MILAN (AP) — Taylor Heise was tired, and she knew Megan Keller could skate fast. The end result was the golden goal in overtime that gave the U.S. an emotional victory over Canada in the women's hockey final at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Thursday night.
Keller's 3-on-3 goal 4:07 into overtime was a highlight-reel masterpiece from start to finish.
Click to Gallery
United States' Megan Keller (5) scores the winning goal during the women's ice hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
United States' Megan Keller (5) scores the winning goal against Canada goalkeeper Ann-Renee Desbiens (35) during the overtime period of the women's ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
United States' Megan Keller (5) scores the winning goal during the women's ice hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
United States' Megan Keller (5) scores the winning goal in the women's ice hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
It started with a perfect, nearly 100-foot outlet pass from Heise behind her own goal line to Keller just past the center red line.
“Meg was flying up the ice," Heise said. “She was calling for the puck and I kind of wanted to change, so I chucked it up to her.”
Keller did the rest. With the puck on her forehand, she went backhand to completely deke out defender Claire Thompson.
“When she get the puck, I was like, ‘I know where she’s going to score that,’ and she did," said Switzerland's Alina Muller, a teammate of Keller's in the PWHL with Boston who scored her country's bronze-winning goal earlier in the day. “Pretty sick move for a defenseman.”
After she and her teammates talked before overtime about playing to win and not to lose, Keller calmed her nerves when she entered the attacking zone.
“A lot of times you get a little nervous trying to make a move,” Keller said. “Heise made a great pass up to me, just saw one defender and thought: ‘Why not?’ Try to take a chance her, get to the net."
With Thompson beat, Keller was 1 on 1 with Ann-Renee Desbiens, Canada's goaltender who was terrific throughout regulation to make it such a competitive game. The move put Desbiens in a difficult spot.
“Obviously when she cut to the middle with a backhand shot, it’s very hard to predict where it can go," Desbiens said. “I was reaching, and then obviously it squeaks through.”
Heise was skating toward the bench and never even saw Keller shoot and score. She figured out the puck went into the net from the reaction of the other U.S. players.
“That's all that matters,” Heise said. “People are already throwing their arms up, throwing the helmets and then I just turned around real quick, threw my gloves off. Couldn’t get my helmet off, so I just skated to the mix of everyone.”
Laila Edwards, who had the shot that Hilary Knight deflected in with 2:04 left to tie it after Canada led to that point, was watching closely.
“Oh, I saw it," Edwards said. “I saw it. It was unbelievable. I thought it was Connor McDavid out there. It doesn’t surprise me because I know she’s got those things up her sleeve, but I’m so proud of her and I love playing with her.”
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
United States' Megan Keller (5) scores the winning goal during the women's ice hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
United States' Megan Keller (5) scores the winning goal against Canada goalkeeper Ann-Renee Desbiens (35) during the overtime period of the women's ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
United States' Megan Keller (5) scores the winning goal during the women's ice hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
United States' Megan Keller (5) scores the winning goal in the women's ice hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
SODA SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — Six women killed in an avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada were among a group of eight close friends and experienced backcountry skiers on a trip together, their families said in a statement Thursday.
“They were experienced backcountry skiers who deeply respected the mountains,” the statement said. “They were trained and prepared for backcountry travel and trusted their professional guides on this trip. They were fully equipped with avalanche safety equipment.”
Tuesday’s avalanche, the deadliest in the U.S. in decades, killed eight people. Six survived the disaster.
It will be at least another day before crews can attempt to recover the bodies and continue the search for a ninth person still missing and presumed dead, said Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
The skiers and professional guides caught avalanche understood the dangers of trekking through the remote wilderness of the Sierra Nevada.
They had close ties to Lake Tahoe's alpine community, with some connected to an academy for competitive skiers. One victim was married to a backcountry rescue team member. A mayor near San Francisco said the group included moms from the Bay Area.
But what the guides and their tour company knew about the warnings and risks from a powerful winter storm that blasted the mountains during the trip and why they pressed on is now part of investigations.
It will be at least another day before crews can attempt to recover the bodies and continue the search for a ninth person still missing and presumed dead, said Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
“We are on the mountain, but they are not going to be able to safely reach them,” she said Thursday. “The weather conditions are really dangerous.”
Several more feet of snow could fall around Lake Tahoe on Thursday and continue to destabilize the fragile snowpack, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center. It said that wind gusts along the ridgetops could reach 60 mph (100 kph) and warned there's a high risk of large avalanches through at least Friday morning. Tahoe National Forest lands in the Castle Peak area were also closed to the public until March 15 in response to the tragedy.
