The US women narrowly won the final © social

Pure drama: The US women are Olympic ice hockey champions.

The US women's ice hockey team have won their third Olympic gold medal. The USA defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime.

February 19, 2026

From: dpa

The USA entered the Milan final as favorites with an Olympic record of five consecutive clean sheets, but had to fight hard for their third Olympic gold medal after 1998 and 2018. Kristin O'Neill (21st minute) had given Canada the lead while they were shorthanded.

The US team was fortunate six minutes before the end when, after a boarding penalty against Canada's best defender Erin Ambrose, Britta Curl only received a two-minute penalty. Ambrose was unable to continue playing. Hilary Knight tied the game with two minutes remaining in regulation, and four minutes into overtime, Megan Keller scored the game-winning goal for the USA, making it 2-1.