Joy Dunne, the younger sister of Buffalo Sabres forward Josh Dunne, will compete for Team USA in the Gold Medal Game in women's hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Dunne and the Americans scored a 5-0 victory over Sweden in the tournament semifinals Monday. They'll face rival Canada or Switzerland in the championship game Thursday.
The 20-year-old forward, who plays college hockey for The Ohio State University, has scored five points (two goals and three assists) in six games en route to the Olympic Final. She's tallied an eye-popping 44 points (25 goals and 19 helpers) in 24 contests with the Buckeyes this season.
Dunne previously captured a gold medal with the U.S. at the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship. This is her first appearance in the Winter Games, and the Missouri native is the youngest player on the Team USA roster.
Joy and Josh are two of six Dunne siblings who've played hockey.
Josh Dunne could rejoin the Sabres following the NHL's Olympic break after cheering on his sister during the Winter Games
Dunne battled through a middle-body injury for an extended stretch before the Sabres decided to shut him down after a Jan. 12 loss to the Florida Panthers. Head coach Lindy Ruff gave an initial four-to-six week timetable for the veteran's return to the lineup.
That should put the 27-year-old defensive-minded forward on track to return coming out of the break or shortly thereafter.
The three-week hiatus came at a perfect time for Buffalo, which had some shown signs of fatigue while losing three of its final four games before the Olympics.
Dunne was joined by Josh Norris, Zach Benson, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Jiri Kulich, Conor Timmins and Justin Danforth among the club's injured players. Injuries have been a major hindrance to the Blue and Gold dating all the way back to training camp.
The 6-foot-4 grinder has provided a stabilizing presence for the Sabres across 28 appearances when healthy despite a limited offensive impact (four points). So, it's perhaps not a surprise the fourth line has struggled since he was placed on injured reserve.
There will be an intense battle for lineup spots if Buffalo does get closer to full strength during the stretch run of the regular season, so it's not a guarantee Dunne will play an every-game role, but he's at least earned a chance to rotate in for Ruff and his staff.
For now, he'll focus on the final stages of his recovery while hoping his sister can carry the family name to the top spot on the podium in the Olympics.