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GOODWILL GAMES : It’s Much Closer This Time, but U.S. Loses Again : Ice hockey: Soviet Union, which beat the Americans, 10-1, in the preliminary round, needs a penalty-shot shootout to win gold-medal game, 4-3.

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From Associated Press

The Soviet Union needed a penalty-shot shootout to beat the United States, 4-3, at the Tacoma Dome and win the Goodwill Games hockey gold medal.

It was the closest the Americans have come to beating a Soviet national team in an international event since 1980 and the Miracle on Ice in the Lake Placid Olympics.

The United States led, 3-2, in the final minute, but Valeri Kamensky sent the game into overtime with his third goal with 21 seconds left.

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In the shootout used for the Goodwill Games after a scoreless 10-minute overtime, the Soviets outscored the U.S. team, 2-0, through four shots. Alexander Semak and Dimitri Khristich beat goaltender Guy Hebert, who made four saves to preserve the shootout win over Canada Saturday.

The Americans were trying to protect their slim lead late in the third period when Kamensky took a cross-ice pass and fired a slap shot past Hebert to complete his hat trick. Both teams were down a man.

The Soviets stepped up offensive pressure in the overtime, taking the kind of clear, hard shots on goal largely denied them in regulation. Several spectacular saves by Hebert prevented a score.

The Soviet Union had scored first on a goal by Kamensky 4:29 into the game.

But the Americans, routed, 10-1, by the Soviets in the preliminary round, played tough defense, seldom allowing the Soviets a clear shot at Hebert. The Soviets had 36 shots in regulation to just 17 by the United States, but few of the shots were from close-range.

The United States bounced back in the second period, scoring twice in quick succession, to the delight of a capacity crowd of 17,442, which chanted “U.S.A., U.S.A.!” waved American flags and booed loudly at every perceived Soviet infraction.

Tim Sweeney’s slapshot after he was fed the puck from the corner behind the Soviet net tied the game at 6:23.

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Less than a minute later, David Emma of Boston College passed to C.J. Young of Harvard, whose shot from in front of the net got past goaltender Artur Irbe.

With both teams short a man, Kamensky tied it 2-2 at 15:09, taking the puck down the ice and firing it past Hebert from the left.

But 33 seconds later, Emma beat the Soviet defenders down the middle of the ice after blocking a shot and beat Irbe at short range.

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