Local Olympians lead US women's hockey team to gold

Fans in Chicago suburbs cheer on Illinois natives Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne Schofield in thrilling victory over Canada

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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Hockey fans in the Chicago area gathered to watch the U.S. Olympic women's team, featuring several players with Illinois ties, win the gold medal in a 2-1 overtime thriller against Canada. Hilary Knight, raised in Lake Forest, scored the tying goal late in regulation before Megan Keller's overtime winner. Kendall Coyne Schofield, a Palos Heights native, hosted a watch party at her home that was attended by close to 100 people, including the mayor of Palos Heights. Abbey Murphy, from Evergreen Park, also competed for Team USA, with a watch party held at a local restaurant.

Why it matters

The victory showcases the growing prominence of women's hockey in the United States, with several players hailing from the Chicago suburbs. It also highlights the strong community support for local athletes, as evidenced by the packed watch parties held across the south suburbs. The success of these Illinois natives on the Olympic stage brings pride to their hometowns and inspires the next generation of young female athletes.

The details

In the gold-medal game, Hilary Knight scored the tying goal with 2:04 remaining in the third period to send the game to overtime. Megan Keller then scored the game-winning goal in OT to give the U.S. the victory. Kendall Coyne Schofield, a Palos Heights native, hosted a watch party at her home that was attended by close to 100 people, including the mayor of Palos Heights. Abbey Murphy, from Evergreen Park, also competed for Team USA, with a watch party held at a local restaurant, Barraco's, that was attended by over 250 supporters.

  • The gold-medal game was played on Thursday, February 19, 2026.

The players

Hilary Knight

A hockey player from Lake Forest, Illinois who scored the tying goal for the U.S. women's hockey team in the gold-medal game.

Kendall Coyne Schofield

A hockey player from Palos Heights, Illinois who hosted a watch party at her home that was attended by close to 100 people.

Abbey Murphy

A hockey player from Evergreen Park, Illinois who competed for Team USA in the Olympics, with a watch party held at a local restaurant that was attended by over 250 supporters.

Megan Keller

A hockey player who scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the U.S. women's hockey team the gold medal.

Kristin O'Neill

A hockey player who scored the lone goal for Canada in the gold-medal game.

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What they’re saying

“It's fantastic what she does for women's sports. It's amazing. I go up to Minnesota to watch her play for the (Professional Women's Hockey League's) Frost. It's a real thing.”

— Deb Kwiatkowski, Family relative

“Aside from being a great athlete, Kendall is a great person too. When you watch her on TV and you see the words 'Palos Heights' on the screen, it really puts us on the map.”

— Bob Straz, Palos Heights Mayor

“Right away when I saw Abbey play, she was on a team of all boys and it was real quick. You can figure out that she had something special when she skated circles around the boys at the age of 11, 10, (even) 8.”

— Dave Reardon, St. Jude co-coach

“I said: '100% every shift, nothing less. That's all you can really give and it's all we can really expect of you. I wish you the best of luck and safe travels and go get that gold.'”

— Dave Reardon, St. Jude co-coach

“It's a good thing we had paramedics here because my heart was pounding hard the whole time. I'm so happy for the girls. Losing 1-0 with three minutes left — I can't even imagine the pressure they were going through.”

— Michael Schofield, Former Orland Park fire chief

What’s next

The U.S. women's hockey team will be honored with a parade and celebration in their hometowns across the Chicago suburbs in the coming weeks.

The takeaway

The success of these Illinois natives on the Olympic stage showcases the growing prominence of women's hockey in the United States and the strong community support for local athletes. Their achievements inspire the next generation of young female athletes and bring pride to their hometowns.