Gold medal game -
USA 2, CAN 1 (OT)
Nicole: Well they took a roundabout way to get there, but in the end USA won the gold medal that far too many overly optimistic and somehow not at all traumatized or superstitious people seemed to think was inevitable for them. And they’re frankly pretty lucky to have pulled it out. They looked lost in the first period, gave up a short-handed goal :54 into the second and could not seem to find an answer for the Canadian defense. They seemed to come into their own a bit as the game wore on, but were only able to tie the game by pulling their goalie for an extra attacker with 2:23 left in regulation. Hilary Knight scored 19 seconds later, deflecting a shot from distance by Laila Edwards down through Ann-Renée Desbiens’ legs to tie the game and eventually force overtime. The goal broke the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey record for all-time goals and points, putting Knight in the lead with 15 goals and 33 points.
But before that, the US looked chaotic and skittish for much of the game. They were throwing the puck around more than passing or shooting it. They were getting beaten on the boards, but still kept trying to dump the puck or ring it around. And Canada was happy to let the Americans chase. Both teams had some scoring opportunities, but the goalies were spectacular and Canada in particular did a really good job of clogging lanes and blocking shots. The moment and the adrenaline had the US rushing things, often taking off-target shots or putting the puck right into a defender instead of seeing the open player in the slot (and there was an open player in the slot a good bit).
In the end, the somewhat unlikely hero was defender Megan Keller. After a lot of conversation about youth for the Americans, they were led by the veterans in this game. I’ll be really honest, I never in a million years would have picked Keller as the player who would pull a toe drag and backhand a shot past Desbiens to win the gold medal in 2026. Keller had a couple of hiccups with the puck during the game and was one of the two Americans (with Laila Edwards) who were beaten on Canada’s goal. She’s possibly the least offensive of the defenders on this team, more thought of for heavy shots from the blue line than driving the net. But she showed off some good skating and puck-handling, as well as vision as she took a stellar stretch pass from Taylor Heise just inside the blueline and drove the net. After a game where she’d made 31 saves look pretty easy, Desbiens was beaten on a puck that trickled through her five hole and into the net to give the Americans the overtime victory.
I spent most of this game feeling like the US wouldn’t win. I assumed Marie-Philip Poulin would do what she does and as more and more very close but not finished chances passed for the US, it just felt like momentum was in Canada’s favor and not going anywhere. The power play continued to not hit, though the penalty kill looked very good. I applaud the call to pull the goalie at a relatively early moment, though at the time I was skeptical because the US had been struggling to hold possession or complete passes and it felt like they’d immediately turn it over and give up an empty-netter.
Kirsten: It’s funny you say you spent most of this game feeling like the U.S. wouldn’t win (and fairly so, based on the gameplay), because that’s how many Canadian fans spent most of this season. Everyone I’ve spoken to – and I’m talking about long-time followers of women’s hockey who have watched every single Olympic tournament – has mentioned how, in a weird way, being emotionally prepared for a blowout loss was almost nice compared to the extremely stressful atmosphere surrounding past gold medal games. I can certainly say today is the calmest I’ve ever felt leading into an Olympic final.
Both this year and back in 2017-18, when Team USA was again the odds-on favourite, players on Team USA insisted to media that they were the underdogs. It’s a mental trick, an attempt to convince themselves that they’re the chasers, not the ones being chased. Personally, I watched this hockey season, and I covered multiple Canada-USA games in the lead-up to Pyeongchang, before which the U.S. had won all three World Championships. I was always struck by the potency of this narrative, and the extent to which one has to be able to suspend disbelief in order to buy into it. I still don’t think I could ever convince myself to ignore reality to that extent (if you’ve won nearly every – or in this case, every – meeting, you’re not the underdogs, I’m sorry), but after today, I think I finally understand the appeal. For Canadians watching the Olympics, there was a sense that Team Canada truly had nothing to lose. What’s the worst that can happen – the game ends 5-0, like everyone was half-expecting?
And when there’s nothing to lose, you can give everything you’ve got. We saw that from Canada today. I said in our preview that this veteran group knows what they’re capable of, knows that when it comes down to a single game, anything can happen; that they’d have to play like they believed it. It turns out that was more or less exactly their pre-game message, and it worked. The Canadians came out fast, aggressive, connected. They took a bad situation – starting off a period on the penalty kill – and turned it into a shorthanded goal that for nearly 40 minutes seemed like it might bring this tournament to perhaps the funniest possible conclusion. (Remember all those times I mentioned the U.S. power play not clicking? Somehow, it got worse.)
In hockey, Canada has rarely, if ever, been the genuine underdog to the extent it was going into this game, and while I don’t think anyone’s keen to repeat the lead-up, the consensus among viewers seems to be: that was kind of fun! When it mattered most, this group showed a level of unity and resilience that they can be very proud of.
Team USA won the gold medal, and based on their play throughout this tournament as a whole, they deserved it. But did they deserve it based on today’s game? I’m not so sure. That seed of doubt, to me, speaks volumes about what Canada was able to accomplish.
Nicole: It will be interesting to see what happens at the helms of both of these teams. Coaching changes usually come after the Olympics and the Americans haven’t kept a coach for more than one quad since Ben Smith was the coach for the first three Olympics women’s hockey was contested at.
Also, what a difference a quad makes. After a forgettable 2022 Olympics at the hands of Joel Johnson, Caroline Harvey was named MVP of this tournament. She was named Best Defender and to the Media All-Star Team, led all skaters in assists (7) and points (9) and had the best plus/minus with +14.
Bronze Medal Game -
Switzerland 2, Sweden 1 (OT)
Kirsten: This match-up delivered as promised, I think. I got what I was hoping for, and although I’ve made it known by this point that I much prefer a team that goes after it with a well-rounded approach (in this case, Sweden), Alina Müller’s goal was both excellent and poetic, with a stellar celebration to match. The Swiss deserve major credit for their approach throughout this tournament: not only did they devise a winning strategy, but they executed on it time and time again. Playing a style that involves constantly being on the defensive isn’t easy, and to do it not only well but consistently well against very tough opponents is remarkable. Switzerland did not have a single easy game in these Olympics; in fact, Sweden was the lowest-ranked opponent they faced. It is a well-earned bronze medal.
Nicole: What impressed me the most about Switzerland is that while they did go very defensive and spent a lot of time clogging up the middle, they didn’t just turtle - or to use a soccer phrase, park the bus - they disrupted play and used a forecheck when needed. They lifted sticks and angled and pinched and as you said, did it over and over and over again. One thing I mentioned in previews that they’ve struggled with in the past is depth and that often left them just out of gas and unable to keep up by the end of a tournament. To me that background really puts an exclamation point on what they did here. They still pressured and were very much active in the overtime. I wondered if they’d have the legs for it. It’s completely unsurprising that it was Alina Müller to win it all. I’ll admit I thought it might be Lara Stalder who would win it, as she did not score in this tournament. But it’s more apt and full circle for it to be Müller, who’s in her third Olympics at just 27 years old. She won the last Olympic medal for Switzerland in 2014 at just 15 years old. I also took some extra excitement in it being Ivana Wey that took off on the odd-player rush with Müller and had the assist on the game-winning goal. I feel like I’ve gotten to see a lot of her progression as a player, from first seeing her at 2024 U18 Worlds to now. It’s always fun to see a glimpse of the future and even better to see promise pay off. It’s in different ways, but both of today’s games showcased the best of what’s to come for women’s hockey and we’re all so lucky to get to watch it unfold.
I don’t have a great transition here, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that Andrea Brändli had an absolutely stellar tournament, especially when you consider she missed early games with rumored norovirus and was coming off a pretty awful showing at the 2025 World Championships. All of Switzerland did a heck of a job this tournament, but she kept them in games and carried them to this bronze medal. Saskia Maurer deserves some kudos for holding things down to start the tournament, as well.
I can’t help but be a little disappointed about Sweden. I still think they have more in them. This was their last tournament under their current coach and Swedish hockey legend Erika Holst will be taking over. We still have far too few women coaching at the top levels, so for that reason alone I’m excited, but I also hope that she can help this group find that next gear and take the next step.
Awards
Tournament Directorate Three Best Players
Best Goalkeeper: Andrea Brändli, SUI
Best Defender: Caroline Harvey, USA
Best Forward: Marie-Philip Poulin, CAN
Media All-Star Team
Goalkeeper: Andrea Brändli, SUI
Defender: Caroline Harvey, USA
Defender: Laila Edwards, USA
Forward: Hannah Bilka, USA
Forward: Marie-Philip Poulin, CAN
Forward: Alina Muller, SUI
Most Valuable Player
Caroline Harvey, USA
(Photo: USA Hockey/X)
