Laila Edwards and the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team has been a juggernaut so far at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. They improved to 4-0 and remained undefeated in Group A of the competition after crushing Canada on Tuesday to the tune of a 5-0 score.
The cherry on top of that win was a historic one. It came on a goal by Edwards, who scored off an assist by Britta Curl in the third period.
You can watch Edwards’ nasty snipe here.
A moment that goes beyond scoring. 🔥
— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) February 11, 2026
Laila Edwards makes history as the first Black woman to score a goal for Team USA in the Olympics. pic.twitter.com/9G58MSYAKy
With that goal, Edwards became the first Black woman to light the lamp for the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey squad.
Laila Edwards is the first Black woman to play for the U.S. Olympic women’s ice hockey team AND score a goal at the Olympics 👏 pic.twitter.com/gSV5mqn0ZV
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 10, 2026
Team USA sent a strong statement with that victory. After all, the team took down the reigning Olympic champion, Canada, in dominant fashion.
Edwards and company won the possession battle, taking 33 shots on goal to just 20 by the Canadians, who struggled to weather the United States’ relentless attacks.
Given the heated rivalry between the U.S. and Canada on the ice, Edwards did not have to dig deep to find motivation.
“I mean, you can’t deny it, there’s extra, there’s more intensity” to facing Canada, Edwards said after the game, via Andrew Greif of NBC. “And I think we rise to the occasion.”
Having secured the top spot in Group A, the United States now prepares for the knockout stages, where it will face host country Italy in the quarterfinal round.
