Shootout shocker sends US packing

Strauss Mann allowed only one goal on five shots by Slovakia, with Peter Cehlarik beating him with a move he practiced in the warm-up and expected to catch the goaltender by surprise. On the bench during the shootout, 17-year-old Slovakia forward Juraj Slafkovsky told Cehlarik he believed he would score when it was his turn.

"Don't worry," Cehlarik told him in Slovak. "Backhand, forehand and I will score."

After goalie Patrik Rybar denied Miele for his final save of the 38 he made in regulation, overtime and the shootout, assistant Jan Pardavy embraced Slovakia coach Craig Ramsay and Slovakia celebrated its first trip to the Olympic semifinals since 2010 in Vancouver.

"It's a thrill," said Ramsay, who played 14 NHL seasons and spent more than two decades in the league as an assistant. "Even when it went in, when Cehlarik scored and Pardo almost broke me in half, I still said: 'Did we win? Have we won this thing?' Because you lose track at five shootouts. It was so exciting. I know what they're feeling and I'm feeling it."

The Americans felt a mix of sadness, regret and acceptance at the random bounces that can decide a hockey game. They were the only team to win all three group-stage games in regulation, trailed for just 11 minutes the entire tournament and still saw their medal dreams dashed.

"We were actually joking we still haven't lost a game, really - we lost a shootout," coach David Quinn said. "That's the frustrating part."

International rules call for 10 minutes of 3-on-3 OT followed by a five-player shootout, even in the knockout round. While lamenting the cruelty of getting eliminated in a 1-on-1 skills competition, Quinn and his players pointed out that the game never should have gotten to that point.