By JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writer
MILAN (AP) — A last Olympic goal for Hilary Knight, a gold medal-winning overtime one for Megan Keller, and the Americans cemented their reputation as one of the most dominant women’s hockey teams to take the ice.
After romping through their first six outings at the Milan Cortina Games, the U.S. overcame the final test by rallying to beat Canada and earn its third gold medal with a 2-1 win Thursday night.
“This team’s got so much resolve. Never quit. Always ready to fight and go to battle,” Knight said. “It’s just a testament to the preparation of our group and the love that we have in that room, and the way we found a way to get the job done at the end of the night.”
Knight, appearing in her fifth and final Olympics, forced overtime by tipping in Laila Edwards’ shot with 2:04 left in regulation — and with goalie Aerin Frankel pulled for an extra attacker. The goal was her 15th and 33rd point of her Olympic career, setting U.S. records for both categories.
The sides were playing 3-on-3 to finish a game where fans alternated chants of “USA! and “Ca-na-da!” Keller secured the win on a backhander 4:07 into overtime, breaking up the left wing and pushing past Claire Thompson, driving to the net and beating Ann-Renee Desbiens over her right pad to spark an emotional and teary-eyed celebration.
“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.”
Frankel stopped 30 shots.
Kristin O’Neill scored a short-handed goal for Canada and Desbiens finished with 31 saves.
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.
“We went through ups and downs,” Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin said. “Just letting them know this does not define them. I’m proud of them. They showed up. Sadly lost in overtime but keep their head high because it’s truly an honor to be on their side.”
A fierce rivalry that began with the U.S. beating Canada to win gold at the 1998 Nagano Games — the first to feature women’s hockey — continued living up to its billing.
The U.S. also won gold in 2018 in Pyeongchang, while Canada has won the other five gold medals, and settled for its third silver.
This year’s final marked the seventh of 12 Olympic meetings between the two nations to be decided by one goal and the third to go past regulation. And counting world championship play, the U.S. evened its record to 25-25 against Canada.
“We got this,” Edwards said, referring to the message delivered during intermission before overtime.
And they did.
A team featuring a mix of experience and talented and speedy youth delivered on the vision coach John Wroblewski instilled upon taking over four years ago, months after the U.S. lost the gold-medal game to Canada in Beijing.
“In my opinion, I think this is the best hockey team women’s hockey has ever seen,” Kelly Pannek said, noting how the Americans overcame adversity against their fiercest rival.
“I think that’s a part of being a champion, right?” Pannek said. “We knew they were going to respond in the way that they do. And they gave us everything.”
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.
For then defending Olympic champion Canadians, this was considered a last hurrah for their aging core led by Poulin, aka “Captain Clutch”
The 34-year-old Poulin, who missed two games with a right knee injury, declined to discuss her Olympic future.
Meantime, many of her teammates were devastated by the result.
“It’s hard to process right now,” 37-year-old defender Jocelyne Larocque said. “We always had the belief that we could win. I love this group. I love this team. I’m proud of everyone.”
Canada overcame questions about its age and recent sluggish performances by outshooting the U.S. 8-6 in the first period and then taking the lead with O’Neill converting Laura Stacey’s pass on a 2-on-1 break. The Canadians kept pressing their 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.
“It’s overtime. First goal wins. You’ve got to bury it when you have the chance,” Filler said. “It’s tough. You want to win a gold medal with that group. It’s a special group, a lot of veterans.”
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.
Earlier, Alina Muller scored 9:09 into overtime for her second bronze-medal clinching goal in Switzerland’s 2-1 win over Sweden 2-1. Muller also scored Switzerland’s decisive goal in a 4-3 win over Sweden in 2014.
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