr. (G League – two-way; out)

How to watch Pistons vs. Knicks: TV channel, live stream

Start time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden (New York)
TV Channel: MSG Networks
Live stream: Amazon Prime

Pistons vs. Knicks odds

Spread: Knicks by 4.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 222.5 (O/U -110)
Moneyline: Knicks -185

Knicks next five games

Feb. 21 vs. Houston Rockets
Feb. 22 at Chicago Bulls
Feb. 24 at Cleveland Cavaliers
Feb. 27 at Milwaukee Bucks
March 1 vs. San Antonio Spurs

Pistons next five games

Feb. 21 at Chicago Bulls
Feb. 23 vs. San Antonio Spurs
Feb. 25 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Feb. 27 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
March 1 at Orlando Magic

PHOENIX — Bruce Meyer hasn’t even been on the job 24 hours as the new chief of the MLB Players Association, and already he knows he has enemies.

There are some folks who wish he never got the job.

There are MLB executives who hate dealing with him.

There are agents who believe he favors only Scott Boras and other powerful agents.

There are players who think he can be condescending.

Meyer realizes he doesn’t have the personality of his predecessor, Tony Clark. He didn’t play 15 years in the major leagues. He didn’t even play in the minors. He didn’t play in high school.

But, man, can he ever litigate, and as long as he’s on the job, he vowed Thursday in a 30-minute interview to do everything possible for the players to get the best possible deal he can in the next collective bargaining agreement, and at the same time, help heal fractured relationships among agents and players in the game.

Meyer certainly wants to clear up any misperception that he provides preferential treatment to Boras, reiterating that Boras has no more influence on him than any other agent.

“I almost don’t want to dignify it,’’ Meyer said after speaking for 2½ hours to the Milwaukee Brewers. “Scott is an agent. He represents a lot of players. He has no more influence over the running of the union than any other agent. And the continuous suggestions to the contrary − which I believe are mostly originated by the league − are really just an attempt at divisiveness.

“Every agent is valuable to us. Every agent represents players who are our clients, our constituents. Every agent has our ear and we take it all very seriously.’’

It’s no different than the players, he said, trying to assure that the middle class and young class of players benefit just as much as the game’s wealthiest players in the next collective bargaining agreement. It was just two years ago when 21 players tried to lead a coup to have Meyer fired and replaced by attorney Harry Marino, who helped unionize the minor league players, and now he’s responsible for the well-being of 1,200 major-league players.

“You’re never going to have everybody agreeing with everyone,’’ Meyer said. “It just doesn’t happen. … You’re never going to get everybody on the same page, but you try and do the most you can.

“Disagreements are not just expected, they’re actually great. I mean we have very free and frank exchanges of views on all subjects in the past. That’s what these meetings are about. … We want and expect players to express their views, to express their disagreements, to talk it out, and we want to educate players.

“If at the end of the day we are not 100% on the same page, that’s unfortunate, but that’s to be expected. It doesn’t mean we can’t accomplish our goals.’’

Meyer, 64, who was unanimously voted by the union’s executive subcommittee and player representatives to succeed Clark, says while he is honored to be the union’s seventh executive director, he hates the circumstances. He was appointed Wednesday, about 48 hours after Clark was forced to resign after an internal investigation discovered an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, a union employee based in their Scottsdale, Arizona, office.

“I feel for Tony, as we all do,’’ Meyer said. “I can’t say that anybody is celebrating anything at this point. But I’ve been representing players in really all of the (sports) unions for almost exactly 40 years. I’ve dedicated my career to protecting and advancing players rights. It’s something I’ve always been passionate about…

“So, if players believe that I am the best choice to help the union, that’s an honor, and that’s what I’m going to devote all my time and attention to.’’

Meyer’s appointment comes less than 10 months before the expiration of the CBA; a lockout is expected to begin on Dec. 1, with the league expected to seek a salary cap the union is vehemently opposed to. Meyer was going to be the lead negotiator once again, but with Clark gone, his duties will now expand.

