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The United States women’s hockey team returned to the United States after its gold medal run at the Winter Olympics to the applause and jubilation of its fans.
Unlike the past Winter Olympics, most of the women’s team will continue to play hockey professionally.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is in its third season. The league includes four teams from the United States and four from Canada. PWHL teams were well represented on Team USA and helped bring the league to the forefront for the millions watching the full Olympics this month.
“I would take a week off in Mexico, but I understand that’s not possible,” Taylor Heise joked in an interview with Pak Gazette Digital. “But yeah, we’re all excited to get back and start over with the PWHL. It’s definitely a league that’s given us a platform to play in and kind of look back at the WNBA and how they started. It’s a constant grind, and it’s not just about getting from here to here in two days.
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“With our expansions and everything, it’s definitely been a difficult process for a lot of people, moving teams and stuff. But I think, you know, 7.7 million people tuned into that gold medal game, which is amazing by the way, I think it’s pretty special because I think we gained a lot of new fans.
“Whether you’re just a fan of women’s hockey or you tuned into the Olympics and now realize we’re playing in a professional league, it’s pretty special. And I hope we have a few more fans that show up to our games and decide they want to be PWHL fans in the future.”
There are also a handful of players still playing college hockey. The women’s hockey season is in the middle of the conference playoffs.
This is when the gold medalists return to the ice.
Boston Fleet
Megan Keller (5) of the United States and Hannah Bilka (23) of the United States celebrate after winning the gold medal in women’s ice hockey after defeating Canada during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 19, 2026. (Amber Searls/Image Images)
The Boston Fleet had three players on the USA team this year. Megan Keller, Haley Winn and Aerin Frankel. Keller scored the game-winning goal against Canada in overtime to secure the gold medal, while Frankel shut down the offense in a clutch goalie moment. The Fleet is atop the PWHL with a record of 10-2-2. Boston returns to action on Saturday against the Ottawa Charge at 2 pm ET.
Minnesota Frost
Taylor Heise #27 of Team USA Laila Edwards #10 of Team USA celebrates victory after the women’s ice hockey gold medal game between the USA and Canada (2-1 in overtime) on day thirteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 19, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)
Minnesota Frost was heavily represented on the US team with six players. Lee Stecklein, Kelly Pannek, Grace Zumwinkle, Britta Curl-Salemme, Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield all taking the ice for the Stars and Stripes. The Frosts have a little more time to prepare for their next game, which will take place on Sunday at 1 pm ET against the Montreal Victoire.
The Frost are 9-3-3 this season and trail the Fleet in the PWHL standings.
Montreal Victory
Hayley Scamurra was the only Montreal Victoire player to compete for Team USA and the defenseman took home the gold medal. Montreal will face the New York Sirens on Thursday at 7 pm ET. The Victoire is 10-5-0 this season and is third in the PWHL standings.
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Ottawa Charge
Rory Guilday and Gwyneth Philips represented the Ottawa Charge while on Team USA at the Olympics. The Charge are in the middle of the PWHL standings with a 9-7-0 record. Ottawa will return to the ice on Saturday to take on the Boston Fleet at 2 pm ET.
Seattle torrent
Hilary Knight, the captain of the US team, was among four Seattle Torrent players on the Olympic roster. Cayla Barnes, Hanna Bilka and Alex Carpenter joined her. Seattle will need a big push in the second half of the season to make the playoffs. The Torrents are 5-7-2 so far this season. They begin their season again on Friday against the Toronto Sceptres at 10 pm ET.
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college hockey
Laila Edwards (10) of the United States and Megan Keller (5) of the United States celebrate after winning the gold medal in women’s ice hockey after defeating Canada during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Stadium on February 19, 2026. (Amber Searls/Image Images)
There were a handful of players who were still in college and playing for Team USA. Abbey Murphy (Minnesota), Joy Dunne (Ohio State) and Tessa Janecke (Penn State) were on the team with Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey, Kristen Sims, Laila Edwards and Ava McNaughton. There was no Olympic break for their respective teams.
Minnesota, Penn State and Wisconsin are in the Western College Hockey Association playoffs. Each team will play on Friday at 6 pm ET. The Golden Gophers will play St. Cloud State, the Buckeyes will play St. Thomas and the Badgers will play Bemidji State.
The Nittany Lions are in the semifinals of the Atlantic Hockey America playoffs. Penn State returns to the ice on Friday at 6 pm to take on Syracuse.
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