Overtime Belongs to the Girls
Olympic Gold. U12 Gold. This week belonged to women's hockey.
The United States women’s national ice hockey team won Olympic gold in overtime, and a U12 girls team in Minnesota won their championship in overtime, and if you still think women’s hockey is just getting started, you’re not watching closely.
This week wasn’t about potential.
It was about proof that women’s sports can be just as intense as men’s sports.
🇺🇸 Gold on the Biggest Stage
USA vs. Canada. Olympic final. Overtime.
One shot ends it.
It wasn’t luck. Just pressure and composure.
That wasn’t a feel-good story.
That was elite hockey.
Structured. Physical. Earned.
And when that puck hit the net? It wasn’t just celebration, it was validation. Years of work collapsing into one moment.
Women’s hockey doesn’t look like it’s asking to be taken seriously anymore.
It looks established.
Did you see how she dangled the goalie? That was skill my friends.
🥇 Minnesota U12: Same Energy, Smaller Rink
Meanwhile in Minnesota another overtime for gold.
A playoff game between the Cottage Grove Wolfpack and the St. Paul Capitals at Doug Woog Arena turned into a two-day marathon.
Tied 1–1.
No ties allowed in playoff games.
So they played six 15-minute overtime periods.
Over 70 minutes of extra hockey.
The game started Monday night and had to be finished the next day.
Twelve-year-olds.
Six overtimes.
At some point, it stops being dramatic and starts being sheer will.
Cottage Grove finally buried the winner.
Game over. History made.
But what stuck with me wasn’t just the length.
It was the composure, the will of those girls to keep playing with all they had.
Can you imagine? Parents pacing. Coaches pretending they’re calm. Twelve-year-olds hopping the boards like this is exactly where they belong.
The Part That Hit Me
There was a time when girls in this sport were just hoping to be included. Now they expect to win championships. Now they step into overtime like it’s theirs.
That’s different.
That’s a shift.
The Ladder Is Real Now
Between youth hockey and the Olympic podium sits the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
That middle step matters.
There’s a visible path now.
Youth → College → Pro → Olympics.
Girls don’t have to imagine where this goes.
They can see it.
“This One’s for the Girls”
Until next week. This is your Weekly Wrap Around.