Taylor Heise’s Golden Assist Sends USA — and Parker Fox — Into a Frenzy

Heise was among five current and former Gophers who helped the U.S. claim Olympic gold for the first time since 2018.

Feb 19, 2026; Milan, Italy; Tessa Janecke (22) of the United States and Taylor Heise (27) of the United States celebrate winning the gold medal following overtime of the women's ice hockey gold medal game against Canada during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. | Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Gopher great Taylor Heise assisted on the game-winning goal that led the United States to the gold medal in a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday.

Four minutes into overtime, Heise gathered the puck deep in the U.S. half before spotting an opportunity as Canada made a line change, and she dished the puck to Megan Keller in the neutral zone, with Keller then putting on the move of a lifetime to cut inside and slide the puck into the back of the net for the golden goal.

THE golden goal 🚨🇺🇸🚨🇺🇸 #WinterOlympicspic.twitter.com/OhzdMt0nxD

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 19, 2026

It was Heise's third assist of the tournament and fifth point overall. She scored two goals during the Olympics, which was the first for the Lake City, Minnesota, native.

Heise played for the Gophers from 2018 to 2023, registering 227 career points (97 goals, 130 assists), which is the sixth-most in program history. She is among 22 Gophers to appear at the Olympics since women's hockey first began play at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Her 2021-22 season proved incredibly impactful, recording the third-most shorthanded goals in a season (5), third-most shots on goal in a season (235), and fourth-most shots per game (6.02), as Minnesota claimed the 2021-22 WCHA regular season title.

Heise's fiancée, former Gophers basketball player Parker Fox, was among the contingent of U.S. fans that went wild in the crowd after the game-winning goal.

USA USA USA 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/fWyfvulXID

— Parker Fox (@Parkerfox24) February 19, 2026

Overall, current and former Gophers played a big role in the United States reclaiming the gold at the Winter Olympics. Current Gophers captain Abbey Murphy tied for third on the team with seven points (2 goals, 5 assists). Former Gophers Lee Stecklein and Kelly Panek each recorded two assists, while Grace Zumwinkle finished the Olympics with one assist.

Minnesota women's hockey finishes out its regular season this weekend with a pair of home games against Minnesota-Duluth. The WCHA tournament will get underway on Friday, Feb. 27. It's yet to be determined whether Murphy's will play for the Gophers in the conference tournament after spending the past month in Italy with Team USA.

The Gophers enter the final weekend of regular-season play locked into third place in the WCHA with 55 points.

As for Heise, Stecklein, Panek, and Zumwinkle, they will return to action with the Minnesota Frost when the PWHL season resumes on March 1. The Frost return with a game against the Montreal Victoire.

Through 15 games, the Frost sit second in the league with 28 points, just two points behind the Boston Fleet, whom Keller stars for. Fifteen games are remaining in the regular season as the Frost look for their third consecutive PWHL title.