If you’re talking about ice hockey at all these Olympic games, you better be talking about the U.S. Women’s Ice Hockey team.
On Thursday, Feb. 9, Team USA beat Canada 2-1 in an overtime nail-biter for the honor of the gold medal (and international bragging rights), ending their historic Olympic run.
Such a low-scoring game was uncharacteristic for the undefeated women of U.S. ice hockey. They didn’t just win against their opponents—they consistently dominated them. In every game they played this Olympic season, both preliminary and disqualifying, they scored five or more goals, only allowing one goal in six games.
In their first preliminary game on Feb. 5 against Czechia, they won 5-1. They shutout their next three opponents, Finland, Switzerland, and Canada, all with 5-0 scores. Elimination play began on Friday, Feb. 13. Team USA knocked out Italy 6-0 in the quarterfinals, and then on Feb. 16, knocked out Sweden in the semi-finals with a score of 5-0.
Goalkeeper Aerin Frankel was like a brick wall the entire tournament, allowing only two goals out of ninety-nine shots by opponents in the five games she played. That’s just about a ninety-eight percent save percentage. Near perfect and absolutely glorious.
The Gold Medal Game was the only time fans and players of Team USA weren’t completely confident that they would come out on top. Canada’s Kristin O’Neill scored the first goal of the game in the second period, shattering hopes of another easy game for the U.S.
When prospects of a gold medal were looking lost, the U.S. pulled its goalie from the net and added an extra woman to the ice in hopes of scoring. An empty net always makes me nervous, and I don’t usually trust that this strategy will work.
But this time, when it mattered, it worked exactly as planned.
With less than three minutes left in the game, veteran Hilary Knight swooped in and saved the day. Assisted by Laila Edwards and Megan Keller, Knight narrowly tipped the puck into the goal, tying the game at 1-1.
Regulation time ended, and the game went into overtime, which is always a nerve-racking experience. With the championship title on the line, Canada and the United States put three women, plus their goalies, each on the ice. The first team to score would win the game.
And in a dream ending, after losing for the majority of the game, Keller hammered the puck into the goal.
The Women’s Hockey team’s historic run these past few weeks has been nothing short of spectacular to watch. In only their third gold medal win in all of Olympic history, the United States Women’s Hockey team proved just how good they are.
And their dominance on the ice attested to the importance and brilliance of women’s sports, not just in the United States, but on the international stage, too.
7.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the women’s ice hockey final, the largest viewership pool since the sport was introduced to the Olympics in 1998.
In an extremely similar fashion, U.S. Men’s Hockey won gold 2-1 over Canada on Sunday, Feb. 22—their first gold medal since the iconic ‘Miracle on Ice’ win against the Soviet Union in 1980.
Overall, it was an awesome weekend for U.S. ice hockey. And for American female athletes? These Olympic Games were even better.
While men’s sports consistently get more attention and respect, U.S. women’s sports have outperformed men’s sports in medal counts, both overall and gold, for three consecutive Winter Olympics. This year was no different. American women have won nineteen medals, compared to fifteen on the men’s side. Eight of the women’s and five of the men’s were gold.
It wouldn’t be a complete conversation about the U.S. Women’s Hockey team without talking about Laila Edwards, who had a game-saving assist in the final game on Thursday. She was the first Black woman to play for Team USA Hockey and the first Black woman to score a goal for the U.S. Now she’s the first Black woman to win a gold medal with Team USA. She’s also projected to be a top prospect in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PHWL) draft later this year.
If you’re a hockey fan, you can continue following and supporting the players of the U.S. Women’s Hockey by watching the PWHL, which returns to our screens on Wednesday, Feb. 25, alongside the National Hockey League (NHL). Most of the PWHL’s games can be watched for free on YouTube.
The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games were the first Winter Games since the establishment of the PWHL in 2023, and there was no shortage of PWHL players in attendance. Sixty-one PWHL players represented the eight teams of Women’s Hockey, sixteen of which were on Team USA.
So, if you’re talking about sports, don’t leave female athletes out of the conversation. They deserve as bright of a spotlight as the men, if not brighter.
The 2026 Winter Olympic Games concluded on Sunday, Feb. 22, following the Men’s Hockey final. The 2026 Paralympic Winter Games begin on Mar. 6. Make sure to tune in!
