From Shadyside Academy straight to the world’s largest stage.
Pittsburgh and Pens Elite’s own Gwyneth Philips is one to watch during the Milan Winter Olympics.
Philips is one of three goalies on the USA Women’s Hockey team.
“I’m from Madison, Ohio, so there’s not, like, a whole lot of hockey,” Philips said. “And my parents signed my brother up. He’s six years older than me, and, you know, at the time, I wanted to be just like my brother.”
And so just like her older brother Guy, Gwen Philips laced up the skates.
With the whole family quickly investing more time in hockey, they went looking for better opportunities. They found them in Pittsburgh - through Penguins Elite and Shadyside Academy.
That’s where her game took off.
“So kind of getting that consistent ice time and having all those resources, I think, was really, really beneficial,” she said. “Like, that’s where I started skating with, like, a goalie coach, and then starting to actually, like, learn how to play goalie, as opposed to just playing like, however I wanted.”
It took her to Northeastern University, then the PWHL.
Despite a decorated career, including 2025 playoff MVP with the Ottawa Charge, Team USA wasn’t always a sure thing. But after years’ worth of tryouts and camps, she made a big impression just in time for Milan.
“I wasn’t really on USA Hockey’s radar for a long time. So it was not, it was, you know, something I dreamed about as a kid. But as I got older and had to be realistic, it kind of dropped,” she said. “So it’s really cool to kind of go through that journey of, like, reevaluating my goals, and then maybe, you know, getting to come back and push for something that I kind of thought at one point was unattainable.”
Philips and the women’s USA Hockey team begin their Olympic games on Thursday, Feb. 5, against Czechia.
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