Meyer, who was hired by former MLB union chief Don Fehr at the NHL players association, was able to break away Wednesday evening and attend the 2026 Playmakers Classic with Fanatics along with his wife, Jacqueline, and was warmly greeted by players and officials at the event. His phone buzzed all evening and in the morning with text messages and calls from everyone: classmates from middle school to fellow lawyers to Dan Halem, MLB deputy commissioner.

“(Halem) was very nice, very gracious, very classy,’’ Meyer said. “Despite occasional reports of the contrary, we have a good relationship, professional relationship, and I appreciate it.’’

Life will certainly be a whole lot busier for Meyer, who still plans to play the guitar as a stress relief, but his days of performing with buddies in a band may be over. He not only is picking up many of Clark’s duties, along with Matt Nussbaum, who was promoted to Meyer’s previous position, but he is now the new face of the union.

“My focus is going to continue to be on collective bargaining,’’ Meyer said. “I mean, our positions on bargaining aren’t going to be affected.’’

So, just in case anyone had any ideas that Meyer will turn soft in negotiations and suddenly be open to a salary cap, forget about it.

It’s not happening with Meyer in charge.

“We don’t believe in a system that’s basically a zero-sum game,’’ Meyer said, “that says, ‘If we pay you, we got to take that out of the pocket of another player.’ That’s how the other (salary-cap) systems work. … What happens is the top guys get paid and then everyone else gets what’s left over.

“The salary cap doesn’t help players at any level. … Doesn’t help the middle-class players. They get screwed the most in these systems. … And once you’re in that system, the history is that it always becomes worse and worse for players over time.

“We can make improvements for players at every level, in many ways, without going down the road of something that this union has fought against for literal generations.’’

And once again, the union plans to resist any attempt by MLB to eliminate salary arbitration and have it replaced by a statistical system based on pure numbers. Certainly, Detroit Tigers two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal doesn’t win a landmark $32 million arbitration case if the arbitration system is based on analytics.

“Any attempts to eliminate it are certainly going to be viewed with a negative light,’’ Meyer said, “and they have been in the past.’’

Meyer, who still has to meet with 27 more baseball teams in the next three weeks, will attend the World Baseball Classic in place of Clark, and will work on quickly developing relationships with players and agents, which was Clark’s forte.

“Tony has unmatched relationships that he had built as a player, a leader,’’ Meyer said. “Tony had unique skills. We’re going to miss certain aspects of that for sure.

“But I think we are in a very good place in terms of doing everything we can to make sure players are in a very good place.’’

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

MILAN — Alysa Liu brought down the house, winning an Olympic gold medal with her free skate Thursday at the 2026 Winter Olympics and becoming the first American woman to win an individual figure skating Olympic medal in two decades.

‘I can’t process this, there’s no way,’ Liu said on the broadcast as she walked into the tunnel after being announced as the new Olympic champion.

From start to finish, Liu beamed while she soared across the ice. The crowd inside Milano Figure Skating Arena went absolutely wild when the music ended, the air electric at what they’d just witnessed. Liu skipped off the ice and into the arms of her coaches, jumping up and down.

She earned a season-best 150.20 for a total score of 226.79. Sasha Cohen was the last U.S. woman to win an individual Olympic medal, taking silver in 2006.

Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan took silver with a clean performance that earned her a 147.67 for a total of 224.90. She and Liu embraced for a long hug while Sakamoto waited for her score.

The bronze medal went to Japan’s 17-year-old Ami Nakai, who was in first after the short program and completed a technical program that included a triple Axel. Japan’s Mona Chiba was fourth with a 217.88.

Fellow U.S. skater Amber Glenn finished fifth, an incredible comeback after missing a jump in the short program to fall to 13th place entering the free skate. She nailed her triple Axel and skated to a 147.52 for 214.91 total. USA’s Isabeau Levito finished 12th with a 202.80.

Already with a team gold medal in hand at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Liu entered the free skate in third place, behind Nakai and Sakamoto. The 2025-26 season has been great for Liu in the free skate, with her improving her score each outing. In her first event, she scored a 128.22, and in the U.S. championships before the Olympics, she earned a 147.80.

That does come with a caveat. At nationals, Liu brought out her Lady Gaga medley, but went back to her ‘MacArthur Park Suite” program for the Olympics. The last time she used it, she scored a 146.70 at the Grand Prix Finals, which she won.

