Team USA and Canada will reignite their bitter rivalry on Thursday in the gold medal game in women’s ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

All eyes will be on the Americans when the puck drops in Milan, Italy, at 1:10 p.m. ET. “Miracle on Ice” star Jim Craig will be among those watching.

He shared some advice for the women’s team ahead of the game.

“As the women of Team USA go for gold, remember — the moment isn’t bigger than you. You’ve prepared for this,” he wrote on X. “Trust the work. Trust each other. Compete with heart.

“When you play for the name on the front of the jersey, anything is possible.”

SEN TOMMY TUBERVILLE: BRING BACK THE ‘MIRACLE ON ICE’ SPIRIT TO TEAM USA

Craig was the netminder for Team USA when the U.S. won gold in the 1980 Winter Olympics, upsetting the Soviet Union and topping Finland for the gold.

It hasn’t been the same strife for the women’s side as they have mostly been in cruise control during the Olympics this time around. The Americans outscored their opponents in group play, 16-1, including a 5-0 victory over Canada on Feb. 10.

In the tournament portion, Team USA has outscored their opponents 11-0.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The U.S. will look to capture gold in a revenge moment from the 2022 Beijing Games. Canada topped the U.S., 3-2, in that game. The U.S. and Canada have squared off in each gold medal game since the 2010 Olympics in Canada.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

The new UCLA football coaching staff has been in touch with one of their top recruits arriving in 2027.

Weston Port, the former San Juan Hills High standout linebacker, is finishing up his second year as a Mormon missionary on assignment in Spain.

New linebacker coach Vic So’oto has been in contact with Port and once tried to recruit him to Cal.

Port exercises when he has time while visiting various cities. His mission ends in December and he’ll be ready to join UCLA for spring practice in 2027 while focusing on getting back into playing shape.

His father said in a message, “Weston remains committed to UCLA and is eager and excited to get back to football once his service is completed.”

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

United States figure skater Ilia Malinin may have been favorited to take home medals entering the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, but he admitted not being well prepared to do so.

Malinin, nicknamed the “Quad God” for his special quadruple axel that he could perform in his routine, shockingly fell multiple times in the men’s free skate final, finishing eighth in the event. The result was surprising to fans and pundits alike, but this Malinin has since had time to reflect on what went wrong in Milan.

During an appearance on the “Today” show on Tuesday, he was candid with his response. It wasn’t that he wasn’t technically prepared to perform in Milan — it was the pressure from the fans in the stands and the millions watching around the world.

“Honestly, it’s not a pleasant feeling,” Malinin said about the free skate blunders. “The most honest way to say it is it’s just a lot of on you, just so many eyes, so much attention. It really can get to you if you’re not ready to fully embrace it, so I think that might be one of the mistakes I made going into that free skate was I was not ready to handle that to a full extent.”

Heading into the Olympics, it was expected that Malinin would be on the podium in some capacity after the men’s free skate came to close. He had four competitions leading up to the Games, where his scores ranged between 209-238.

ILIA MALININ POSTPONES PRESS CONFERENCE A DAY AFTER EIGHTH-PLACE OLYMPIC FINISH

However, the falls led to a final score of 156.33, and Malinin hung his head after the event knowing that he wasn’t going to be securing an Olympic medal this time around.

“Of course, it didn’t go the way I wanted it to. … All I have to do is just learn from my mistakes there and push to see how I can improve in the future. I can take a different approach leading up to the next Games, hopefully,” he said.

But it hasn’t been all bad for Malinin in Milan, as he helped the United States achieve team gold earlier in the Games with a 200.03 free skate.

Malinin will be 25 at the next Winter Olympics in 2030, which will be held in the French Alps.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.