DANVERS, Mass. (WHDH) — Team USA women’s hockey team, featuring quite a few players with ties to Massachusetts, beat Canada Wednesday night to win their first gold medal in 20 years.
The last time the United States won the gold was 1998 at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Since then, Canada has always taken home the top prize until this year. In a thrilling shootout, the United States beat Canada, 3-2.
Three-time Olympian Meghan Duggan is from Danvers. She currently plays for the Boston Pride in the National Women’s Hockey League, along with Team USA teammates Hilary Knight, Brianna Decker, Gigi Marvin, Kacey Bellamy, Alex Carpenter and Amanda Pelkey.
Several of Duggan’s family members watched the game overnight from a tavern in Danvers, happily cheering as Team USA made it official.
“Nobody understands but the Duggan family how hard Meghan has worked,” said relative Barry Robertson.
Duggan played high school hockey for Cushing Academy in Ashburnham. Former Cushing Academy hockey coach Paul Kennedy said he is very proud of her.
“She was unbelievable back then, you could always see it in her, that something was gonna happen,” said Kennedy.
Also celebrating today are the Boston College Golden Eagles women’s hockey team. Five members of Team USA are either current students or recent graduates of BC.
“I thought they did an unbelievable job, so proud. They all played amazing,” said BC Head Coach Katie Crowley, who won the gold with Team USA in 1998. She said she was up half the night watching the game and texting with her former teammates.
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