US captain Hilary Knight plays a big role in ending her final Olympics with gold

MILAN (AP) - U.S. captain Hilary Knight was not satisfied leaving her final Olympics with silver, so she extended the gold-medal game with a perfect tip of a shot from the player who could succeed her as the face of women's hockey.

Knight tied the score with two minutes left in regulation by deflecting Laila Edwards' shot past Canada goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens. Then Megan Keller scored in overtime to win it 2-1 for the U.S. on Thursday night, giving the 36-year-old Knight a championship send-off.

"She's the leader of our group, the heartbeat," Keller said. "We don't get here without her. I can't say enough great things about her, and to cap off her Olympic career in this fashion, just so happy for her."

Knight with her goal became the U.S. record holder for the most at the Olympics with 15, breaking a tie with Natalie Darwitz and Katie King. It was also her 33rd point playing for the national team, another record she took sole possession of in what she has said is her swan song at the Games.

More importantly, it was the second gold medal of her career, rather than the silver that would have come with a disappointing underachievement by Knight and the heavily favored Americans, who outscored their opponents 31-1 through the first six games of the tournament.