Then with just 45 seconds left in the contest, American Ryan Kesler reached around his opponent to slap the final U.S. goal into the empty Canadian net, making it 5-3.

The game was just a preliminary round match, but in hockey-mad Canada, it was more than that. To lose to the United States in the Olympics on home soil was devastating.

After the game, Canada fans - many in replicas of the team's red and white Maple Leaf jerseys - seemed stunned as they filed out of the Canada Hockey Place. Some Americans chanted "U-S-A, U-S-A!" But many Canadians, including Melissa Mazeman of Winnipeg, Manitoba, were still trying to realize what had happened.

"As soon as that first goal was scored within in the first minute, that did hurt, it was kind of crushing," she said. "But every U.S. player - or every U.S. fan I have seen on the street - I have said congratulations [to]."

Team USA fan David Loring of Colorado Springs, Colorado, one of a vastly outnumbered corps of fans wearing USA Hockey gear, gave goalkeeper Ryan Miller the credit for preserving the win.

"[Team USA] played really well tonight. I have to tell you, they got outplayed by Canada. We had some really good goalie work this evening. Brodeur made some nice saves, but Miller really played well tonight. That was the difference I thought."

The win is the United States' first Olympic win over Canada since 1960. It also came one day short of the 30th anniversary of the U.S. hockey win over the former Soviet Union in the 1980 Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid.