Subscribe
Follow Us
Tessa Janecke scored with less than three minutes left in overtime to lift Team USA women's hockey to a 4-3 win over Canada in the women’s ice hockey world championship final on Sunday, securing the Americans’ 11th title at the tournament.
The game-winner came after Taylor Heise intercepted a clearing attempt by Canada’s Jocelyne Larocque and found Janecke open on the left side of the net. Janecke buried the shot and tossed her stick into the stands in celebration.
“Shock and awe,” said U.S. goalie Gwyneth Philips, per the Associated Press who had entered the game in the third period after starter Aerin Frankel exited due to a collision. “I'm ecstatic.”
Team USA had previously defeated Canada 2-1 in the group stage and cruised through the tournament with wins over Germany and the Czech Republic in the knockout rounds. With Sunday’s win, the Americans have now captured two of the last three world titles.
Abbey Murphy and Caroline Harvey also scored for the U.S., while Heise added a goal and an assist. Canada was led by Danielle Serdachny, Jennifer Gardiner and Sarah Fillier, who forced overtime with a late third-period goal.
The back-and-forth game saw Heise give the Americans a 3-2 lead early in the third period during a 5-on-3 power play. The opportunity came after a collision between Frankel and Canada’s Laura Stacey, who was penalized for charging. Frankel left the game and was replaced by Philips, who helped hold off Canada’s final push.
The U.S. was outshot 47-30 but capitalized on key chances. Hilary Knight recorded her 53rd career assist at the worlds, adding to her all-time record of 120 points and capturing her 10th gold medal in 15 appearances.
Marie-Philip Poulin led the tournament in scoring with 12 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop the U.S. from reclaiming the title in a closely contested championship ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
