MILAN — Every goal still feels special for Hilary Knight, no matter how many USA Hockey’s most decorated woman has scored in her record-setting career.
Saturday night was no different for the 36-year-old appearing in her U.S. women’s hockey-best fifth Olympics.
With U.S. Vice President JD Vance and family cheering along, Knight scored to tie the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey career goal mark, and the Americans wore down Finland — a team that spent much of the week dealing with a stomach virus — in a 5-0 win at the Milan Cortina Games.
“I just love scoring and just the pure elation of finding the back of the net,” Knight said. “It’s just a little kid moment that when you score, it’s pure excitement and it’s fun to celebrate.”
The goal scored 9:17 into the second period that put the U.S. up 4-0 was Knight’s 14th to match the record shared by Natalie Darwitz and Katie King.