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MILAN — Megan Keller wouldn’t say she’s consistently practiced the jaw-dropping move she pulled off for the overtime golden goal of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics on Thursday night at Santagiulia Arena.
Her USA teammates, however, were unfazed.
“The Megan Keller,” Hilary Knight called it.
After collecting a long pass from Taylor Heise, Keller poked the puck around Canadian defenseman Claire Thompson before backhanding it past goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens to secure a 2-1 OT victory and the Americans’ spot at the top of the podium.
“Just saw the change happen. Had some space. [Taylor] Heise made a great pass,” said Keller, who finished tied for the most points in the tournament (nine) with fellow defenseman Caroline Harvey. “Taking a chance trying to get to the net. But, obviously, we would not be in this position if our goaltender didn’t play outstanding in Aerin Frankel. Huge late goal by [Hilary Knight]. Top to bottom, this entire group, we stuck together the whole way. Really proud to be a part of this group.”
Some of her U.S. teammates saw the game-winning goal in real time. Others did not at all, as the Americans halted the 3-on-3 overtime.
Their celebration took over the ice, making it difficult for anybody to see the replay.
Keller said the team talked about playing to win and not to lose in overtime. In such a situation, she noted, it’s easy to get a little nervous about making a move.
When she saw she had a 1-on-1 with a Canadian defender, Keller said she thought: “Why not?”
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“I saw her open her hips, and I’m like, ‘Oh, she’s gone,’ ” Kendall Coyne Schofield said. “I didn’t see the end. It happened so fast, but when I saw her open her hips, get the puck and like she had legs. I’m like, ‘This is going in the net.’… I look forward to seeing the replay.”
The golden goal secured a second Olympic gold medal for Keller, as well as her third overall, after she won with Team USA in 2018 and settled for silver in 2022.
Named captain of the PWHL’s Boston Fleet ahead of her third season, Keller went into the Olympic break with five goals and six assists through 14 games.
The Farmington, Mich., native emerged as one of the most dominant defensemen in NCAA history while skating for Boston College.
“I thought it was Connor McDavid out there,” said Laila Edwards, who later corrected herself and said Auston Matthews in order to name an American NHLer.
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