Now, four years in the making, the U.S. and Canada will once again meet in the final on Thursday for the seventh time in women’s Olympic hockey history.
Two-time Olympian and American defender Caroline Harvey leads the team in points (9) in the Olympic tournament and said the squad has had an ongoing mantra about their North American rival.
“Flip the script. That’s our saying,” Harvey said at the end of October. “Flip the script against Canada, so like they were winning, but now we’re rewriting history, and we’re going to win this time.”
And so far, they’ve done it. The U.S. has a seven-game winning streak against the Canadians, dating back to the 2025 World Championships. The stretch includes a sweep of Canada in the 2025 Rivalry Series leading up to the Olympics.
The United States sealed its seventh consecutive victory in the group stage of the 2026 Olympics on Feb. 10. This one included an exclamation point in the form of a 5-0 shutout of Canada’s offense — the first time the reigning gold medal winners have ever been shut out at the Olympics. However, the Canadians were without Poulin in last week’s game due to injury.
But Poulin is back and it’s time to put past scores aside, though it doesn’t mean they’ve been settled. That’s on tap for Thursday’s gold medal game.
The U.S. believes they have the puzzle pieces necessary to bring home gold and they’ve showed it. They’ve outscored their opponents 31-1 in the Olympic tournament and American goalie Aerin Frankel has put up three consecutive shutouts, making her the first goalie to do so in Olympic women’s hockey history.
On offense, the U.S. has played at an insane pace that other teams, including Canada, have simply been unable to keep up with. And it’s the defense that’s leading the push thanks to the unit’s ability to transition with two-way players like Harvey, Laila Edwards and Megan Keller. Look for the squad to keep the pedal to the medal in the final.
The United States is also taking advantage of every attacking opportunity, fueled by fast feet and even faster puck movement. As soon as they find themselves open, they’re bombing shots on goal, even from deep, and threats like Cayla Barnes are sinking them.
Hannah Bilka leads the team in goals (4), but the Swiss-army knife offensive unit has proven they have many valuable tools in goal-scorers Hayley Scamurra, Alex Carpenter and Coyne Schofield who have three goals apiece. And all but five skaters for the Americans have tallied an assist in the Games.
For the Canadians, Daryl Watts leads the team with eight points and said after Monday’s win that she’s excited for the rematch. “We definitely have not played our best against them,” Watts said. “We have full belief in our group, and we have full belief in our entire team that we can get the job done.”
Canada has also showcased a dynamic offense, as Poulin, Sarah Fillier and Julia Gosling are tied for three goals apiece.
Gosling will have revenge on the mind when the puck drops on Thursday against the U.S. “We haven’t won against them this year, and we’re ready to take that and heartbreak them,” Gosling said on Monday.
One thing is for sure: there will be triumph and there will be heartbreak after the gold medal game. However, it’s now up to the two best women’s hockey teams in the world to play out their destinies.
“This is what you dream — the Olympics — Canada-V-USA,” U.S. head coach John Wroblewski said.
