Canada settles for silver in women’s hockey at Milano Cortina 2026

Canada has captured the silver medal in women’s hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics after a 2-1 overtime loss to the United States in the gold medal game on Thursday in Milan, Italy.

The United States scored the winner 4:07 into three-on-three overtime after the teams were tied late in regulation. Kristin O’Neill scored Canada’s only goal in the game, while goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens made several key stops during the contest.

Canada had led 1-0 for much of the game after O’Neill scored early in the second period while the team was shorthanded. The Americans forced overtime when Hilary Knight tipped in a point shot with just over two minutes remaining in regulation.

The result continues the long-running Olympic rivalry between Canada and the United States in women’s hockey. Since the sport was added to the Winter Games in 1998, the two countries have met in most Olympic gold-medal games, including the last several finals.

Despite the loss, Canada has now won a medal in every Olympic women’s hockey tournament, finishing with five gold and three silver medals overall.

Canada advanced to the final with a 2-1 semifinal victory over Switzerland, while earlier in the tournament the team defeated Germany in the quarterfinals and posted a 3-1 record in preliminary-round play.