U.S. Women Win 2026 Olympic Gold

For the second time in three Olympic Winter Games, the United States has won gold in women's ice hockey.

Megan Keller (Boston College) slipped home a backhander just over four minutes into the 3-on-3 overtime to lift Team USA to a 2-1 victory over Canada in today's women's ice hockey gold medal game in Milan, Italy. The U.S. last won women's hockey gold in 2018 in Pyeongchang, with Canada winning four years ago in Beijing. It is the third gold medal all-time for the American women.

Keller's game-winner came after Team USA tied the game with just over two minutes remaining in regulation on an extra-attacker goal. Team captain Hilary Knight (Wisconsin), playing in her fifth and final Olympics, tipped home a shot by rookie Laila Edwards (Wisconsin) to push the contest into the extra session. For Knight, it was her 15th career Olympic goal, tops among American women all-time. Keller also assisted on Knight's goal, after Kristin O'Neill (Cornell) had put Canada ahead, 1-0, early in the second period on a shorthanded goal.

Aerin Frankel (Northeastern) stopped 30 shots for the Americans, while Ann-Renee Desbiens (Wisconsin) made 31 saves for the Canadians. The two rivals combined to go 0-for-4 on the power play before 11,171 on-lookers at Milano Santagiulia Arena. The U.S. finished the tournament 6-0-0, while Canada's only two loses came to the Americans.  

Team USA's Caroline Harvey was named Olympic MVP and Best Defender after tallying two goals and seven assists for a tournament-high nine points in her second Olympics. She helped the U.S. to a silver medal four years ago as rookie.

Switzerland defeated Sweden, 2-1, in OT in this year's bronze medal game, with Alina Muller  (Northeastern) notching the game-winning goal. It was the first Olympic medal for the Swiss women since they also won bronze in 2014 in Sochi.

U.S. Women Open 2026 Olympics with Win

The U.S. Women's Hockey Team got off to a good start at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina, Italy with a 5-1 victory over Czechia on Thursday. 

Hayley Scamurra (Northeastern) scored two goals for the Americans, while Tessa Janecke (Penn State) notched two assists and Aerin Frankel (Northeastern) made 14 saves.

Team USA takes on Finland tomorrow in its next contest.

ADDENDUM: The United States blanked Finland, 5-0, with team captain Hillary Knight scoring her 14th career Olympic goal, tying her for first among American skaters all-time. 

U.S. Wins 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship

The United States rules the women's hockey world once more—for now, at least.

Powered by a hat trick from Hillary Knight (Wisconsin), including her 100th career point in international play, the Americans upended host Canada, 6-3, on Sunday in the gold medal game of the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship in Brampton, Ont.

Brianne Jenner (Cornell) scored twice to helped stake Canada to a 3-2 lead after two periods, but Caroline Harvey (Wisconsin) tallied early in the third stanza to tie it before Knight connected twice to put the U.S. up, 5-3, with her first goal serving as both the game-winner and her 100th career international point. Cayla Barnes (Boston College) then closed out the scoring to lift Team USA to its 10th world title overall, and first since 2019. Either Canada or the U.S. has won gold in each of the 22 Women's World Championships contested to date.

Aerin Frankel (Northeastern) made 24 saves in goal for the Americans, while Ann-Renee Desbiens (Wisconsin) had 16 stops for the silver-medal Canadians. Desbiens was named the tournament's Best Goalie, while Harvey was tabbed as Best Defender and Sarah Fillier (Princeton) earned Best Forward accolades. Czechia won the bronze medal for the second straight year, after again defeating Switzerland.

Next year's Women's World Championship will be contested in Utica, N.Y.

Canada Edges U.S. in Shootout at 2023 Women's Worlds

Hilary Knight (Wisconsin) and Amanda Kessel (Minnesota) scored in the last minute of regulation to force overtime, but the United States fell to host Canada, 4-3, in a shootout in a Group A round-robin match at the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship in Brampton, Ont.

Jamie Lee Rattray (Clarkson) tallied the decisive goal in the shootout in the ninth round, after Knight and Canada's Brianne Jenner (Cornell) had scored earlier on. Sarah Fillier (Princeton) notched a goal and an assist for Canada in regulation, while Taylor Heise (Minnesota) set up two goals for the Americans (3-1-0). Aerin Frankel (Northeastern) stopped 33 shots in regulation for the U.S. in goal, while Ann-Renée Desbiens (Wisconsin) finished with 26 saves for Canada (3-0-1).

Both teams have advanced to the quarterfinal round that begins on Thursday.

