Americans stun Canada, 5-3, in hockey showdown

The win puts the U.S. in the tournament’s quarterfinals and possibly with the top seed.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The United States pulled off its biggest Olympic hockey upset since the Miracle on Ice, stunning Canada 5-3 on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals of an already mixed-up tournament.

Brian Rafalski scored two goals and set up another, and Ryan Miller held off a flurry of shots to lead the Americans.

“We know we can beat anybody now,” Rafalski said.

One day short of the 30th anniversary of the country’s greatest hockey victory — the unfathomable win over the Soviet Union in Lake Placid — these underrated Americans were faster, more disciplined and more determined than Canada’s collection of all-stars.

Better, too.

Canada outshot the U.S. 45-23 yet couldn’t badly dent Miller, the goalie the Americans felt could best stand up to all of Canada’s might. He did just that, making 42 saves in the victory of a lifetime.

These Americans didn’t believe in miracles. They just believed.

Depending on the later Finland-Sweden game that concluded hockey’s Super Sunday in Vancouver, the United States could go into Wednesday’s quarterfinals not only as a group winner but as the top-seeded team, something almost no one predicted when the tournament began.

Canada, the gold-medal favorite, was expected to coast into the medal round. But now, after nearly losing to Switzerland and being outplayed on home ice by the Americans, it must win a play-in game Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals. The Canadians still could win a gold medal, but now face a much tougher road that would include an additional game.

“We’re here to be the last ones standing and we’re still alive,” Martin Brodeur said. “We’re throwing 45 shot at these goalies and they are making stops facing forward, backward, sideways. Eventually we’ll be more successful.”

Chris Drury, a former Little League World Series star, and Jamie Langenbrunner scored to put the U.S. up 4-2 and hold off a relentless late surge by Canada that included Sidney Crosby’s power play goal with 3:09 remaining.

Miller made an exceptional save on Rick Nash’s shot from the slot with two minutes left to preserve it, and Ryan Kesler put it away by swiping in an empty-net goal with one hand with 45 seconds remaining.

“He made some really key saves in the third period and was the difference,” Canada forward Eric Staal said.

Rafalski, Langenbrunner and Drury are three of the older, steadying hands on one of the youngest U.S. Olympic teams in history, one that averages 5 years younger per man than the 2006 team that didn’t medal in Turin.

“It’s great for our young players to get a win of this caliber against that type of team,” Rafalski said. “Going forward, it sets the bar very high for us. It lets those guys know that we can possibly win this thing.”

The U.S, supposedly a tier below the Canadians, Russians and Swedes, got exactly the start it wanted. Rafalski’s slap shot from the right point 41 seconds into the game deflected off Crosby’s stick and past Brodeur, the best goalie of his generation but not the better goalie in the game.

“We wanted a good start but that was better than expected for sure,” forward Patrick Kane said.

Staal tied it by deflecting Brent Seabrook’s shot from the right circle at 8:53 — one of 19 that Canada took to America’s six in an up-tempo first period.

Just when it appeared Canada would blunt America’s early momentum, Rafalski scored 22 seconds after Staal’s goal following a rare misplay by Brodeur. The goalie threw the puck up the middle of the ice into traffic, Rafalski swooped in and snapped off a shot that a screened Brodeur apparently didn’t see.

It was Rafalski’s fourth goal on only six shots in three games.

The Canadians spent most of the opening 10 minutes of the second period in the U.S. zone, getting a tying goal from Dany Heatley — his fourth in three games — but Miller gave up no others.