Team USA Stuns Canada for Women’s Hockey Gold as Alysa Liu Emerges as Breakout Star

Milan Cortina, Italy—In a breathtaking finale that will be remembered as one of the most dramatic in Winter Games history, Team USA shocked arch-rival Canada to capture the women’s hockey gold medal late Thursday night, capping a day already buzzing with American success. The victory, sealed in a heart-stopping championship game, marks the latest chapter in the sport’s fiercest rivalry and delivers the United States its first Olympic title in the event since 2018.

Details of the final score and precise game flow were not immediately released, but CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter characterized the contest as “one of the most thrilling gold-medal games you’ll ever see,” underscoring the back-and-forth tension that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final horn. The win also vaults the Americans into the weekend with momentum as their male counterparts prepare for a Saturday semifinal showdown against Slovakia, scheduled for 3:10 p.m. Eastern on NBC.

Adding to the American jubilation, figure skater Alysa Liu seized the spotlight as the breakout star of the Games. While the source text did not specify which performance earned her that distinction, Liu’s ascension has provided a fresh storyline for U.S. figure skating and further energized the delegation here in northern Italy.

The gold-medal clash drew a global television audience and was the centerpiece of a packed Olympic schedule that also features women’s curling, speed skating, bobsled and freestyle skiing finals. NBC’s family of networks and streaming platform Peacock carried wall-to-wall coverage, ensuring the hockey thriller reached viewers across multiple time zones.

With the victory, Team USA reclaims Olympic supremacy over Canada, against whom every recent major tournament has seemed to hinge. The result reverberated through the athletes’ village overnight and set up a potential double triumph should the U.S. men advance to Sunday’s hockey championship game.

The women’s hockey gold also provided a timely morale boost back home, where sports fans are pivoting from NBA All-Star festivities to the looming MLS season opener Saturday at 2:30 p.m. when St. Louis City SC hosts Charlotte FC. Yet for now, the spotlight belongs to the hockey squad and Liu, whose combined heroics have given the Stars and Stripes a signature moment at the 2026 Winter Games.

Team USA will look to carry that momentum into the remaining events, while Canada, denied a third consecutive Olympic title, must regroup for future international tournaments. For the Americans, the celebration has only just begun.

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