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Cheering for the champs

Badger fans packed The Sett for the Olympic women’s hockey gold medal game featuring 11 current and former UW–Madison players.

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Fans had a lot to cheer about when Team USA and Team Canada took to the ice for the women’s ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The University of Wisconsin–Madison has been well represented in Milano-Cortina, with 12 current and former athletes competing—all of them in women’s hockey and most spread across the two teams facing off in the championship game on Feb. 19.

Cheers filled The Sett during a special viewing party at Union South when UW alum and team captain Hilary Knight—with an assist from current Badger Laila Edwards—scored the game-tying goal against Canada to make the score 1-1. The shot would crown Knight as Team USA’s all-time point and goal scorer. Team USA would eventually go on to win the match-up in overtime.

No matter the outcome, the game was a true win for Wisconsin women’s hockey, with Badgers taking home 11 medals across both teams.

A photo taken from above shows Badger fans wearing red jerseys filling the open space of The Sett below as they watch a large screen projecting a hockey game.
Fans at a watch party hosted in The Sett cheer as Team USA scores the game-tying goal to force overtime in the gold medal match against Team Canada during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy. Photo: Bryce Richter / UW–Madison
Badger fans wearing red jerseys and holding American flags fill the open space of The Sett as they watch a large screen projecting a hockey game.
Trailing against Team Canada for most of the game, the Badger’s Hilary Knight and Laila Edwards connected for a goal. With two minutes remaining in the third period, the shot would push the team into a sudden death overtime.  Photo: Bryce Richter / UW–Madison
A photo taken from above shows Badger fans wearing red jerseys filling the open space of The Sett below as they watch a large screen projecting a hockey game.
Team USA would go on to win the game and the gold medal. When the dust settled, six former and current Wisconsin women’s hockey players took home gold medals for Team USA, and five former Badgers took silver with Team Canada. Photo: Bryce Richter / UW–Madison

Tags: alumni, campus life, recent sightings, student experience, UW Athletics

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