PWHL star Hilary Knight shares snippets from victory night as USA triumphs over Canada in IIHF Women’s World Championship

PWHL superstar and one of the most decorated hockey players in history, Hilary Knight, is a born leader. The captain of the Boston Fleet, Knight, also captained Team USA to a gold medal victory at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship on Sunday after defeating rival Canada in a 4-3 overtime thriller.

This marked the 23rd time the two countries battled in the gold-medal game.

Knight, sporting a sweet shiner on her left eye, and her USA teammates were all smiles after her gold medal victory. The Idaho native shared snippets of the championship celebration on her Instagram story on Monday morning.

Knight showed the championship trophy packed with cans of Red Bull, which she captioned “Wiiings.”

(via Instagram/@hilaryknight)

The 2025 tournament, held in Czechia, marked Knight’s 15th time playing at the Women’s World Championship. She shared a team photo after the huge victory.

(via Instagram/@hilaryknight)

Knight then shared side-by-side snippets of her and Fleet defender Megan Keller from the 2015 gold medal victory, pictured next to Sunday’s after-game festivities. Knight pointed to her black eye, which she earned during the championship game.

(via Instagram/@hilaryknight)

This year's gold medal game, a rematch of last year’s championship contest, in which Canada defeated the USA in overtime, added another thrilling saga to a storied rivalry.

After a scoreless first period, both teams came alive in the second frame. Forward for the USA, Caroline Harvey, opened the scoring at 7:16 of the period. Knight assisted on the goal.

Less than 30 seconds later, the USA struck again, this time when Abbey Murphy scored off a rebounded shot from Kendall Coyne Schofield.

Canada came back swinging, as Danielle Serdachny scored less than a minute after Murphy’s goal. Jennifer Gardiner then netted the equalizer 55 seconds later.

Both teams stayed physical in the third period. Frost forward Taylor Heise put the U.S. on top 3-2 at 5:27 of the period. Sarah Fillier came back roaring for Canada, scoring the game-tying goal at 14:12.

Canada vs. United States - Source: Getty

With the score knotted 3-3 at the end of regulation, the championship game headed into overtime.

After a few missed opportunities on both sides, Tessa Janecke cashed in at the seven-minute mark with the golden goal for the 4-3 USA victory.

"I think this is a watershed moment for women's hockey, and it's really exciting to be a part of," Knight said after the game, according to Lucas Aykroyd of IIHF.com.

Knight is the tournament’s scoring leader across the board with 67 goals, 53 assists and 120 points. This was the USA’s 11th time winning the tournament.

---

Hilary Knight sets record for most gold medals at World Championship

Hillary Knight played in her 15th IIHF Women’s World Championship this year and led all U.S. skaters with nine points (two goals, seven assists) through seven games.

Knight dished out an assist in the USA’s 4-3 overtime win versus Canada on Sunday. Knight won her 10th gold medal at the world championship, setting a tournament record.

Knight was quick to give credit to her teammates after the exhilarating victory, referring to this year’s squad as “such a special group,” according to IIHF.com.

“It’s such an honor to be able to represent this country on the world stage and to do it alongside these amazing women is just incredible,” Knight said after her record-setting championship. “It’s a wonderful feeling, for sure.”

Knight was previously named the 2023 IIHF Player of the Year when she captained the U.S. to a 6-3 gold medal win over Canada.