Miller time for USA: Bode, goalie Ryan come up big

Bode Miller won the first gold medal of his Olympics career, taking the super-combined with plenty of flair — roaring back from seventh after the downhill with a blazing slalom run. Then, hours later, goaltender Ryan Miller made 42 saves to help the U.S. hockey team upset Canada 5-3 in one of its biggest wins since the famous Miracle on Ice in 1980.

The hockey win gave the Americans a perfect record in the preliminary round and assured them a berth in the quarterfinals. Bode Miller’s victory bumped the U.S. medal count to seven gold and 24 overall to lead all countries.

One more medal and the Americans will match the 25 they won in 2006, their most at a Winter Olympics not held at home. Miller’s performance at that Olympics was forgettable, when he partied away his status as the favorite going into the games.

Now, with a medal of each color after three races, Miller is one of the feel-good stories of the Vancouver Games.

"The level I skied at is at the very top,” he said. "It feels amazing.”

Across Vancouver, bars, restaurants and streets were packed Sunday, mainly because of the U.S.-Canada hockey game the host country was anticipating for years. With a trio of rivalry games at Canada Hockey Place, and six gold medals handed out elsewhere, the day was dubbed "Super Sunday.”

However, it got off to a sad start with Joannie Rochette — Canada’s best hope for a medal in women’s figure skating — learning that her 55-year-old mother died of a massive heart attack.

Rochette wiped her eyes and took a deep breath before stepping onto the ice for afternoon practice, then blinked hard during her first few laps around the rink. She’ll remain in the event, which starts Tuesday, "to fulfill the goal they had together,” said Rochette’s agent, David Baden.

In other events decided Sunday, Germany’s Magdalena Neuner won her second gold medal of these games in biathlon and Switzerland’s Michael Schmid won the Olympics debut of men’s skicross, a cousin to the NASCAR-on-ice snowboarding race featuring four racers charging through a winding course filled with jumps.

Andre Lange of Germany won the two-man bobsled, and speedskater Ireen Wust of the Netherlands took the women’s 1,500 meters.

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HOCKEY

The U.S. came out wearing jerseys nearly identical to those worn by the 1960 gold-medal winning team at Squaw Valley, which also was the last group of Americans to beat Canada in the Olympics.

The U.S. lived up to the threads with Brian Rafalski scoring just 41 seconds into the game and Rafalski scoring again later in the period.

Chris Drury and Jamie Langenbrunner scored to put the U.S. up 4-2, and the Americans held off a relentless late surge by Canada that included Sidney Crosby’s goal with 3:09 remaining.

One play summed up the first game, a rematch of the 1998 gold-medal game between Russia and the Czech Republic: Russia’s Alex Ovechkin flattening Jaromir Jagr with a hit at center ice that also broke his visor. The Russians won 4-2 to claim first place in their group.

Evgeni Malkin scored twice for Russia and Ovechkin had two assists.

"I wish I had a concussion and just forget what happened,” Jagr said. "But I remember it.”

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SUPER-COMBINED

Once Miller took over the lead, he had to wait out six challengers. The last was Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway, who finished a spot ahead of Miller in the super-G and the downhill.

When Svindal pulled up midway through the race, that was it. Miller tied the record for most Alpine medals won by a man at a single Winter Olympics.

"It’s going to be hard for me go keep doing this,” said Miller, who could still have two events left. "This is incredibly emotionally exhausting.”

Defending champion Ted Ligety jumped from 15th to fifth with the fastest time in the slalom. Unfortunately for him, there was only one slalom leg this time, after two in Turin.

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SKATER’S MOTHER

A few hours after learning of her mother’s sudden death, Rochette was back on the ice. Dressed in black tights and a black Canadian team hoodie, she appeared in the runway as the rest of the skaters in her practice session took the ice.

Rochette quickly settled into the comfort of her practice routine. She showed no lapses in concentration, jumped well and did a light run-through of her tango short program, even flashing a saucy smile at one point. In the stands, her father repeatedly rubbed his eyes.

"Joannie is doing as well as one can expect. It has been an emotional roller coaster for her,” Skate Canada CEO William Thompson said. "She made the decision that she wants to compete and maintain her training schedule. It is providing her with stability in a very uncertain time of her life.”

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SKICROSS

For an unpredictable sport, the first men’s winner wasn’t much of a surprise. Schmid was the top-ranked World Cup rider this season.

But the final did have one of its trademark wipeouts, with Canada’s Chris Del Bosco, winner of the Winter X Games last month, going down hard on the next-to-last jump.

Americans Casey Puckett and Daron Rahlves were eliminated in the first round of the four-man heats.

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SPEEDSKATING

Wust stunned the home team by winning a gold medal in the 1,500. Canada’s Christine Nesbitt, who took gold in the 1,000, had hoped to add another Olympic win. She was slightly ahead of Wust’s pace heading into the final lap but couldn’t match the last trip around the oval produced by the Dutch skater.

Wust won in 1 minute, 56.89 seconds. Canada did manage a silver, claimed by Kristina Groves in 1:57.14. Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic took the bronze (1:57.96). Nesbitt wassixth.

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BOBSLED

Germany’s Lange rarely loses — and never in the Olympics. Bobsled’s best driver won his fourth gold in four career races inside the winter rings, taking the two-man competition to become the winningest pilot in Olympic history.

Lange completed his four trips down Whistler Sliding Center’s track in 3 minutes, 26.65 seconds, .22 ahead of Germany’s Thomas Florschuetz (3:26.87), who won the silver. Russia’s Alexsandr Zubkov (3:27.51) won the bronze.

Lange is the first driver to win four bobsled golds since the event debuted in 1932 at Lake Placid.

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CURLING

The U.S. women’s curling team lost to Canada after winning their previous two matches. The Canadians are 5-0, but have had some tight matches. They looked dominant, winning 9-2 in a shortened match.

The Americans were to face defending champion Sweden later Sunday.

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BIATHLON

Neuner overcame two missed shots to win the women’s 12.5-kilometer mass start. This gold will go nicely with the gold she won in the 10K pursuit and her silver in the 7.5K sprint.

In the men’s 15-kilometer mass start race, World Cup leader Evgeny Ustyugov of Russia took the gold. Tim Burke failed again to end the American biathlon drought, finishing 18th.

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COSTUME CONTROVERSY

There have been some alterations to the Aboriginal-themed costumes worn by world ice dance champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia — at least in practice Sunday.

The skin tone of their bodysuits have gone from brown to flesh-colored. Some white markings are less visible. He’s still wearing a loin cloth, and both have leaves and white ropes.