THE OLYMPICS WINTER GAMES AT ALBERTVILLE : After 46 Saves, U.S. Is Perfect : Hockey: Undefeated Americans stop Germany, 2-0. LeBlanc is first U.S. Olympic goalie to get shutout since 1964.

The crowd was singing Ray LeBlanc’s praises, chanting his name as the clock ticked off the few seconds left in the U.S. hockey team’s game against Germany. Thrilled though he was by the tribute, LeBlanc forced himself to remain as expressionless as the red, white and blue goalie mask he wore.

“I heard it, but I was focused into the game, and I was just waiting for the next shot,” LeBlanc said. “We’ve had great fan support since we’ve been here, and I’m really pleased with it.”

LeBlanc and his teammates were crowd pleasers Tuesday. The United States rode his 46-save performance to a 2-0 victory at the Olympic Arena and a 2-0 record, its best start since the 1960 team won its first two games at Squaw Valley en route to a gold medal. The 1980 team tied its opener against Sweden before defeating its next six opponents and winning the gold at Lake Placid.

In what he acknowledged as his best performance in a long and largely undistinguished career, LeBlanc became the first U.S. Olympic goalie to record a shutout since Tommy Yurkovich was credited with an 8-0 victory over Germany at Innsbruck in 1964.

“He stood on his head,” said U.S. defenseman Moe Mantha, whose pass set up Marty McInnis for the first goal Wednesday, at 5:25 of the second period. “He made a lot of big saves for us.”

LeBlanc, 27, joined the Olympic team in early November after realizing the exposure would do him more good than another season with Indianapolis of the International Hockey League, the Chicago Blackhawks’ top farm club. Victories over the Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks and a tie against the Philadelphia Flyers during Team USA’s pre-Olympic schedule helped him win the starting job in the Games, and his 21-save performance against Italy in Sunday’s Olympic opener helped him keep it Wednesday.

“When I came here, I was just trying to make the team,” said LeBlanc, who has toiled in the minor leagues for eight seasons and only this season got to wear an NHL uniform, dressing as the backup to Dominik Hasek for a Blackhawk game against Vancouver. “A lot of people here had never heard of me.

“I’ve got to give the coaching staff a lot of credit for giving me the chance. I’ve got to give them a big thank-you, and thank the Blackhawks, too.”

Although most of the Germans’ shots Wednesday were from long range and few were screened, LeBlanc had to make several point-blank saves in the third period while the United States was clinging to a 1-0 lead. His successive pad saves on former New Jersey Devil Uli Hiemer’s shot and Raimond Hilger’s rebound seven minutes into the period weren’t flukes, and his chest save on Dieter Hegen’s shot after the German right wing had broken in behind the U.S. defense at 10:50 was the result of skill, not of luck.

“I was making one save at a time,” LeBlanc said. “I didn’t know I had 20 saves in the first period until someone told me. I was just taking it one shot at a time. Sure, you get into a rhythm after a while, but you can’t look ahead. . . . I don’t remember (a specific) sequence, really. There were so many shots in the game. It’s my job to stop the puck.”

It’s a job he performed with little margin for error until 11:56 of the third period, when Ted Donato pounced on the rebound of Scott Young’s shot and pushed it past German goalie Helmut DeRaaf. Even then, LeBlanc couldn’t afford to relax much, fending off a late German power play.

“Germany came out and played a superb first period,” U.S. Coach Dave Peterson said. “They picked us apart and dominated, and Raymond held us in. In the second period, we changed our forecheck, and I think we controlled the play. The third period was up and down. Raymond stole two or three (shots) that were ticketed for the goal, so it’s pretty hard to fault his play.”

LeBlanc, whose most significant game before Wednesday occurred in 1984, when he was with Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League and lost to Ottawa for the Canadian junior championship, still dreams of playing in the NHL.

“Maybe this will help me,” he said.

Helping the U.S. team to a medal would help, too, but LeBlanc is being cautious about his success. He knows the United States probably will face a far sterner test Thursday against fifth-seeded Finland than was offered by the ninth-seeded Germans, who rarely went to the net to finish off their offensive plays.

“I’m really happy to be here,” LeBlanc said. “It’s been my dream ever since I was a little kid. I always wanted to do like Jim Craig did in 1980 and be a hero. It’s a great thrill to represent your country and be here. . . .

“Finland is a good hockey club. They have a lot of (former) NHL players. From here on out, every game gets harder and harder.”

Finland was a 9-1 winner over Poland, scoring four goals in the first period and running its record to 2-0. In Tuesday’s other game, Sweden beat Italy. Sweden also is 2-0.