WELLESLEY — What better way to start practice than with a gold-medal celebration?
The Boston Fleet’s four Olympic medalists, part of the group of seven Fleet players representing five national teams in Milan, returned to practice Thursday to a fete of Olympic proportions.
Before drills began, coach Kris Sparre called on Team USA’s Megan Keller and Team Switzerland’s Alina Müller — who each scored an overtime goal to win gold and bronze medals, respectively, for their countries — to re-create their special moments.
But backup goaltender Amanda Thiele couldn’t give one up for free, and she made a pad save on Keller’s attempt to go five-hole.
While the shot didn’t have quite the effect of the golden goal, Keller and Müller tossed their gloves and sticks aside, and their Fleet teammates clambered over the boards and crushed them in a group hug.
“We were all talking about how excited we were when Alina scored the bronze medal goal and when Megan scored the game-winning goal for the gold medal,” Sparre said, “so we said, ‘Let’s re-create those moments and give us a taste of what it could have felt like.’ ”
That celebration set the tone for what Sparre called an “electric” practice session.
During the Olympic break, the 19 players that remained stateside worked through two grueling weeks of practice with no games, but with the Olympians back at the rink and a game against the Charge set for Saturday in Ottawa, the excitement was palpable at Boston Sports Institute on Thursday.
Keller and Team USA teammates Haley Winn and Aerin Frankel flew commercial back from Milan and had to be routed through Atlanta because of last weekend’s snowstorm, finally touching down in Boston late Tuesday. Müller, who stayed back for an extra day of celebration with her team, arrived Wednesday and was on the ice bright and early Thursday.
“Everyone’s asking me if I’m jet lagged,” Winn said. “I just feel like I’m running off adrenaline because I’m just so excited to be back with everyone.”
Keller said her Fleet teammates were among the thousands who reached out to congratulate her after Team USA’s 2-1 triumph over Canada in the gold-medal game, and being able to share a piece of the celebration before practice with them was “special.”
The medalists brought their hardware to the rink to show them off to teammates and the media. Keller keeps hers wrapped in a Team USA sock to prevent scuff marks on the surface; she insisted the sock has been washed thoroughly.
With 16 games remaining in the regular season and the Fleet sitting in first place by a narrow margin, Sparre is hoping to capture that energy and excitement and translate it into success on the ice.
“From a coaching standpoint, it’s a dream come true when you see the amount of energy that’s going to be inserted into your lineup,” Sparre said.
The first-year coach said he’s not in a rush to load up the Olympians’ workloads given that they’re coming off of some of the most mentally and physically demanding games of their lives.
But Sparre is conscious that the players are “chomping at the bit” to get back to PWHL games. Combine that with the excitement of having Olympic medals in the building, and Thursday’s practice was faster-paced than he anticipated.
“Our players are excited to be back — back with our team and everything that we hope to accomplish this year,” Sparre said. “I don’t think it’s going to take too much time to get our rhythm back.”
The players are optimistic that the Olympics will draw more eyes to women’s hockey, and especially to the PWHL and the Fleet. An average of 5.3 million people tuned into the gold-medal game, making it the most-watched women’s hockey game on record.
Learning about the viewership numbers, hearing from fans from around the world, and seeing the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena filled to capacity reminded Keller of how in awe she felt watching Team USA win gold in 1998, the first year women competed in ice hockey at the Olympics.
“Watching the players that came before me, that’s what sparked a dream,” Keller said. “To realize the enormity of what we just did, hopefully we spark dreams in so many younger girls that want to represent their country on the biggest stage.”
Emma Healy can be reached at emma.healy@globe.com or on X @ByEmmaHealy.