One week after scoring the decisive overtime goal that secured Team USA’s gold medal in women’s hockey, Megan Keller returned to practice with her Boston Fleet teammates. Still recovering from jetlag and reflecting on her third Olympic experience, Keller described the moment as surreal. “I’m not sure it’s sunk in, or if it ever will,” she said. “Your entire life, you dream about scoring a goal like that.”
Keller, who graduated from Boston College in 2019 as its top-scoring defender, is now in her third year playing for the Fleet in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
Describing her game-winning goal, Keller recalled: “I saw a change happening and then Taylor Heise made an incredible pass that stretched all three zones. After I got the puck, I kind of blacked out; I was just playing hockey at that point. As soon as I saw it cross the line, I couldn’t chuck my gloves and stick in the air fast enough and hug my teammates. We wouldn’t have won this without every single person in the locker room, so it was pretty special to have that dogpile at the end.”
Keller explained that despite being behind for the first time during the tournament heading into overtime, there was calm confidence among Team USA players. She credited Hilary Knight’s tying goal for boosting morale: “Once [Hilary Knight] got the tying goal, I think we all just had the feeling that we’re winning this game. Obviously Canada’s an incredible team… but we had all the confidence in the world that we were going to bring it home.”
Reflecting on her Olympic experiences since debuting as a student-athlete at Boston College eight years ago, Keller noted each Games felt unique: “2018 was super special. I was a younger player… Then in 2022 it was COVID times… To come back and have this one in 2026 and have all the people that helped get us to this position cheering in the stands—that’s the best part.”
Keller played alongside fellow Boston College alumnae Cayla Barnes ’23, Hannah Bilka ’23, and Alex Carpenter ’16 on Team USA. “It’s incredible to look back on the journey we’ve had,” she said. “I credit BC with a lot of my development… It’s always special to not only represent Team USA but Boston College as well.”
Asked about memories from college hockey days at BC, Keller highlighted both competition and community: “I’d have to say the Beanpot… but also seeing how close the alumni community is.” She added many former teammates traveled internationally to support them.
The recent gold medal match drew significant viewership for women’s hockey—a trend Keller hopes will inspire future generations: “We saw it in 1998 when [BC women’s hockey coach Katie Crowley] was a part of the team that brought home the first gold medal and that sparked a dream in a lot of us… There’s so much room for growth within our sport and I’m just excited to see where it goes.”
As captain with both club and national teams, Keller emphasized leadership by example: “Hopefully I set a great example for the team… The biggest part for me is I want to be a great teammate.”
Off-ice highlights included meeting actor Stanley Tucci over risotto—“so good”—and encounters with Snoop Dogg and Seth Meyers.
Keller keeps her latest Olympic medal close by while letting family safeguard previous ones: “Mine always gets a little dinged up… because you don’t win this thing alone.”
Looking ahead at potential future Olympics appearances she said: “As long as I continue to have passion… I’ll do it as long as I can.”
Boston College women’s hockey coach Katie King Crowley has discussed Megan Keller’s impact further in an interview.
