The United States and Canada have met in every Olympic final except one - Turin 2006, when Canada defeated Sweden - since women's hockey made its Olympic debut in Nagano in 1998.
The Olympic final in Italy was no exception and the USA were the big favorites. The Americans had a 31–1 goal difference going into the gold medal match and they beat Canada 5–0 in the group stage.
That didn't deter Canada in the final. In the second period, Kristin O'Neill scored a 1–0 goal for Canada, a goal that looked like it would hold up. But with just over two minutes left, USA captain Hilary Knight scored to tie the game at 1–1.
The goal was Knight's 15th in Olympic history - making her the country's all-time leading Olympic scorer - and the match went into overtime.
"She (Knight) has been the face of women's hockey in the United States for years. We never would have gotten here without her. I can't praise her enough, and for her to crown her Olympic career in this way... I'm just so incredibly happy for her," defenseman Megan Keller told HBO Max.
For Olympic gold, it went to the USA and Hilary Knight. In the three-on-three format, the USA were the better team and it was Keller who secured the country's first gold in Olympic ice hockey since 2018.
Sweden lost the bronze medal match against Switzerland earlier on Thursday.
