PWHL
“We labored so exhausting for the previous 4 years.”
A day earlier than Workforce USA and Workforce Canada met for a seventh gold-medal showdown on the Olympic stage, Kendall Coyne Schofield was requested if this present crop of U.S. gamers was the perfect ever assembled.
“If we get the job performed [Thursday] night time, I feel that assertion holds true,” she told the Associated Press.
It wasn’t simple for the Individuals on Thursday, however a workforce loaded with elite expertise up and down the depth chart eliminated all doubt in Milan. They overcame a late deficit within the third interval earlier than finally triumphing in additional time towards their longtime foe, 2-1.
Boston Fleet captain Megan Keller offered some heroics on Thursday, scoring the golden aim at 4:07 in additional time to safe Workforce USA’s third Olympic gold medal and first because the 2018 Winter Video games in PyeongChang.
“Simply so joyful to be part of this group,” Keller told The Boston Globe. “We labored so exhausting for the previous 4 years. We love one another in that locker room. Only a actually particular group and simply couldn’t be happier for us.”
Three key cogs on the Fleet roster took residence gold on Thursday in Keller, beginning goalie Aerin Frankel (30 saves), and rookie defender Haley Winn (4 factors in Olympic play).
Former Fleet captain Hilary Knight scored the equalizing aim with simply 2:04 left in regulation, saving Workforce USA from a crushing consequence after a dominant run via the Olympic discipline in Milan.
Workforce USA closes its third gold-medal run with an ideal 7-0 file via the event in Italy — outscoring opponents, 33-2, en path to hockey immortality.
Listed below are 4 takeaways from Thursday’s spectacular slate of video games from Italy.
Keller delivers in crunch time for Workforce USA
It’s been a whirlwind couple of months for Keller.
Already one of many high defenders on the planet coming into the 2025-26 season, Keller discovered herself thrust right into a management position on the Fleet — assuming the position as captain after Knight joined the Seattle Torrent through the offseason.
The outcomes converse for themselves for each Keller and the Fleet since then — with the previous Boston School standout enjoying a key position in Boston’s spectacular surge to the highest of the PWHL standings coming into the Olympic break (8-2-2-2).
Keller’s stellar play on the blue line carried over to Italy, culminating in Thursday’s masterclass displaying.
The 29-year-old defender left her fingerprints all around the U.S.’ third aim medal (and second of her profession) — recording a secondary help on Knight’s game-tying tally earlier than ending issues in additional time.
An excellent stretch move from Taylor Heise was all Keller wanted to strike gold — carrying the puck over the blue line and towards Canada netminder Ann-Renee Desbiens within the further interval.
Keller dangled the puck previous Canada skater Canadian defender Claire Thompson earlier than besting Desbiens with a slick backhand try. Because the puck glided over the aim line, a deluge of crimson, white, and blue spilled out over the USA bench.
Keller led all U.S. skaters in ice time on Thursday at 25:13 and closed out event play with three objectives and 9 whole factors over seven video games.
“I used to be like, no manner she’s going to attain that,” Alina Müller, Keller’s Fleet teammate, advised the Globe. “And he or she did. Fairly sick transfer for a defenseman. We’re going to have loads of enjoyable again in Boston.”
Frankel stands tall in web
For many of Thursday’s gold-medal showdown, a seemingly inevitable Workforce USA squad regarded mortal, with the Individuals’ stacked squad unable to achieve pace via the impartial zone and failing to generate high quality possibilities towards Desbiens.
Had it not been for the play of Frankel between the pipes, Workforce USA may have been in a far deeper deficit in crunch time. The Fleet’s star goalie stopped 30 of the 31 photographs that got here her manner within the eventual victory.
Previous to Canada’s Kristin O’Neill discovering the again of the web with a shorthanded tally within the second interval, Frankel and fellow U.S. netminder Gwyneth Philips had not allowed a aim in a whopping 352 minutes and 17 seconds of Olympic hockey motion.
Frankel — who became the first player in Olympic women’s hockey history to post three shutouts in a single tournament — closed out her first gold-medal run with a .980 save share through the Milano-Cortina Video games.
“She’s unbelievable,” Knight advised the Globe of Frankel. “She’s been lights out for us all yr. I miss enjoying along with her within the PW(HL), however she’s an unbelievable expertise and I’m so glad the world will get to see it.”
Knight involves the rescue
It was becoming that Knight — Workforce USA’s captain who introduced that the ’26 Olympics can be the ultimate of her storied profession — stored the Individuals’ gold-medal desires alive on Thursday.
A listless sport from Workforce USA was lastly snapped when Knight tipped residence a degree shot from defender Laila Edwards with 2:04 left, knotting the sport up at 1-1.
Knight’s tally additionally made the 36-year-old ahead the U.S. girls’s program’s all-time main scorer — setting each the profession objectives (15) and factors (33) file along with her equalizer towards Canada.
“We positively needed to will one thing,” Knight advised NBC postgame of her game-tying tally. “We got here out just a little gradual within the first, began to select up momentum within the second, the third, when you’ve a one-goal deficit towards Canada, an important workforce, it’s important to discover the again of the web, particularly towards an important goaltender.
“So we knew it was a matter of time simply leaning on them slowly — however you may as well run out of time towards an important workforce. Lucky that we’ve a tremendous squad to have the ability to get the job performed.”
Knight — who spent the primary two years of her PWHL profession as captain of the Fleet — has loads of different ties to Boston. She additionally skated for the CWHL’s Boston Blades (2012-15) and the NWHL’s Boston Pleasure (2015-17).
Fleet’s Müller delivers for Switzerland in bronze medal sport
Frankel, Keller, and Winn weren’t the one Fleet gamers to depart Italy with some Olympic {hardware}.
Müller delivered for Switzerland throughout Thursday’’s bronze-medal sport towards Sweden, scoring the additional time winner for her nation to complete third within the worldwide competitors.
Müller, 27, discovered herself in a well-known spot on the Olympic stage. In spite of everything, the then-15-year-old winger scored the game-winning aim towards Sweden to assist the Swiss win one other bronze medal through the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
“I do know I used to be drained,” Müller told Helene St. James of USA Today about Thursday’s OT tally. “I do know the legs have been heavy. I noticed just a little opening and simply hoped Ivana noticed me and she or he did. She made an unbelievable move and I simply removed it as quick as I can. Then I blacked out. Seeing all my pals coming at me, leaping, tears of their eyes. That’s a sense you can’t repeat.”
Müller’s tally with simply 51 seconds to go within the 10-minute additional time marked the sixteenth aim of her Olympic profession — with solely Marie-Philip Poulin, Hayley Wickenheiser, and Meghan Agosta scoring extra objectives on the Olympic stage throughout girls’s hockey.
“Earlier than that, girls’s hockey was not likely current in Switzerland,” Müller advised St. James of Switzerland breaking via with a bronze medal in 2014. “Then being so younger on that workforce, seeing how good the opposite groups are, how good the gamers are, what athletes they’re, I do know I wish to get there. I wish to be there someday. Full circle second now.
“Yearly [women’s hockey] is getting extra thrilling, getting extra bodily, extra athletic, sooner sport. The stadiums are filling up. Just some years in the past there would have been 100 individuals within the stands and it’s loopy to see.”
Müller — drafted third total by the Fleet within the 2023 PWHL Draft — has scored 9 factors (two objectives, seven assists) over 14 video games thus far this season for the first-place Fleet.
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