Beijing (AFP) - Slovakia eliminated the United States in the Beijing Olympic ice hockey quarterfinals Wednesday, stunning the Americans with a tying goal in the final minute of regulation before winning 3-2 in a shootout.
Canada was also knocked out by late goals -- losing 2-0 to Sweden -- as the absence of big names from the National Hockey League (NHL) due to the pandemic doomed the two North American hockey powers.
Ahead 2-1 in the final minute and on the verge of the semi-finals, the USA came under sustained assault from Slovakia which had pulled its goalie, leaving an open net to throw on an extra attacker.
The gamble paid off when Slovak captain Marek Hrivik slotted home to tie it up with 44 seconds left in regulation and send the game into overtime, where Slovakia prevailed in a shootout.
Slovakia's comeback dashed the hopes of a USA roster that, despite practising only a few times together before the Games, went 3-0 in group play and came into the quarters as top seed, inspiring comparisons with the gold-medal-winning "Miracle on Ice" team of the 1980 Games.
"These guys will have a great future ahead of them and they'll be back here representing USA before you know it," former NHL defencemen Steven Kampfer said of his younger teammates.
"But this one's going to sting for a little bit for all of us."
The NHL no-show forced the USA and Canada to put hastily assembled combinations of ageing veterans and NHL-bound teenagers up against more experienced European rosters that know each other well.
"It's the medal round and you're going to get every team's best," said USA captain Andy Miele.
"That's a good team over there (Slovakia) and in a one-game elimination, that happens."
In Friday's semifinals, Slovakia will face undefeated Finland, which dispatched Switzerland 5-1 on Wednesday.Sweden will play the defending-champion Russians, who eliminated Denmark, 3-1.
Slovakia's big 17-year-old goal machine Juraj Slafkovsky, the emerging star of the tournament and a top prospect for the NHL draft this summer, netted again to open the scoring against the USA midway through the first period.
He now has five goals in Beijing, tied for the lead with Swedish forward Lucas Wallmark.
But the USA took back the lead early in the second and held it until Hrivik's late goal.
"Before the third (period) we said, 'It's only one shot'," said Slovakia's Michal Kristof.
"We made that shot and then in the shootouts it was amazing to see how our goalie handled all of them."
Sweden also pulled out a late win to eliminate Canada, winners of three of the last five Olympic golds.
The Swedes scored two goals in the last 10 minutes in a close, bruising contest
