MILAN — Megan Keller threw her arms in the air and threw her equipment on the ice as teammates mobbed her.
She had just scored a golden goal, completing a remarkable rally for USA women in the final game of the 2026 Winter Olympics women’s hockey tournament. They trailed with three minutes to go, were tied with two minutes to go, and overjoyed four minutes into overtime.
Keller took a pass from Taylor Heise, dangled around defender Claire Thompson and fired a shot that slipped through the pads of Ann-Renee Desbiens to give USA a 2-1 victory over Canada.
‘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.
‘We worked so hard for the past four years. We love each other in that locker room. Just a really special group and just couldn’t be happier for us.’
Heise smiled when asked about the play.
‘Meg was flying up the ice, and she was calling for the puck, and I kind of wanted a change,’ Heise said. ‘So I chucked it up to her, and I didn’t even see what she did. I’m very excited to get to my phone and really get a good memory and burn it into my memory.
‘Big Meg. She’s amazing. I think she does things right. She learned from Hilary [Knight]. She’ll say it herself. I think that they’ve played with each other for a very long time and continue to do so. I think Meg, she’s got a little forward in her, and I love that for her because she’ll get in practice and start dangling people and we’re like, ‘Big Meg, that’s you girl.’ But she’s amazing and I think her and Hilary are the main reasons we have the belief we do in the team.’
By the time she approached the bench, Heise knew Keller had scored.
‘People are already throwing their arms up, throwing the helmets,’ Heise said. ‘And then I just turned around real quick, threw my gloves off, couldn’t get my helmet off, so I just skated to the mix of everyone.’
Keller laughed when asked if she had dangled like that before.
‘I mean, maybe in practice,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t really thinking or planned anything. Just trying to take what was given.’
Keller (Farmington, Michigan) became the second Boston Fleet (PWHL) player to score in overtime on Feb. 19 at Santagiulia. In the bronze medal game, Alina Müller scored to lead Switzerland past Sweden, 2-1.
‘When she get the puck, I was like, ‘I know where she’s going to score that,’ and she did,’ Müller said of Keller. ‘Pretty sick move for a defenseman. But yeah we’re going to have a lot of fun back in Boston.’
Keller scored at 4:07, sending her teammates rushing over the bench in jubilation.
‘Oh my God, it was unreal,’ said Kelly Pannek. ‘I mean, she is someone who I think does so much for our team on the ice. Off the ice, she’s just such a great person to be around as well. Right when she got that puck, I was like, oh, she’s going to try it. She’s just such a special player that has had such a great career. It sometimes flies under the radar in ways, but just so stoked that it went in.’