Liu also changed up her outfit for the free skate. At nationals she wore a glittery silver costume, but skated onto the ice in solid gold for the Olympics finale. As she stepped onto the podium, she held her hands out for Nakai and Sakamoto, the three competitors connected briefly before Liu jumped up and down on the top step while they hoisted the American and Japanese flags.

All season, Liu has been doing things her way. She returned to figure skating after two years away with a new manager, control over her music, routines and costumes. She repeatedly shot down questions about what it would mean to win a medal, saying that’s not why she’s here. She didn’t need to win or to beat the Japanese to feel successful, and with that mentality she skated with more freedom and flare than anyone else.

Watch Olympics figure skating on Peacock

When does Alysa Liu skate next?

The 20-year-old will take the ice with figure skating’s other biggest stars for the Exhibition Gala on Saturday.

Alysa Liu free skate elements

Here are the planned elements in Liu’s long program.

Triple flip
Triple Lutz + triple toeloop
Triple Salchow
Change foot combination spin
Triple loop
Fly camel spin
Triple Lutz + double Axel + double toeloop + sequence
Triple flip + double toeloop
Double Axel
Step sequence
Choreo sequence
Layback spin

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The two-time Olympian followed up her stunning short program performance from earlier in the week with another phenomenal performance in the free skate on Thursday, Feb. 19 inside the Milano Skating Stadium. She received a plethora of applause from those inside the arena as she won her second Olympic gold medal of the 2026 Winter Games.

Not only was it another stunning performance from Liu, but it was also one that spoke volumes off the ice, as it comes two years after she announced a comeback to figure skating following a two-year break after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

It was also a historic moment for Liu when she stepped onto the podium, as she was the first U.S. woman to win an individual Olympic medal in figure skating since 2006, when Sasha Cohen took home silver at the Turin Winter Games. It is also the first individual Olympic gold medal for a U.S. woman since Sarah Hughes’ gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.

‘I can’t process this, there’s no way,’ Liu said on the broadcast as she walked into the tunnel after being announced as the new Olympic champion.

Given her comeback and the back-to-back performances she gave in Milan, Liu received quite the positive reaction and congratulatory messages on social media. She’ll return to the United States with two Olympic gold medals, as Team USA won back-to-back gold medals in the team event earlier in the Winter Olympics.

Social media reacts to Alysa Liu’s Olympic gold medal win

Here’s a snippet of those reactions following Liu’s free skate performance that helped win her an Olympic gold medal:

MILAN — The U.S. women’s national hockey team is golden once again. 

Team USA has appeared in all but one gold medal match since women’s hockey made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Nagano Games — each time facing off against the Canadians — but the Americans have only walked away with two gold medals. Make that three.

Team USA defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday, Feb. 19 to capture gold, marking the Americans’ first Olympic gold medal since the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, which they won in a shootout.

This squad, which Hilary Knight dubbed ‘the best U.S. hockey team I’ve ever been a part of,’ went undefeated on its run to the 20026 gold medal, matching the 1998 U.S. Olympic champions.

The Americans trailed much of the contest, before Hilary Knight scored an equalizer with less than three minutes remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime. Megan Keller’s sudden-death goal in overtime clinched the win.

‘When Meg (Keller) pulled her move, I knew we had it immediately,’ said Knight.

The Americans shut out the Canadians 5-0 in the preliminary round on Feb. 10, but Thursday’s gold-medal match was a nail biter that seemed destined to end in a Canadian celebration until Knight’s heroics.

‘The greatest rivalry in all sport for that reason, every game is tight,’ said Canadian defender Renata Fast, who assisted on Canada’s lone goal. ‘We knew that coming in every single battle, every single play is so important because the game is that close against this matchup. So this is the exact game we expected today, and obviously we just didn’t come out the way we wanted to.’

Canada’s Laura Stacey added, ‘We were two minutes and 20 something seconds away from being gold medalists, but sports and hockey is not easy, and I think it’s heartbreaking.’

The gold-medal victory caps off Knight’s prolific Olympic career with her second gold and fifth overall medal. Knight now holds the U.S. Olympic hockey record for the most overall medals and gold medals won. She also set the all-time points and goals record. 

