MILAN, Italy — The United States and Canada will renew their USA vs Canada women’s hockey rivalry for Olympic gold Thursday at the Milan-Cortina Games after both teams advanced through the semifinals. The U.S. stayed unbeaten with a 5-0 win over Sweden, and Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice in a 2-1 victory over Switzerland to become the all-time leading goal scorer in women’s Olympic hockey, Feb. 17, 2026.
The gold-medal game is set for 7:10 p.m. local time (1:10 p.m. ET) at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, with the sport’s two superpowers meeting for the seventh time in an Olympic final since women’s hockey debuted in 1998.
USA vs Canada women’s hockey gold medal game: date, time and how to watch
The USA vs Canada women’s hockey final is set for Thursday, Feb. 19, with U.S. coverage listed on USA Network and streaming on Peacock, according to Team USA Hockey’s official schedule and results page.
Date: Thursday, Feb. 19
Time: 7:10 p.m. local / 1:10 p.m. ET
Venue: Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena
Dominant U.S. arrives without a loss — or much stress
The Americans have looked like a runaway favorite for most of the tournament, pairing pace with an almost unbreakable defensive structure. Through six games, the U.S. has scored 31 goals, allowed just one and has not trailed at any point, a stretch that includes five straight shutouts entering the championship matchup, according to The Guardian’s semifinal recap.
U.S. goaltender Aerin Frankel, backed up by Gwyneth Philips and Ava McNaughton, has been at the center of that run. “The job is not done yet,” Frankel said after the semifinal, with the Americans’ scoreless streak stretching beyond 331 minutes entering Thursday.
The semifinal itself followed the U.S. script: a steady start and a flood of goals once the seams appeared. Five different Americans scored in the 5-0 win, and the result extended what has been a lopsided recent chapter in the USA vs Canada women’s hockey series — including a 5-0 U.S. group-stage win Tuesday, Feb. 10.
Poulin’s record adds fuel to a rivalry that never cools
Canada’s path has been less clean, but it still ends in familiar territory: a chance to play the U.S. for gold in USA vs Canada women’s hockey. Poulin, 34, returned from a right knee injury during the knockout round and has been the difference-maker ever since.
In the semifinal Monday, Feb. 16, Poulin scored her 19th and 20th career Olympic goals to break the women’s Olympic record previously held by Hockey Hall of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser, Reuters reported. “It’s going to be a battle, we all know that,” Poulin said, adding she was “truly excited” to have another shot at the gold-medal game.
The Associated Press reported Poulin entered the Olympics tied with Wickenheiser’s 18-goal mark and pushed the record to 20 by the time Switzerland scored a late goal that made the finish tense. The final horn set up another USA vs Canada women’s hockey game with everything on the line.
What’s at stake in USA vs Canada women’s hockey beyond the medal
For the U.S., Thursday is a chance to turn dominance into hardware. The Americans have won Olympic women’s hockey twice (1998 and 2018) and are trying to add a third after taking silver in Beijing in 2022.
For Canada, the matchup is about defending a gold medal — and chasing a sixth Olympic title — while leaning on a player who has defined the rivalry for more than a decade. Reuters noted Poulin has scored the game-winning goal in three Olympic finals against the Americans, a resume that has earned her the “Captain Clutch” nickname.
That history matters because the margins in USA vs Canada women’s hockey have rarely stayed wide for long. The Canadians were shut out 5-0 in the group stage without Poulin, but gold-medal games between these teams have often been decided by a single bounce, a single shift or a single player taking over.
A rivalry built on heartbreak, then answered with redemption
The USA vs Canada women’s hockey story has a long memory, and the last three Olympic finals between them read like a trilogy. Canada erased a late two-goal deficit and won 3-2 in overtime in 2014, as recapped by USA Hockey. Four years later, the Americans answered with a shootout win for gold in 2018, Olympics.com reported. Canada reclaimed the title in 2022 with a 3-2 victory, Hockey Canada’s game recap noted.
Those moments explain why Thursday rarely feels like just another game. The U.S. has the deeper statistical profile in this tournament, while Canada has Poulin — and a decade’s worth of proof that the USA vs Canada women’s hockey final can flip in a heartbeat.
The puck drops Thursday afternoon on the U.S. East Coast, and whichever side handles the pressure best will leave Italy with the sport’s most prized prize.