Canada Outlasts U.S. Women's Hockey for 2022 Olympic Gold Medal

For the second night in a row, a United States hockey team came up short at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

After falling behind by three goals in the first 30 minutes of play, the U.S. women's team fought back with two scores of its own, but ultimately fell short, 3-2, to Canada last night in the gold-medal game in Beijing, China.

Canada regains the gold medal it surrendered to the U.S. in a shootout in South Korea four years ago, and has now won five of the seven gold medals awarded all-time in Olympic women's hockey. The Canadians had earlier defeated the Americans, 4-2, during the round-robin portion of this year’s tournament.

After its opening goal was disallowed due to an offside play, Sarah Nurse (Wisconsin) staked Canada to a 1-0 lead after tipping home a shot. Team Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin (Boston University) then scored her team’s next two goals, spanning the first and second periods, including the game-winning goal. Poulin has now recorded three game-winners among her seven goals in four Olympic gold medal outings, while Nurse led all scorers in this year's tournament with 18 points, including 13 assists.

Hilary Knight (Wisconsin) tallied a shorthanded goal late in the second stanza to get the Americans on the board. Amanda Kessel (Minnesota) then notched an extra-attacker power-play goal with just 12.5 seconds remaining in regulation, but it was as close as Team USA would get despite outshooting Canada, 16-4, over the final 20 minutes of play.

The U.S. is now 2-4 all-time in gold-medal Olympic contests against Canada, and has earned four silver medals, two gold medals, and one bronze medal (2006) in Olympic competition since women’s ice hockey became a medal sport in 1998. Canada has two silvers (1998, 2018) to go along with its five golds. 

Ann-Renee Desbiens (Wisconsin) stopped 38 shots for Canada in last night's victory, while Alex Cavallini (Wisconsin) finished with 18 stops for the Team USA. Canadian forward Brianne Jenner (Cornell) took home Olympic MVP honors after scoring a tournament-high nine goals in Beijing.

The U.S. and Canada will now look to renew their Olympic rivalry in 2026 in Italy.

U.S. Women to Face Canada for Gold (Again)

It will be the United States against Canada once again for Olympic women's hockey gold.

The U.S. women's team defeated Finland, 4-1, in one semifinal match on Monday. Alex Cavallini (Wisconsin) made 26 saves for the Americans, and Cayla Barnes (Boston College) and Hilary Knight (Wisconsin) each recorded a goal and an assist. 

Canada's women's team routed Switzerland, 10-3, that same day, in the other semifinal match. Sarah Nurse (Wisconsin) set up four goals for the victors, while Rebecca Johnston (Cornell) had three assists and Marie-Philip Poulin (Boston University) scored twice. 

The Americans and Canadians will now meet for the gold medal in the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, on Thursday night in Beijing, China, the sixth time in seven Olympic tournaments they will face off with gold at stake. The U.S. defeated Canada in both 1998 and 2018, while Canada upended the Americans in 2002, 2010 and 2014. Canada also beat Sweden for the gold in 2006, a year in which the U.S. took bronze.

U.S. Women's Hockey Still Undefeated at 2022 Olympics

The United States women's hockey team is off to a 3-0 start at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China. Team USA just added an 8-0 win over Switzerland this weekend to earlier triumphs over the Russian Olympic Committee (5-0) and Finland (5-2).

The Americans, who have outshot their opponents so far by an incredible 180-36 margin, have been led in scoring by Hilary Knight (Wisconsin), Amanda Kessel (Minnesota) and Savannah Harmon (Clarkson), who have each tallied five points through three outings. Knight scored two goals in the shutout victory over Switzerland, as did Jesse Compher (Boston University) and Kelly Pannek (Minnesota).

Team USA will now face rival Canada, which is also 3-0, in its next contest (tonight, 11 p.m. ET, USA Network, TSN 2). It will be a rematch of the 2018 gold medal game in Pyeongchang, South Korea, which the U.S. won, 3-2, in a shootout to earn its first Olympic women's hockey title since the inaugural one was awarded in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. 

The Americans will be playing the rest of the way without one of their staples from four years ago in alternate captain Brianna Decker (Wisconsin). The 2012 winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top NCAA women's hockey player has been sidelined for the rest of this year's Olympic tournament after she suffered a leg injury in the win over Finland.

ADDENDUM: Despite being outshot by almost a two-to-one-margin, Canada strung together three goals in the second period to defeat the U. S., 4-2. and finish first in Group A, while the Americans placed second. Veteran forward Brianne Jenner (Cornell) scored twice for the Canadians, who also got goals from Jamie Lee Rattray (Clarkson) and Marie-Philip Poulin (Boston University). Ann-Renee Desbiens (Wisconsin) finished with 51 saves in net for Team Canada.