Kendall Coyne Schofield called Knight’s game-tying goal ‘poetic.’

USA TODAY Sports is in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics and provided live coverage of the gold medal match. Scroll below for all the highlights:

Hilary Knight more nervous about proposal than game

The U.S. women’s national hockey team captured gold over Canada in a dramatic overtime victory, but that wasn’t the most nerve-wracking part of Hilary Knight’s week.

‘I was more nervous for the proposal than I was for the gold medal game,’ Knight said after the gold-medal win.

The five-time Olympian proposed to U.S. speed skater Brittany Bowe one day before the U.S. faced Canada in the women’s hockey final. Knight said her plan to propose was making her so anxious that she ultimately decided to pull the trigger because her “legs felt like Jello” throughout the tournament.

‘Call me crazy, but doing it before a gold medal game, it just seemed fitting for us,” said Knight, who scored a U.S. record-setting goal that forced overtime in the USA’s win.

USA’s Megan Keller ‘lost for words’ after overtime goal

Megan Keller threw her arms in the air and threw her equipment on the ice as teammates mobbed her.

She had just scored a golden goal. Keller took a pass from Taylor Heise in overtime, dangled around defender Claire Thompson and fired a shot that slipped through the pads of Ann-Renee Desbiens to give USA a 2-1 victory over Canada.

‘I’m lost for words,’ Keller said. ‘This is an incredible feeling. 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. We worked so hard for the past four years. We love each other in that locker room. Just a really special group and just couldn’t be happier for us.’

Team USA receives their Olympic women’s hockey gold medals

At a medal ceremony that also featured silver medalists Canada and bronze medalists Switzerland, Team USA received their gold medas on the ice at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan.

Watch: Megan Keller’s game-winning overtime goal

Megan Keller broke several ankles of Canada’s defense for a chip shot into the back of the net just over four minutes into overtime inside the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Thursday, Feb. 19 to give the United States the 2-1 gold medal win at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

Olympic overtime rules

If the teams are tied after 60 minutes in the gold-medal game, teams play 20-minute 3-on-3 overtime periods, separated by 15-minute intermissions, until someone scores. Teams don’t change sides for the first overtime but do for subsequent overtimes.

USA vs Canada headed to overtime

USA goal: Hilary Knight sets record

Five-time Olympian Hilary Knight kept America’s gold-medal dreams alive with a goal at the 57:56 mark to tie it up, 1-1. With the goal, Knight becomes the U.S. all-time Olympic goals (15) and points leader (33). Laila Edwards and Megan Keller were credited with assists.

Canada power play

Team USA’s Britta Curl-Salemme was called for boarding after Canada’s Erin Ambrose went down hard. Ambrose immediately went back to the locker room after being assisted off the ice. The call was downgraded to a minor penalty after review.

End of 2nd period: Canada 1, USA 0

Team USA is in uncharted territory. The Canadians have a 1-0 lead after Kristin O’Neill scored a shorthanded goal. It marks the first time USA has trailed during the 2026 Winter Olympics. The last time an opponent scored against the Americans was 8:37 into the second period of their Olympic opener vs. Czechia on Feb. 5. Canada has a slight edge with 21 shots on goal, compared to 20 for the U.S.

Brittany Bowe in the building

Sixteen thousand fans packed into the Milano Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena Thursday, Feb. 19 to witness the women’s hockey gold-medal game between longtime rivals USA and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The crowd included U.S. hockey star Hilary Knight’s new fiancée — U.S. speed-skater Brittany Bowe.

Bowe was spotted in a Team USA jersey on the TV broadcast Thursday, one day after Knight got down on one knee and proposed to her following a morning coffee run. The couple announced their engagement on Instagram on Feb. 18. It marked a full circle moment for Knight and Bowe, who first met at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. Bowe is set to compete in the women’s speed skating 1500-meter race Friday, Feb. 20.

Canada goal: Kristin O’Neill scores

Kristin O’Neill scored her third goal of the 2026 Olympics to give the Canadians a 1-0 lead over Team USA. The shorthanded goal was assisted by Laura Stacey and Renata Fast at the 20:54 mark. It marks the first time USA has trailed in the entire tournament.

