For the seventh time in Olympic women’s ice hockey history, the gold medal will be decided in a battle between Canada and the United States in another chapter showcasing one of the greatest rivalries in all of sport. The Americans are unbeaten with six wins in Italy, including a 5-0 victory over Canada during preliminary round play last Tuesday, and have won seven straight against their Canadian counterparts dating back to four Rivalry Series games and two matchups at the 2025 Women’s Worlds where the U.S. won gold. Canada holds the upper hand on the Olympic stage, winning five of the seven previous head-to-head gold medal finals.
Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin, opens in a new tab of the Montréal Victoire and American captain Hilary Knight of the Seattle Torrent are both competing for their fifth Olympic medals and headline the list of 39 PWHL players going for gold. The Toronto Sceptres' Daryl Watts leads all PWHL players in tournament scoring with eight points and fellow Canadian Sarah Fillier of the New York Sirens is second on the team with six points. Torrent forward Hannah Bilka and Boston Fleet captain Megan Keller both have seven points each for a U.S. team that has scored five or more goals in every game thus far. The top two goaltenders of the 2025-26 PWHL season have continued to perform on the global stage, most notably Aerin Frankel, opens in a new tab of the Fleet who has posted four wins and a record three shutouts as the U.S. surrendered just one goal against in six games. Victoire netminder Ann-Renée Desbiens has won three of her four starts with one shutout and was between the pipes the last time Canada won Olympic gold in Beijing.