Former NCAA Players Shine in NHL

 

Former NCAA players continued to shine in the early part of the 2021-22 NHL season.

Brock Nelson (North Dakota) scored the first two goals ever by a New York Islanders player in their new home of UBS Arena, but the home team fell to the Calgary Flames by a 5-2 count on Saturday night. Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College) had a goal and an assist for the visitors. 

Earlier that day, Jimmy Vesey (Harvard) registered the game-tying goal in the third period as the New Jersey Devils overcame the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 5-3 triumph in Florida. The loss snapped a nine-game points streak by the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning.

Zach Whitecloud (Bemidji State) returned to the Vegas lineup with two goals in the Golden Knights' 5-2 victory over Detroit on Nov. 18. That same evening, Spencer Knight (Boston College) made a career-high 45 saves to lift the Florida Panthers to a 4-1 win over New Jersey, while Troy Terry (Denver) extended his personal point streak to 16 games (12g, 10a) with a goal as his Anaheim Ducks fell to the Carolina Hurricanes, 2-1. 

Kevin Hayes (Boston College) notched the game-tying goal and Cam Atkinson (Boston College) won it in overtime as the Philadelphia Flyers edged the Calgary Flames, 2-1, on Nov. 16. Lastly, Rem Pitlick (Minnesota) notched his first career NHL hat trick as the Minnesota Wild upended the Seattle Kraken, 4-2, on Nov. 13.

2021 NCAA Exodus to NHL Has Begun

 

The annual pre-Frozen Four exodus of NCAA players with college eligibility remaining to the pro hockey ranks is underway. Below are some of the players who have signed with NHL clubs since the regionals ended on Sunday:

Player                Yr. Pos. School (NHL Club)      

Cole Caufield         So. F    Wisconsin (Montreal)

Mike Hardman       So. F    Boston College (Chicago)

Matthew Boldy       So. F    Boston College (Minnesota)

Layton Ahac           So. D    Ohio State (Vegas)

Spencer Knight       So. G    Boston College (Florida)

Alex Newhook          So. F    Boston College (Colorado)

Jacob Bernard-Docker  Jr. D    North Dakota (Ottawa)

Cam York       So. D    Michigan (Philadelphia) 

Adam Scheel       Jr. G    North Dakota (Dallas)

Shane Pinto       So. F    North Dakota (Ottawa)

More to come, obviously ...

2021 Richter Award Finalists Announced for NCAA's Best Goalie

 

The three finalists for the 2020-21 Mike Richter Award as the best goaltender in NCAA Division I men’s hockey were announced late last week.

Dryden McKay, Junior, Minnesota State – The Downers Grove, Ill., native backstopped the Mavericks to their first-ever Frozen Four appearance next month by allowing just three goals over two games at the NCAA West Regional in Loveland, Col., posting victories over 11^th ranked Quinnipiac and third-ranked Minnesota. In 25 appearances so far this season, McKay, 23, has fashioned a 21-3-0 record to go with a 1.39 goals-against average, a .931 save percentage, and a nation-leading 10 shutouts. He is also a finalist for this year’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey’s best player.

Spencer Knight, Sophomore, Boston College –The Darien, Conn. product concluded his 2020-21 campaign with 32 stops in a 4-1 season-ending loss to St. Cloud State in the NCAA Northeast Regional final in Albany, N.Y. on Sunday. The Hockey East Player of the Year, he put together a 16-4-1 record over 21 games with three shutouts (2.18, .932). Knight, 19, was chosen 13^th overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2019 NHL Draft, and like McKay is also a finalist for this year’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award.

Jack LaFontaine, Senior, Minnesota – A former transfer from Big Ten Conference rival Michigan, the Mississauga, Ont. native guided the Golden Gophers to this year’s Big Ten tournament championship, plus the final game of the 2021 NCAA West Regional in Loveland, Col. LaFontaine, 23, who finished the season at 22-7-0 in 29 games with five shutouts (1.79, .934), was chosen 75th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2016 NHL Draft.

The winner of this year’s Mike Richter Award, which is presented by Let’s Play Hockey, will be announced during the NCAA Frozen Four in Pittsburgh next month.

U.S. Wins 2021 WJC Title

Alex Turcotte (Wisconsin) deflected home a shot midway through the first period tonight, and Trevor Zegras (Boston University) put in a rebound early in the second stanza to lift the United States to a 2-0 win over host Canada in the gold medal game of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton, Alberta.

