The U.S. women’s ice hockey team is playing like a runaway train, and Canada just found itself tied to the tracks.
Team USA picked up its fourth straight win at the Milan Cortina Games with a dominant 5-0 shutout over its archrival, marking the third consecutive game the Americans have won by that same score. Consistency is beautiful when it’s your team doing the scoring — and not so much when you’re the one getting blanked.
Captain Hilary Knight added her name to the history books in the first period, recording an assist that tied the U.S. record for most career points in Olympic women’s hockey.
The Americans scored two goals in each of the first two periods. Hannah Bilka netted two of those goals, and Abbey Murphy assisted on both of them, showing that teamwork is still a thing — at least on the ice.
This victory marked the United States’ seventh straight win over Canada, just one shy of the rivalry’s all-time record. Even more impressive, Team USA has outscored its opponents 25-1 in the tournament so far, with Czechia accounting for the only goal allowed in the opening game.
The matchup looked like a preview of the gold-medal game, which would be nothing new. Six of the seven Olympic gold-medal games in women’s hockey history have featured Canada and the United States. Canada has won four of those, including the most recent in 2022.
The rivalry goes even deeper. The two teams have met in the gold-medal game at 23 of 24 IIHF Women’s World Championships and 21 of 23 4 Nations Cups since international play began in 1987. Excluding the pandemic, the last time they didn’t meet for gold was 2019, and before that, 1993. Canada finished with bronze in 2019 while the U.S. defeated Finland, and it remains the only year Canada didn’t take gold or silver. Meanwhile, the American streak of playing for gold is still alive and well.
Canada has earned gold or silver in seven Olympic tournaments, while the United States had to settle for bronze in 2006 — a memory this current squad looks determined to leave far behind.
With another shutout, another milestone, and another win over Canada, Team USA is proving it’s not just winning — it’s dominating. And if this is a preview of what’s coming, hockey fans are in for a classic showdown with an American team that looks ready to finish the job.
