When Rory Guilday ’25 stepped out on the ice on Feb. 5 in the U.S. women’s hockey Olympic opener, she became the first Cornellian to skate for Team USA at an Olympic Games.
Fourteen days later, Guilday was back out on the ice in Milan, this time with a gold medal around her neck. Serving as the extra defender throughout the tournament, Guilday was part of a historically dominant U.S. team, which outscored opponents 33-2 in its 7-0 campaign.
However, for nearly 40 minutes of the gold medal game, Canadian Kristen O’Neill ’20 seemed poised to be the hero of the tournament. While the U.S. thumped Canada 5-0 in the tournament’s preliminary round, the championship game was a much tighter affair. Canada jumped out to a fast start, outshooting the U.S. 8-6 in the opening frame, before O’Neill converted on her team’s momentum 54 seconds into the second period.
With Canada shorthanded after taking a hooking penalty, a turnover in the U.S. offensive zone evolved into a two-on-one opportunity for O’Neill and Laura Stacey thanks to a misplay by an American defender. After receiving a pass on the doorstep of the U.S. crease, O’Neill quickly brought the puck to her backhand and slipped it under the pads of the American netminder.
For fans of the Red, seeing O’Neill score a shorthanded goal likely did not come as a surprise. The 27-year-old holds the Cornell record for career shorthanded goals (10) and shorthanded goals in a single season (four).
O’Neill’s goal was not enough for Canada. The U.S. tied the game with an extra-attacker goal with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, and went on to win in thrilling fashion in overtime.
Brianne Jenner ’15 joined O’Neill in earning a silver medal — Jenner’s fourth Olympic medal — which ties Rebecca Johnston ’12 (also a women’s hockey alumna) for the most Winter Olympic medals by a Cornellian.
Jenner — who spent the tournament alternating between Canada’s first and third forward lines — finished with a goal and two assists, a decrease from her nine-goal MVP performance at the 2022 Beijing Games. O’Neill concluded her Olympic debut with three goals and two assists, the fourth-most points on the team. Guilday did not record a point, but registered a plus/minus of +2 during her time on the ice throughout the tournament.
While the U.S. win over Canada was epic, it was not particularly surprising. The two teams have met in the Olympic gold medal game in all but one Games, stretching back to women’s hockey’s debut in the Olympics in 1998.
Instead, arguably the biggest surprise of the tournament was Italy’s performance. The host nation — playing in its first Games since 2006 — reached the quarterfinals thanks to wins over France and Japan. Laura Fortino ’13 — who entered the tournament as a leader on the Italian squad in previous international experience, earning gold and silver medals with Canada in 2014 and 2018, respectively, before the dual-citizen switched her national-team loyalties to Italy — was a key piece of the team's success, serving as a top-pair defender and earning an assist.
The trio of medals brings Cornell’s all-time medal count to 73, with 26 coming from the Winter Olympics and 22 specifically from men’s or women’s ice hockey. Guilday’s gold was the first Olympic ice hockey medal won by a non-Canadian Cornell alum.
Fans of high-level women’s hockey won’t have to wait long to watch their favorite players take the ice again. The Professional Women’s Hockey League, which features eight teams and nine Cornell alumnae (including Guilday, Jenner and O’Neill), returns to action on Feb. 26, with games available in the U.S. on YouTube and regional sports networks, and on TSN in Canada.
Guilday and Jenner — members of the Ottawa Charge — will begin the second half squaring off against Jill Saulnier ’15 and the Boston Fleet, while O'Neill's New York Sirens will take on the Montréal Victoire.
Meanwhile, the Cornell’s women’s ice hockey team returns to the ice next weekend for a best-of-three playoff series against Colgate at Lynah Rink. The Red and the Raiders will square off at 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with a deciding Sunday contest to be played if needed, and all games streaming on ESPN+.
Eli Fastiff is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and a member of the class of 2026 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can follow him on X @Eli_Fastiff and reach him at efastiff@cornellsun.com.
