Four Seattle Torrent players - Hilary Knight, Hanna Bilka, Alex Carpenter, and Cayla Barnes - are returning from Italy with some serious hardware: Olympic women’s hockey gold medals. It’s a golden chapter for Knight, who captains both the Torrent and Team USA.
In an electrifying gold medal showdown, Knight pushed the game into overtime with a clutch goal at 17:56 of the third period. Then, in OT, USA defender Megan Keller dazzled with a fake that left Canada’s Claire Thompson off-balance, before slipping the winning goal past Canadian goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens at 4:07, sealing a heart-pounding 2-1 victory for the USA.
After dominating Canada 5-0 in the round-robin and allowing just one goal in six games, Team USA seemed invincible. But Canada rose to the occasion when it counted.
Canada struck first, with Kristin O’Neill scoring a shorthanded goal 54 seconds into the second period, breaking a remarkable 352-minute shutout streak for Team USA.
Torrent’s Hannah Bilka, part of a standout rookie line with Taylor Heise and Abbey Murphy, nearly leveled the score, but her shot went high. Bilka ended the tournament with four goals and three assists, tying for the top goal scorer.
Alex Carpenter, another Torrent star, wrapped up the tournament with three goals, three assists, and an impressive faceoff win rate of over 68%.
The Olympics create unique dynamics, with friends becoming rivals. Torrent and Team Canada forward Julia Gosling often found her path blocked by Torrent and Team USA defender Cayla Barnes. Gosling was Canada’s third-leading scorer with three goals and two assists.
With Canada holding a 1-0 lead late in the game, USA goalie Aerin Frankel, boasting a .980 save percentage and a goals-against average of 0.39, was pulled for an extra attacker. Knight then tipped in the equalizer with 2:04 left, deflecting a shot from Laila Edwards. For the third time in seven gold medal encounters, the USA and Canada needed overtime.
On their 33rd shot, Keller’s golden goal crowned Team USA Olympic champions for the third time, just behind Canada’s total.
So, what fueled the Americans’ dominance? Torrent defender Cayla Barnes pointed to their relentless pressure.
“We do a good job of wearing teams down,” she noted. This was Barnes’ second gold, having been a last-minute addition to the 2018 squad.
Bilka and Carpenter each boasted a plus-8 rating over the tournament.
For Captain Hilary Knight, this was a memorable farewell to Olympic competition. At 36, she had declared these Games her last. Her 15th Olympic goal set her apart as the top American scorer in Olympic history.
True to her leadership style, Knight praised her teammates. “I can’t tell you enough how amazing this group is,” she said. “We’re pushing the pace and style of the game forward, and it’s special to be part of that.”
And in a delightful off-ice moment, Knight got engaged to Olympic speedskater Brittany Bowe. The couple, who met at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, are both representing Team USA in Milan.
Knight also added a Snoop Dogg Olympic pin to her collection - a gift from the man himself. This prized possession joins her two Olympic golds, three silvers, and 10 IIHF Women’s World Championship golds.
But Knight isn’t slowing down. There’s still a Torrent season to tackle and a playoff push ahead. The Torrent’s first game back is set for Friday, February 27 against Toronto at Climate Pledge Arena.