End of 1st period: USA 0, Canada 0

We’re all tied after one period.Team USA entered Thursday’s gold-medal match with 13 total penalties through six games, the second fewest among the field of 10 teams. The Americans are already up to two penalties in the first period, including a call for too many players on the ice that possibly signals some nerves and early game jitters among the 12 first-time Olympians. The U.S. women have been on defense a majority of the first period as a result and were outshot 8-6 by Canada, but Team USA will enter the second period on a power play.

Aerin Frankel has been solid in front of the net. She made Olympic history as the first goalkeeper to record three shutouts following a 5-0 semifinal win over Sweden.

USA power play

Now the Americans have the advantage. Canada’s Ella Shelton was called for hooking, setting up USA’s first power play of the night.

Canada power play

The U.S. women racked up another penalty, this time a tripping call on Joy Dunne. Despite being at a disadvantage, USA’s Hayley Scamurra broke off toward the Canadian goal and nearly got a shot on goal. The Americans killed off the power play once again.

Canada power play

Team USA picked up the first penalty of the night for too many players on the ice, giving the Canadians a power play. Abbey Murphy served the penalty. After the U.S. women killed off the power play, chants of ‘U-S-A!’ rang out. Game remains scoreless in the first period.

Game underway

USA’s Aerin Frankel vs. Canada’s Ann-Renee Desbiens in net.

Two veterans meet in gold-medal match

Five-time Olympian Hilary Knight said she’s looking forward to facing off against fellow veteran Marie-Philip Poulin at the Games one more time after previously announcing her retirement from Olympic competition.

‘You have two great players duelling it out on the world stage. One is from Canada and one is from America,’ said Knight, who recently proposed to girlfriend, U.S. speed skater Brittany Bowe. Poulin added, ‘I have played against (Knight) my whole career. It is always a battle. Both of us are hungry. We want it again.’

Team USA on win streak

Entering Thursday, the U.S. women have won seven consecutive games against Canada, dating back to the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship, where the Americans won 4-3 in overtime. Team USA swept Canada in the 2025 Rivalry Series for the first time in tournament history and shut out Canada 5-0 during the preliminary round, marking the first time the Canadian women haven’t got on the score sheet in Olympic history.

What time is USA women’s hockey vs. Canada today?

Date: Thursday, Feb. 19
Time: 1:10 p.m. ET (7:10 p.m. local)
Location: Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena (Milan)

Puck drop between the U.S. women’s hockey team and Canada is set for 1:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 19 from Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan.

Stream the 2026 Winter Olympics on Peacock

Where to watch USA women’s hockey vs Canada gold-medal game

TV channel: USA Network
Streaming options: NBCOlympics.com | NBC Olympic App | Peacock

USA Network will broadcast Thursday’s gold-medal game between U.S. women’s and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Is there a live stream of the Olympic women’s gold medal game?

Streaming options for the game include NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Olympic App (with a cable TV or satellite login). You can also stream the game on Peacock, NBC’s subscription streaming service.

Hilary Knight stats

The U.S. hockey captain and five-time Olympian is sitting on the doorstep of breaking two records. Most points by an American at the Olympics and most goals by an American at the Olympics. She is tied with Jenny Potter for most points (32), and in a three-way tie with Natalie Darwitz and Katie King for most goals (14).

Who won the Olympic women’s hockey bronze medal?

U.S. women’s hockey roster for 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics

Here is the full U.S. women’s hockey roster for the Milano Cortina Olympics:

Goaltenders: Ava McNaughton; Aerin Frankel; Gwyneth Philips.
Defenders: Lee Stecklein; Cayla Barnes; Caroline Harvey; Megan Keller; Rory Guilday; Haley Winn; Laila Edwards.
Forwards: Kirsten Simms; Kelly Pannek; Grace Zumwinkle; Hayley Scamurra; Britta Curl-Salemme; Hilary Knight; Tessa Janecke; Hannah Bilka; Joy Dunne; Alex Carpenter; Kendall Coyne Schofield; Taylor Heise; Abbey Murphy.

Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.

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