Team USA Men’s Hockey Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (Photo courtesy USA Hockey)
After discovering an unlikely Mill City connection to Olympic hockey last week, it’s time to focus on the more obvious Lowell link on Milan, Italy ice; the starting goaltenders for the United States Men’s and Women’s teams have both guarded the net at Tsongas Center.
Connor Hellebuyck, who helped lead the UMass Lowell River Hawks to the schools only NCAA Frozen Four appearance ever in 2013, has backstopped two of Team USA’s victories in the preliminary round of the 2026 Winter Games.
The National Hockey League’s reigning Most Valuable Player and Vezina Trophy winner as best goaltender manned the pipes in the 5-1 victories over both Germany and Latvia, making 23 and 17 saves respectively in his two contests. When not competing for gold medals, Hellebuyck plays for the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.
Boston Bruins goalie, Jeremy Swayman, started the Americans’ other game, a 6-3 win against Denmark.
Hellebuyck, who is appearing in his first Olympic Games, is expected to get the nod again in net when medal round play for the men commences Wednesday.
Meanwhile, when the women have skated in Italy, Aerin Frankel has been dominant in net for the Americans.
Whet not guarding the pipes for Team USA in international competition, the Chappaqua, New York native stars for the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. The Fleet play most of their home games at Tsongas Center. 
The 26-year old netminder played her college hockey nearby at Northeastern University. She earned the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2021, presented annually to the top player in Women’s College Hockey, and has been named to six U.S. Women’s National Team rosters.
Team USA Women’s Hockey Goaltender Aerin Frankel (Photo courtesy USA Hockey)
She is competing in her first ever Olympics.
Frankel has started four of the six American women’s games, allowing just one goal and pitching three consecutive shutouts, the latest a 5-0 blanking of Sweden in today’s semifinal matchup.
She is expected to start for Team USA in the Gold Medal game Thursday against the winner of the Canada/Switzerland matchup, which Canada leads 2-0 at press time.
If Frankel and the rest of the team are successful, it will mark the Americans’ third ever gold medal, joining the 1998 and 2018 teams atop the victory stand. Canada has won the other five women’s Olympic tournaments.
Aerin Frankel (Photo courtesy Boston Fleet)
