With Olympic gold on the line, with just over two minutes to play in regulation of Thursday's final match, it was the U.S. women's hockey team's two biggest stars who kept their dream alive.
The 22-year-old phenom Laila Edwards, a Day 1 starter in her first career Olympic Games, launched a rocket toward the goal, where the 36-year-old captain of Team USA, Hilary Knight, tipped the puck into the net — sending Milan's Santagiulia Arena into roars and the gold medal match into overtime, where the Americans prevailed 2-1.
The equalizer by Knight, with an assist by Edwards and Megan Keller, represented the essence of this U.S. team — the energy of its young stars combined with the calm experience of its veteran leadership.
Then, just over four minutes into a thrilling, fast-paced overtime period, Keller was the hero, maneuvering the puck around Canadian defender Claire Thompson for the game-winner.