ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell connection to the 2022 Beijing Olympics did more than help Team Canada win gold in women's hockey, the five prominent alumni played a frontline role right through a 3-2 victory over the United States in Thursday's gold-medal game at Wukesong Arena in Beijing.
 
Forward Brianne Jenner '15 was named the tournament's most valuable player after tying a record with nine goals over the tournament, also adding five assists for 14 points in just seven games. One of those assists came on Marie-Philip Poulin's winning goal during the second period. Canada now holds the Olympic title and World Championship crowns simultaneously for the first time since 2012.
 
"It was a long haul of silvers and a lot of soul-searching in the program," said Brianne Jenner told the Associated Press. "I think this group didn't really shy away from it. We were like, 'Let's be bold, let's be brave, let's go out and see what we can do.'"
 
The Olympic gold medal is the second in Jenner's career to go with a silver in 2018. Rebecca Johnston '12 (two goals and eight assists for 10 points) was a part of all of those efforts and also on the team for the title in 2010, giving her three Olympic gold medals in an illustrious international career after helping set the Big Red on a new trajectory with her decision to come to East Hill.
 
Forward Jill Saulnier '15 (two assists) won Olympic gold for the first time after claiming silver in 2018. This is the first Olympic medal of any kind for defender Micah Zandee-Hart '20, who was still competing with the Big Red in its most recent season before the current one. And not to be lost among all of the players on the ice is Doug Derraugh '91, who wins gold again while continuing his role as an assistant coach with Team Canada.
 
All four of the alumnae had decorated careers competing under Derraugh at Cornell. Johnston was a three-time All-American and a four-time All-Ivy first-team and All-ECAC Hockey first-team selection. The forward still holds school records in career shots on goal (673) and shots per game (5.70), and she shares the program record for game-winning goals in a single season (7, 2011-12) along with Jenner – who was also a four-time All-ECAC Hockey and All-Ivy first-team selection and was named the ECAC Hockey Player of the Year and the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2013 and 2015. Jenner holds the Cornell record in career points (229), assists (136) and game-winning goals (20).
 
Saulnier was a two-time All-ECAC Hockey first team and All-Ivy selection while also becoming a All-America first-team pick and a top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award as a junior. She ranks fourth in school history in game-winning goals (12), short-handed goals (5), assists (114) and plus/minus (+108). The lone blueliner among the group, Zandee-Hart was a three-time selection to both the All-Ivy League and All-ECAC Hockey teams while twice being selected for the All-USCHO national third team. She was also nominated for the Patty Kazmaier Award during her senior season, when the Big Red was the top overall seed heading into the NCAA tournament before the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the rest of the postseason.
 
Not to be lost in the wave of Carnellian Red on Team Canada's active roster was the additional presence of Jaime Bourbonnais '20 and Kristin O'Neill '20, who comprised half of Canada's taxi squad that accompanied the team to China and stayed prepared in case of any roster additions.