Spencer Knight (Boston College) finished with 34 saves for the Americans in recording his third shutout of the tournament, and earned U.S. Player of the Game accolades. Zegras, who also assisted on Turcotte's goal, finished as the event's top scorer with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points, and was named tournament MVP as the U.S. won its first WJC title since 2017, and fifth overall.

Team USA was guided this year by head coach Nate Leaman (Providence), who became the third American head coach to win a WJC gold medal and an NCAA championship in his career. 

Other NCAA-trained members of this year's USA title team included Matthew Boldy (Boston College), Matthew Beniers (Michigan), Brett Berard (Providence), Bobby Brink (Denver), Brendan Brisson (Michigan), Cole Caufield (Wisconsin), Sam Colangelo (Northeastern), Brock Faber (Minnesota), John Farinacci (Harvard), Drew Helleson (Boston College), Ryan Johnson (Minnesota), Tyler Kleven (North Dakota), Jackson LaCombe (Minnesota), Patrick Moynihan (Providence), Jake Sanderson (North Dakota), Landon Slaggert (Notre Dame), Logan Stein (Ferris State), Henry Thrun (Harvard) and team captain Cameron York (Michigan). 

Devon Levi (Northeastern) made 19 stops for 2020 champion Canada, which had outscored its WJC opponents this year by a 41-4 count prior to the gold medal game. Also on Canada's roster with NCAA experience were Alex Newhook (Boston College) and Dylan Holloway (Wisconsin).

Finland, the 2019 WJC champion, defeated Russia, 4-1, earlier on Tuesday in the bronze medal game to place third this year. Canada will host next year's event in both Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

U.S. To Play Canada for 2021 WJC Gold

Arthur Kaliyev broke a 3-3 tie with just 76 seconds remaining in regulation, and the U.S. National Junior Team held on the rest of the way for a 4-3 victory over Finland in a semifinal game tonight at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton, Alberta.

Alex Turcotte (Wisconsin), assisted by Kaliyev, staked Team USA to a 1-0 lead midway through the first period, before Finland responded just over a minute later to tie the score. The Americans then got second-period goals from John Farinacci (Harvard) and Matthew Boldy (Boston College) in the second stanza to take a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes. Finland then knotted matters once more, on two goals less than five minutes apart in the final frame, which set the stage for Kaliyev's late heroics.

Spencer Knight (Boston College) made 33 saves for the Americans, who will now face WJC host and defending champion Canada on Tuesday night (9:30 p.m. ET, NHL Network) in the gold medal game. Canada advanced to this year's championship contest with a 5-0 win over Russia on Monday, with Alex Newhook (Boston College) notching the game-winning goal for the Canadians. Russia and Finland will also meet tomorrow, in the bronze medal match.

U.S. Ousts Slovakia, Reaches WJC Semifinals

The U.S. National Junior Team is headed to the semifinal round of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. The Americans outlasted Slovakia, 5-2, in a quarterfinal round match on Saturday evening in Edmonton, Alberta.

Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal for Team USA in the second period, before Slovakia eventually cut the American lead to 3-2. John Farinacci (Harvard) then scored his second goal of the evening on a wrap-around with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, to make it 4-2, before Matthew Beniers (Michigan) salted matters away with a late empty-net goal.

Arthur Kaliyev also scored for the U.S., which got 16 saves in net from Spencer Knight (Boston College), and two assists apiece from Bobby Brink (Denver) and Trevor Zegras (Boston University). The Americans will now face Finland, a 3-2 quarterfinal winner over rival Sweden, in a WJC semifinal-round game on Monday.

U.S. Shuts Out Sweden to Win Group B

The U.S. National Junior Team set itself up for Saturday's quarterfinal round with its third straight shutout at the IIHF 2021 World Junior Championship in Edmonton, Alberta. The Americans blanked Sweden, 4-0, on New Year's Eve to finish first in Group B and also complete the round robin portion of the event with three regulation wins and a loss.

Trevor Zegras (Boston University) scored once and tallied two assists against Sweden, while Alex Turcotte and Ryan Johnson (Minnesota) notched the other U.S goals. Spencer Knight (Boston College) turned aside all 27 shots he faced for his second straight WJC shutout, as the Americans closed out the calendar year with three consecutive victories in the tournament. The U.S outshot Sweden, 37-27, and has now outscored its opposition, 22-0, in its last three WJC outings after beginning the tournament with a 5-3 loss to Russia on Christmas night.

Team USA will now face Slovakia on Saturday night (10:30 p.m. ET, NHL Network).

U.S. Blanks Czechs, 7-0, in WJC Action

Trevor Zegras (Boston University) scored two goals and set up three others as the U.S. National Junior Team blanked the Czech Republic, 7-0, in 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship action in Edmonton, Alberta this afternoon. The win also clinched a quarterfinal round berth for Team USA, in a game to be played on Jan. 2 against an as-yet undecided opponent.

