Canada falls 2-1 in overtime to U.S. in Olympic women’s hockey gold-medal game

MILAN – Canada’s best game of the 2026 Olympic women’s hockey tournament wasn’t enough to beat the United States for gold.

The U.S. came from behind in a game for the first time in the tournament to beat Canada 2-1 in overtime Thursday.

Defender Megan Keller scored the winner four minutes seven seconds into extra time. The U.S. won its third gold after victories in 1998 and 2018.

Canada was the underdog after seven straight losses to the U.S., including a 5-0 loss to the Americans in the preliminary round.

The archrivals clashed for Olympic women’s hockey gold a seventh time. Canada has won five gold.

It was another tight tug of war in front of a packed Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

In her fifth Olympic Games, Canada’s captain Marie-Philip Poulin played on a suspect knee that kept her out of two games, including the loss to the U.S. in the group stage.

“This one hurts,” a tearful Poulin said at a post-game news conference. “We wanted to bring it back to Canada and we came up short.

“I’m truly proud of how we showed up today. We can talk about it for so long, but people did not believe in us. We truly believe in ourselves in that dressing room.”

Canada led 1-0 after two periods on a short-handed goal by Kristin O’Neill, but U.S. captain Hilary Knight scored a late third-period equalizer with goalie Aerin Frankel pulled for an extra attacker.

“We’re going to win the game,” was Knight’s thought at that moment, she said. “I was like, ‘here we go, this is ours.'”

The open ice of three-on-three overtime favoured the U.S. speed and skill.

Keller took a stretch pass from Taylor Heise, deked Canadian defender Claire Thompson – who played with an upper body injury – and beat goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens with a backhand. 

“That’s heartbreaking,” said Canadian forward Laura Stacey, who set up O’Neill’s goal off the rush. “We were minutes away from having gold medals around our necks.”

Desbiens stood her ground in a goaltending duel with 31 saves and said “I would’ve liked to get two more saves.”

Canada was held scoreless on three power-play chances, including one in the third period during which Poulin in the slot fired the puck off Frankel’s helmet.

Canada’s 2026 team wasn’t the high-octane 2022 edition that blitzed the tournament scoring record with 57 goals en route to gold in Beijing.

Head coach Troy Ryan relied on the experience of a veteran core with mileage on it, and three years older than the U.S. in average age.

The margin between the two countries in the gold-medal game was again slim, but Canada lacked sustained cohesion and chemistry in the tournament until the final.

Canada needed Poulin’s two goals in a rocky 2-1 semifinal win over eventual bronze medallist Switzerland to play for gold.

Canada’s previous Olympic teams centralized players in Calgary for five to six months and faced competition no other country had.

What were regular games against male triple-A clubs levelled up to men’s Junior A teams ahead of Beijing’s Olympic Games.

The women were forced out of their comfort zone and had to move the puck quickly in those games.

PWHL training camps for all 23 of Canada’s players started Nov. 7, and the third season opened Nov. 21.

Canada held three training camps and played four Rivalry Series games against the United States last fall.

There wasn’t time for Canada to forge the team game that has overcome the speed and skill of the U.S. in other gold-medal games.

But women’s international hockey now shares space with the PWHL, which is what the Canadian women wanted.

“This league means so much to us and to not only us that play in it but also young girls that aspire to play professional hockey,” said Canadian defender Jocelyne Larocque. 

“For the team, a centralization would have possibly been better, but for the overall growth and just women’s hockey in general, the new normal is better.”

Driven by young talent players such as tournament MVP Caroline Harvey, and Abbey Murphy and Laila Edwards, the Americans will be formidable for years to come.

Hockey Canada will have to find a way to respond if it wants its women to be golden again.

“What’s most important is for us to dive into what we liked about the process that we used in this new kind of women’s hockey landscape, be critical about ourselves and make sure we’re making the right adjustments, so in 2030, they’re getting the best product they possibly can,” Ryan said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2026.