Four women’s hockey alumnae to play at Winter Olympics

Four players familiar to Cornell women's hockey fans will take the ice when the puck drops at the 2026 Winter Olympics this week in Milan, Italy.

Brianne Jenner '15 and Kristin O'Neill '20 will represent traditional powerhouse Canada. Laura Fortino '13, who played for Canada in two previous Olympics, will be skating for the host nation. And Rory Guilday '25 will become the first Big Red alumna to represent the United States in women's hockey at the Olympics.

Guilday becomes the 10th player from Cornell's program to play at the Olympics, all since 2010. Jenner, O'Neill and Fortino have all played in previous Olympics. Former Big Red stars have won a total of nine gold and five silver medals.

Nine of the 10 Olympians played at Cornell under Doug Derraugh '91, the Everett Family Head Coach of Women's Ice Hockey.

"I'm excited that all of these players are achieving their lifelong goals of playing in the Olympics," Derraugh said. "Obviously, we're very proud that we attract players and people of this caliber."

For Jenner, a graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), Milan marks her fourth appearance for Canada. She already has two gold medals and a silver medal to her name. She is second in career points for the Big Red and finished as the top goal-scorer at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing with nine.

"Brianne is the total package as a hockey player," Derraugh said. "And she's a great ambassador for the game of hockey, Cornell and Team Canada."

O'Neill, also an A&S graduate, will be making her Olympic debut. She traveled to Beijing in 2022 as part of Canada's "taxi squad" - players who were available in case of a COVID outbreak on a team - but she never saw the ice. O'Neill is no stranger to the Team Canada setup, however, having won three world championships. She finished her Cornell career as the program's all-time leader in game-winning goals with 21.

"If I were going into battle with anybody and needed to bring someone I know had my back, I would pick Kristin O'Neill," Derraugh said. "She's one of the toughest players I've ever coached."

Fortino, who graduated from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), qualified via family lineage to play for Italy after winning silver in 2014 and gold in 2018 with Canada. She scored 133 points in 133 career games for the Big Red. She has been living and playing in Italy the past two years.

"Laura was a huge part of the turnaround for the women's hockey program at Cornell," Derraugh said. "At one point, she was the best defenseman in the world, and it means so much to her family that she now has the opportunity to represent Italy."

Guilday, a CALS graduate, will help anchor the defense for the United States. She already won a gold medal with the U.S. at the 2023 World Championships, along with two silver medals. Guilday made the All-Ivy First Team as both a junior and senior at Cornell.

"I talked with Rory when she arrived at Cornell, and I'm not sure at that point she believed she was capable of this," Derraugh said. "But she is a dominating physical presence, and women's hockey has become much more physical in recent years. She has is also a powerful skater and has one of the hardest shots I've ever seen."

All four former Big Red stars will be in action on the first day of the tournament, Feb. 5, in Milan. Fortino and Italy will face France at 8:40 a.m.; the U.S. follows at 10:40 a.m. when they take on Czechia; and Canada takes on Finland at 3:10 p.m. to close day one.

The highly anticipated game between the U.S. and Canada will take place at 1:40 p.m. on Feb. 10, the final day of the group stage.

The quarterfinals are scheduled for Feb. 13-14, the semifinals will be on Feb. 16 and the gold-medal game is set for Feb. 19.