Team USA Women's Hockey Faces Canada for Olympic Gold

The rivals will battle for the top prize in women's ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

The U.S. women's ice hockey team is set to face off against their longtime rival Canada in the gold medal match at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. The game is scheduled for Thursday, February 19 at 1:10 p.m. ET and will air on NBC, as well as stream live on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. The U.S. team, which features several players from the Boston area, is looking to capture its first Olympic gold medal since 2018.

Why it matters

The U.S. and Canada have a long-standing rivalry in women's ice hockey, with both nations dominating the sport at the Olympic level. This gold medal match-up is highly anticipated, as it pits two of the world's best teams against each other for the top prize.

The details

The U.S. team defeated Canada in a shutout match during the group stage of the 2026 Olympics, but Canada's captain Marie-Philip Poulin, known as 'Captain Clutch', did not play in that game. The U.S. roster includes several players from the Boston area, including Alex Carpenter and Aerin Frankel of the Boston Fleet.

  • The women's ice hockey Olympic finals will take place on Thursday, February 19, 2026 at 1:10 p.m. ET.

The players

Team USA

The U.S. women's ice hockey team is competing for its first Olympic gold medal since 2018.

Canada

The Canadian women's ice hockey team, led by captain Marie-Philip Poulin, is the rival of Team USA.

Alex Carpenter

A member of the U.S. women's ice hockey team who plays for the Boston Fleet.

Aerin Frankel

A member of the U.S. women's ice hockey team who plays for the Boston Fleet.

Marie-Philip Poulin

The captain of the Canadian women's ice hockey team, known as 'Captain Clutch'.

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The takeaway

This highly anticipated gold medal match-up between the U.S. and Canada women's ice hockey teams promises to be an exciting and hard-fought contest, as the two rivals battle for the top prize in the sport.