Both U.S. hockey teams brought home the gold from Milan with dramatic 2-1 overtime wins over Canada — and that's thanks to some big assists from Ohio.

Why it matters: The men's victory ended a 46-year drought, their first gold since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice."

• And the continued success of the women's team — featuring three Ohio State greats — further cements the university's reputation as a women's hockey powerhouse.
• It's the first time the U.S. has swept gold medals in the sport, a rare feat.

Catch up quick: Blue Jackets star Zach Werenski set up Jack Hughes' winning goal yesterday with a perfect pass shortly into overtime.

• Yes, he's technically from Michigan, but we're claiming him now.
• Forward J.T. Miller, of East Palestine, helped the team stay perfect during penalty kills.

The celebration included touching moments honoring CBJ player Johnny Gaudreau, who died in 2024. His family was in attendance.

• "We wanted to make him proud, and I think we did that," Werenski told reporters.

Flashback: The U.S. women won in a nearly identical thrilling fashion Thursday, in a game featuring seven current or former OSU players (four played for Canada).

Zoom in: Junior Joy Dunne and grads Cayla Barnes and Hannah Bilka were all part of the winning rotation.

• Cleveland Heights defender Laila Edwards had a clutch assist on the game-tying goal and also made history as the team's first Black player.
• Goaltender Gwyneth Philips, of Athens, didn't play but had 26 saves earlier in the tournament.

By the numbers: This is the third gold medal for the U.S. women. They're tied with Canada with eight medals overall in Olympics history.

The big picture: While ice hockey was the biggest showcase of success with Ohio ties, Cincinnati's Connor Curran also helped the U.S. win gold in freestyle aerial skiing.

• Overall, the U.S. won 33 medals — 12 gold, 12 silver and nine bronze.
• Only Norway won more, with 41.

What's next: The Paralympics begin March 6, though no athletes on the official roster report Ohio hometowns.

The Milan Cortina games handed out the priciest Olympic medals in over a century — and athletes are already breaking them.

Why it matters: Athletes typically value medals for prestige, not price, but soaring precious-metal costs have made the sometimes-faulty 2026 medals especially costly.

Driving the news: At least three competitors say their medals have broken, reporting snapped ribbons and broken clasps.

• U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu posted a memetic video on Instagram of her broken prize with the caption, "My medal don't need the ribbon."

What they're saying: "Following reports of issues affecting a small number of medals, the Organising Committee immediately reviewed the matter, working closely with the State Mint, which produced the medals," the committee said in an emailed statement.

• "A solution has been identified, and a targeted fix has been put in place."

Fun fact: The Olympics haven't awarded solid gold medals since the 1912 games in Stockholm, Sweden.

• Today's gold medals are made of 500 grams of silver and six grams of gold.

❓ At his Congressional deposition last week, Les Wexner said he couldn't remember specifics about a dozen topics: including his last contact with Jeffrey Epstein, how he compensated Epstein and whether he saw photos of women or minors at Epstein's properties, a new video shows. (Dispatch)

⚖️ A Columbus sex worker who pleaded guilty to a series of murders via overdose was sentenced to at least 60 years in prison. (NBC News)

💰 Connor Grubb, a former Blendon Township police officer acquitted in the fatal shooting of Ta'Kiya Young, signed a $150,000 separation agreement. (WBNS-TV)

💰 Ohio State broke its own record for the ninth year in a row with $1.68 billion in research spending last fiscal year. (Columbus Business First 🔒)

⚽️ Retired Crew great and MLS legend Darlington Nagbe is already back with the team, hired Friday as individual development coach. (Crew)

👋 Alissa here. Our international food tour's first stop of 2026 is Japan, courtesy of a new Westerville ramen spot.

Dining the news: Zundo Ramen & Donburi recently expanded into the suburbs following the success of its first local restaurant in Old North.

• Owner Han Lin studied culinary arts in Japan before launching the popular concept in Cincinnati in 2018. This is its fifth location.

Zoom in: As its name suggests, the menu goes beyond ramen, featuring bento boxes, donburi (rice bowls), bubble teas and an array of appetizers like dumplings and fried seafood.

What I ate: I started with two fluffy chashu buns filled with pork and crisp veggies ($8).

• The quality made me even more excited for the main course, a tonkotsu ramen bowl ($15) with egg, bamboo, ginger and green onion. (I added bean sprouts for $3.)

The intrigue: The signature ramen is made with noodle flour imported from Japan and pork from rare kurobuta pigs, the "Wagyu of pork."

💭 My thought bubble: Originally, I asked for a to-go box, as I rarely finish a bowl in one sitting.

• Well, there's a first time for everything. Once I started eating, I couldn't stop.

Stop by: 599 S. State St., Westerville. Menu and hours.

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