She attended Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School and played three seasons for the Greater Vancouver Comets of the BC Elite Hockey League, where she recorded 90 goals and 91 assists in 92 games.
[2] During the 2022 NCAA tournament, she scored the game-winning goal against Yale in the Frozen Four to help Ohio State advance to the championship game, and lead Ohio State to their first national championship in program history.
[6] She helped lead the Buckeyes to their second national championship in program history.
[7][8] Gardiner finished her collegiate career with 71 goals and 100 assists in a program record 176 games.
[10][11] Gardiner represented Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship where she was scoreless in four games and won a gold medal.