United States wins 3rd Olympic gold in women's hockey, beating Canada 2-1 on Megan Keller's OT goal

MILAN (AP) — Megan Keller backhanded in a shot 4:07 into overtime and the United States won its third Olympic gold medal in women's hockey, beating Canada 2-1 at the Milan Cortina Games on Thursday night to close another thrilling chapter of one of sports' most heated rivalries. American captain Hilary Knight, in her fifth and final Olympics, forced overtime by tipping in Laila Edwards' shot from the blue line with 2:04 remaining. The goal was the 15th of her Olympic career and 33rd point to break the U.S. record in both categories. With the sides playing 3-on-3, Keller broke up the left wing and pushed past Claire Thompson. Driving to the net, the U.S. assistant captain got off a backhander that beat Ann-Renee Desbiens over her right pad. "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." The U.S. previously won gold at the 1998 Nagano Games, the first to feature women's hockey, and in 2018 in Pyeongchang. Canada, which won the other five gold medals, settled for its third silver. Aerin Frankel stopped 30 shots for the U.S. Kristen O'Neill scored a short-handed goal for Canada and Desbiens finished with 31 saves. This was the seventh of 12 Olympic meetings between the rivals to be decided by one goal and the third to go past regulation. Canada overcame a late 2-1 deficit to beat the U.S. 3-2 on Marie-Philip Poulin's overtime goal at the 2014 Sochi Games. The U.S. won 3-2 in 2018 when Jocelyne Lamoureux scored in a shootout. Although the final couldn't have been closer, the Americans were dominant in Milan, going 7-0 and outscoring their opponents by a combined 33-2. Canada pushed the U.S. to the brink just nine days after it was beaten 5-0 by the Americans in the preliminary round. O'Neill's goal 54 seconds into the second period ended the Americans' shutout streak of 5 hours, 52 minutes and 17 seconds, dating to the second period of a 5-1 opening win over Czechia. The U.S. had not trailed in the tournament. As fans alternated chants of "USA! and "Ca-na-da," Canada was within grasp of its sixth gold medal. The U.S. pulled Frankel for an extra attacker with 2:23 left, and Knight converted 19 seconds later. Edwards slapped a low shot at the net that Knight tipped in through her legs and past Desbiens. This was the first Olympics for Edwards, the first Black woman to represent the U.S in hockey. "We knew we had it in us, and Hil came up big with that tying goal," Keller said. "I think just a lot of belief in our group. We wanted to play to win." For defending Olympic champion Canadians, this was considered a last hurrah for their aging core led by Marie-Philip Poulin. "Captain Clutch" and her teammates showed resolve by pushing the Americans to the brink. Canada hardly looked overmatched in the first period, and O'Neill opened the scoring by capping a 2-on-1 short-handed break early in the second. Canada kept pressing its attack and had several chances in overtime. A minute before Keller's goal, Sarah Fillier moved up the right wing only to have her shot stopped by Frankel, with the puck landing in the crease. The Americans extended their winning streak against Canada to eight. It began with two wins at the world championships in April, including the gold medal game. The U.S. then swept a four-game exhibition series by a combined margin of 26-7. The U.S., under coach John Wroblewski, revamped much of its roster from the team that lost 3-2 to Canada at the 2022 Beijing Games. This team featured just 11 returning players and seven who are still in college.