Officials have not yet released the names of those who were killed.
The 15 skiers, most of them women, began their three-day trip on Sunday just as warnings about the storm were intensifying. They spent the weekend staying along Frog Lake in high country huts accessible only by challenging trails.
Some have ties with the elite Sugar Bowl Academy, which issued a statement late Wednesday mourning the loss of skiers with “strong connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit and the backcountry community.”
Perched on Donner Summit, the academy is a private boarding and day school for competitive skiers and snowboarders. Its former students include multiple Olympians.
“We are an incredibly close and connected community,” Sugar Bowl Academy executive director Stephen McMahon said in the statement. “This tragedy has affected each and every one of us.”
Two sisters were among the dead, their brother, McAlister Clabaugh, told The New York Times. Caroline Sekar, a mother of two, lived in San Francisco, and Liz Clabaugh lived in Boise, Idaho. Their brother said they were on the trip with close friends from college.
“The idea that they are both gone is, I don’t even know how to put it into words,” Clabaugh said. His employer later told the AP that he and his family asked for privacy while they grieve.
Mayor Max Perrey of Marin County’s Mill Valley, a city just north of San Francisco, confirmed that some in the group were mothers from his city.
One of the victims was married to a member of a backcountry search and rescue team in the area, said Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo.
The four guides were employed by Blackbird Mountain Guides, which offers mountaineering and backcountry ski trips as well as safety courses. One of them was among the six survivors. The company said in a statement that it launched an investigation.
Blackbird’s website says the tour was intended for intermediate to expert skiers.
The guides with the group were trained or certified in backcountry skiing, and were instructors with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education. While in the field, they “are in communication with senior guides at our base, to discuss conditions and routing based upon conditions,” founder Zeb Blais said in the statement.
“We don’t have all the answers yet, and it may be some time before we do,” the company said, asking people to refrain from speculating while it reviews what happened.
“This was an enormous tragedy, and the saddest event our team has ever experienced. In addition to mourning the loss of six clients, we also mourn the loss of three highly experienced members of our guide team,” Blais said.
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said authorities will investigate why the guides proceeded with the tour despite the forecast.
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, a state agency that regulates workplace safety, is also investigating to determine if the company violated California law.
The Sierra Avalanche Center had issued an avalanche watch Sunday morning, the first day of the trip, indicating a high risk of large avalanches.
It’s not uncommon for backcountry skiers to go out when there is an avalanche watch or even a warning, avalanche safety experts say. In avalanche terrain that covers many backcountry areas, slides occur regularly but often go unnoticed. Even if people have signals to keep up with the forecast and changing conditions, there is no single way to react.
Leaving could set off an avalanche, while staying put could keep people in its path. It wasn’t clear if the guides on the trip were aware of the avalanche warning, but they are trained to test the snow and assess conditions on the ground.
Authorities said the six survivors scoured the snow for the missing, finding three of the dead while they waited six hours Tuesday for help to arrive in blizzard conditions. At least one guide was able to send text messages. Two of those rescued were taken to a hospital but both have since been released.
The avalanche is the deadliest in the U.S. since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in Washington state.
In Utah, a man riding a snowmobile died in an avalanche Wednesday, the Wasatch County sheriff’s office said. The sheriff’s office said he didn’t survive despite the “courageous efforts” of his young son who dug him out of the snow. In a separate incident in Salt Lake County, a girl was in critical condition after being caught in a backcountry avalanche.
Watson reported from San Diego, and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana; Hallie Golden in Seattle; R.J. Rico in Atlanta; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed.
Snow comes down on a dog as traffic is backed up and motorists exit their vehicles along interstate 80 during a storm Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, near Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Adrián Narayan digs his car out of the snow Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
A motorist scrapes ice off his vehicle along interstate 80 during a snow storm Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, near Camp Spaulding in Placer County, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Snow is plowed in front of businesses during a snow storm Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
A motorist exits a vehicle during a snow storm Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Placer County, Calf. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Snow comes down on pine trees during a storm Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in in Placer County, Calf. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
A California Highway Patrol vehicle is parked along a road during a snow storm Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Placer County, Calf. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
A motorist exits a vehicle during a snow storm Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Placer County, Calf. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Pine trees are covered in snow during a storm on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
Trucks are lined up along Interstate 80 during a storm on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
A road is cleared during a snow storm on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 near Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
Snow covers a road on an underpass along interstate 80 on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 near Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
