University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Five Gophers Strike Gold at 2026 Winter Olympics
2/19/2026 3:29:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MILAN, Italy – Five skaters with ties to the Minnesota Golden Gophers women's hockey program captured Olympic gold with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, defeating Canada 2-1 in overtime. Current Gopher captain Abbey Murphy, along with alumnae Grace Zumwinkle, Taylor Heise, Lee Stecklein and Kelly Pannek, skated to gold.
The United States forced overtime with a dramatic extra-attacker goal with 2:04 remaining in regulation. During the three-on-three overtime period, Megan Keller netted the gold medal-winning goal 4:07 into the frame. Heise initiated the play from her own defensive zone, threading a pass to the far blue line to spring Keller for the breakaway and earn the primary assist.
Murphy led all Gophers at the Olympics with seven points (2g, 5a). Heise added four points (2g, 2a), while Stecklein and Pannek each recorded two assists. Zumwinkle contributed one assist in the tournament.
The medal marks the first Olympic gold for Murphy, Zumwinkle, and Heise, while Stecklein and Pannek secured their second career gold. The victory represents the first gold medal for the United States since the 2018 Winter Olympics and the third in Team USA history.