The U.S. Women’s National Team’s road to its fifth consecutive gold at the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Espoo, Finland, was full of exciting moments.

The U.S. won their opening game against the host Finland, 6-2, before defeating Canada and Switzerland in their next two games. In its final preliminary round game, a 10-0 win over Russia, Lee Stecklein (Roseville, Minn.) scored her first two career IIHF goals.

After defeating Japan in the quarterfinals and Russia in the semifinals, the U.S. was riding their second-longest shutout streak in Team USA WWC history heading into the finals. It was a combined effort between Maddie Rooney (Andover, Minn.) and Alex Rigsby (Delafield, Wis.). The shutout streak was thwarted in the second period of the gold-medal game, but the United States would defeat Finland, 2-1, in a shootout to claim gold.

As a team, the U.S. finished the tournament at the top of the charts in scoring efficiency and in power-play efficiency, and will remain the top-ranked team in the world according to the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Ranking following its gold-medal victory in Espoo.

To relive every moment of the U.S.’s gold-medal journey, click here.  

For behind the scenes content, click here.