Kelly Pannek describes American women

Team USA’s Kelly Pannek is savoring what she called an “incredible ride” after the US Women’s Hockey Team Wins Olympic Gold On Thursday night, they edged rival Canada 2-1 in a stunning overtime showdown at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

“It’s been crazy. I don’t even know how long it’s been since we won, but it’s been a lot of fun celebrating with this team,” the veteran forward told News themezone 24/7 on Friday morning.

The victory marks the Americans’ third Olympic title, their first since their 2018 victory in South Korea. Trailing 1-0 entering the third period, the U.S. rallied to force overtime, where Megan Keller scored the game-winning goal.

Fans were on the edge of their seats, but Pannek said Team USA had faith.

“I think that was something on this team where we always, just always, had that incredible belief even… at the end of the third period, we knew it was just a matter of time before someone got the first one. And then going into overtime, we felt really good about where our team was and we continued to trust in what we were doing,” Pannek said.

After the hard-fought win, the team posed for photos on the ice before continuing the celebration in the locker room and then at the Winter House, where family and friends greeted them.

“It’s really special to be able to, you know… it’s the team, but it’s also the team behind the team, with your friends and family. And we’ve had great support from them throughout the tournament, so again, celebrating with them is really special,” Pannek added.

Women’s hockey has seen explosive growth in the US in recent years; USA Hockey reported that girls’ participation nationwide has increased 65% over the past 15 seasons.

Pannek, who said she grew up playing in boys’ hockey leagues until high school, said it’s inspiring to see so many girls now able to play the sport in all-female teams.

“It’s really cool to see girls now being able to play women’s hockey and not only that, but they have something to aspire to,” she said. “And whether I’m an Olympic athlete or a professional player in the PWHL in North America, I think it’s a very exciting time to be a girl playing hockey.”

Pannek joked that the gold medal around his neck is heavy, but said Team USA will “carry this weight as long as we can.”