Miller makes 42 saves as U.S. hockey team stuns Canada, 5-3

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The United States pulled off its biggest Olympic hockey upset since the 1980 Miracle on Ice, stunning Canada, 5-3, last night to reach the quarterfinals.

Brian Rafalski had two goals and an assist and Ryan Miller made 42 saves to lead the Americans. "We know we can beat anybody now," Rafalski said.

A day short of the 30th anniversary of America's greatest hockey victory - the unfathomable win over the Soviet Union in Lake Placid - the Americans were faster, more disciplined and more determined than Canada's stars. Better, too.

Canada outshot the U.S. 45-23 but couldn't badly dent Miller, the goalie the Americans felt could best stand up to all of Canada's might.

Depending on the later Finland-Sweden game that concluded hockey's Super Sunday in Vancouver, the U.S. 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.

"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 Rangers' Chris Drury, a former Little League World Series star, and the Devils' Jamie Langenbrunner beat Martin Brodeur 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 left.

Canada, the gold-medal favorite, was expected to coast into the medal round. But now, after being outplayed on home ice by the Americans, it must win a play-in game Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals.

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

Russia 4, Czech Republic 2: Alex Ovechkin flattened Jaromir Jagr with a visor-breaking center-ice hit that powered Russia right into the quarterfinals.

The open-ice smackdown by the NHL MVP was the spotlight moment of Russia's victory over the Czech Republic. Ovechkin also had two assists and Evgeni Malkin scored two goals.

Jagr, who a day earlier called Ovechkin the best player in the world, had circled with the puck before the Russian caught him high with his arm.

The crunching hit came just before Alexander Semin found Malkin in the right circle for a goal that made it 3-1 at 1:49 of the third period.

"I made one turnover there and it cost us the game. I feel horrible," Jagr said. "I didn't see if it was an elbow or not. It doesn't really matter. It wasn't called. They got the puck, they scored. That heals, but the mistake doesn't heal. I wish I had a concussion and just forget what happened, but I remember it."