Bobby Brink (Denver) scored twice for Team USA in the rout, including the game-winner that opened the scoring in a three-goal U.S. second period, while Cam York (Michigan) tallied three assists on the day. Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) scored one goal and assisted on another for the Americans, while Matthew Boldy (Boston College) notched his fourth goal in two games. Three of the U.S goals came on power plays.

The victory (and shutout) was the second straight for the United States in this year's WJC, following a tournament-opening loss to Russia on Christmas Day. Spencer Knight (Boston College), who took the loss in net in that contest, earned the win today by stopping all 22 Czech shots. The U.S. had blanked Austria, 11-0, in its second game of the tournament.

Team USA will close out the round-robin portion of Group B play at the WJC against Sweden on Thursday night (9:30 p.m. ET, NHL Network).

Swayman Finalist for Both Hobey Baker and Richter Awards

The Hobey Hat Trick and the five finalists for the Mike Richter Award have both been announced—and Jeremy Swayman (Maine) is on both lists.

Swayman went 18-10-5 this past season with a 2.07 goals-against average and .939 save percentage, along with three shutouts. He is vying to become the first goaltender to win the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given to the top player in NCAA Division I men's hockey, since Ryan Miller (Michigan State) in 2001. The two other finalists this year are forward Jordan Kawaguchi (North Dakota) and defenseman Scott Perunovich (Minnesota-Duluth). The winner will be announced April 11.

The four other finalists for the Mike Richter Award include Matthew Galajda (Cornell), Spencer Knight (Boston College), Strauss Mann (Michigan) and Dryden McKay (Minnesota State). The winner will be announced April 10.

BC Tops UMass Lowell, BU in League Play

Boston College men's hockey continues to roll along.

After a split with Massachusetts last weekend that snapped a 10-game winning streak, fifth-ranked BC has now won three straight games following a 3-2 win at UMass Lowell on Friday and a 4-3 victory over visiting Boston University last night. The Eagles now stand at 15-5-0 overall in NCAA play and are in second place in Hockey East with a 9-3-0 conference mark.

Logan Hutsko scored twice in the win over BU, while David Cotton set up two goals, including the game-winner from Julius Mattila in the third period. Mattila leads BC in scoring with six goals and 28 points in 20 games so far this season, while goaltender Spencer Knight picked up both wins over the weekend and is now 14-5-0 this winter with a 1.90 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage.

The Eagles return to action on Jan. 24-25 with two home games against Hockey East opponent Maine at Kelley Rink.

U.S. Ousted at World Juniors

The United States will not medal at this year's IIHF U20 World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic.

The Americans fell, 1-0, to defending champion Finland in a quarterfinal match Thursday, despite 28 saves by Spencer Knight (Boston College). The loss snaps a U.S. string of four years worth of World Junior medals, including silver last season.

Trevor Zegras led all U.S. scorers in this year's tournament with nine points, all coming on assists, while Shane Pinto (North Dakota) tied for the American goal-scoring lead with four goals overall.

Finland moves on to the semifinal round against either Canada or Russia. The U.S. will seek to return to the WJC podium next year in Edmonton.

U.S. Edges Czech Republic in OT

The U.S. National Junior Team continues to roll along at the 2020 IIHF U-20 World Junior Championship. The Americans edged the host Czech Republic, 4-3, in overtime Monday to advance to the quarterfinal round on Jan. 2 (NHL Network).

Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) notched the game-winning goal just over three minutes into the extra session for the U.S., which has now won three straight games after an opening match loss to Canada on Dec. 26. Trevor Zegras (Boston University) set up two goals in the win over the Czechs, and now has nine assists through Team USA's four games.

Spencer Knight (Boston College) made 25 saves in picking up the win for the Americans, after previously backstopping victories over Germany (6-3) and Russia (3-1). Team USA is now 2-1-0-1 in Group B play, and can finish no lower than second place in round-robin play.

Happy New Year!

Canada Edges U.S. in 2020 WJC Opener

Shane Pinto (North Dakota) helped stake the U.S. National Junior Team to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes, but rival Canada responded with three second-period scores en route to a 6-4 win on Wednesday in the opening game for both teams at the 2020 IIHF Under-20 World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic.

Pinto finished the day with two goals and an assist, including the tying goal with 3:18 remaining in regulation, only to watch as Canada tallied the final two goals of the game for the victory. Spencer Knight (Boston College) finished with 26 saves for the Americans, who will next face Germany today in Group 'B' Play.