Megan Keller’s play on the Milan rink during the women’s Olympic hockey gold medal match between the United States and Canada was among the most jaw-dropping moves you’ll ever witness on ice. It was beautiful, electrifying, pure genius—so clever and skillful that you’ll want to watch it again and again to savor and admire it, even if you’re rooting for Canada, the target of her brilliant stickwork. As a Canadian, you cherish your national sport, and Keller paid it the highest respect with that play.
In the fifth minute of sudden-death overtime on Thursday, Keller received a long pass from Taylor Heise. That type of pass is exactly what Olympic overtime rules—three skaters per side instead of the standard five-on-five, creating as much open space as a Saskatchewan prairie—are designed to foster.
“Meg was speeding down the ice and yelling for the puck,” Heise says. “So I sent it her way.” Keller carried the puck up the left side as Canada’s Claire Thompson rushed at her. She read Thompson’s actions with the precision of a scientist. As she flipped the puck past Thompson—who couldn’t halt her forward motion—Keller glided around her at the same time. It was a juke move worthy of a doctorate.
Then she finished the job. Keller grabbed the puck she’d just flicked past Thompson and fired a backhand shot one-time under Canadian goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens.
“That was an insane play,” says Swiss bronze medalist Alina Müller, who plays with Keller on the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
“Incredible,” a Team USA member says. “It doesn’t shock me—she’s always had those tricks in her arsenal.”
The goal secured a 2-1 win for the U.S., marking its third women’s Olympic hockey gold medal ever. Since women’s hockey became an Olympic sport in 1998, either Canada or the U.S. has claimed every gold medal; Canada has five, the U.S. three. They’ve faced off in all but one of the finals. The U.S. last took gold eight years prior in PyeongChang, once again against Canada.
Both teams deserve praise—they’re known for putting on epic gold medal matches, and the 2026 edition is among the most intense sports events anyone could watch. While Milan’s venue has been heavily criticized for being barely ready in time for the hockey tournament, its sound quality rose to the occasion.
Canada entered the game in an unusual spot: as the underdog. Before this match, the U.S. had outscored its opponents 31-1 in the Milano Cortina Olympics. They’d routed Canada 5-0 in the preliminary round and won four consecutive pre-Olympic games against their North American rivals.
But as expected, Canada fought hard to stop the U.S. from claiming victory. After a scoreless first period, the defending gold medalists—too proud to give up—scored first. Early in the second period, Kristin O’Nell capitalized on a two-on-one chance to put Canada ahead 1-0. The U.S. kept trying to score but couldn’t get past the Canadian defense. With just over six minutes left, Britta Curl-Salemme’s hit on Canada’s Erin Ambrose electrified the arena. The resulting penalty seemed to stem from U.S. frustration, but over the next two minutes, the team focused to kill the penalty and kept pressing, making the crowd noise grow louder and louder. There’s nothing like the sound of a gold medal hockey game.
With just over two minutes remaining, the U.S. pulled its reliable goalie Aerin Frankel to go six-on-five. From a faceoff, Edwards fired the puck toward the Canadian net. The U.S. captain got her stick on it, deflecting it enough to slip past Desbiens. The game was tied, the U.S. had stayed alive, and chaos erupted. Knight’s goal—her 15th career Olympic goal and 33rd point—set new American records, and this was her fifth and final Olympics. “She’s the greatest player ever,” U.S. defenseman Lee Steicklein says.
Knight, in return, praises her teammates: “This is the strongest U.S. hockey team I’ve ever played with.”
“We’re going to win this game—simple as that,” Knight remembers thinking after her late goal tied the game at 1-1. “Let’s go. This is our moment.”
Knight didn’t just set individual records and win her second gold medal at the 2026 Games—she also proposed to a U.S. speedskater the day before. The couple is now engaged. “Honestly, I was more nervous about the proposal than the gold medal game,” Knight said. “My legs were like jelly.”
In overtime, Keller—a Michigan native who went to Boston College and was competing in her third Olympics—stepped up. After the game, several U.S. players said they missed her goal because it happened so fast; they were too busy celebrating together to check their phones for a replay right away. “I can’t wait to get to my phone later and really memorize that moment,” Heise says.
Keller says she might have done that juke move in practice—some of her U.S. teammates confirm they’ve seen it before. “I wasn’t overthinking it or planning anything,” she said. The last time the U.S. beat Canada to win women’s hockey gold was in PyeongChang, and that victory was just as memorable: during a shootout, a player scored the winning goal with a move a coach had named the [missing name]
Does Keller have a name for her move?
Not yet, she says.
Knight jumps in with an idea.
“The Megan Keller.”
That fits perfectly.
