Rockville's Haley Skarupa Wins Gold On U.S. Women's Hockey Team

GANGNEUNG, South Korea — Rockville native Haley Skarupa — the first woman from the D.C. metro area to go to the Olympics for hockey — wore gold early Thursday morning as the U.S. women's hockey team beat Canada in a nail-biting shootout — the first for American women in 20 years.

The women's gold-medal hockey win — 38 years to the day after the famous "Miracle on Ice" at Lake Placid — came in a 3-2 thriller against the U.S. team's greatest rival and ended Canada's bid for a fifth straight gold.

Skarupa, 24, plays forward for the USA women's ice hockey team. Born in Washington, D.C., she calls Rockville home. She attended Thomas S. Wootton High School and Boston College. This was her first time competing at the Olympics. She had one shot on goal in the game.

The 2018 Olympic victory is a storybook ending for this team.

The game ended in a 2-2 tie, and no one scored in the 20-minute overtime period. A penalty shootout also ended in a tie, sending the game to a sudden-death shootout where Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, a three-time Olympian, slid the puck past the Canadian goalie with a dazzling move. Then, U.S. goalie Maddie Rooney shut down the Canadian shot to end the game.

"It is everything for our country," U.S. coach Robb Stauber said. "I am just so thankful for the outcome. It was a thrilling final. It was unreal."

Skarupa is the daughter of Tony and Penny Skarupa and has one brother, Dylan, who was drafted ninth overall by the New York Riveters in 2015 NWHL Draft.