Canadians, U.S. team slip on ice

Switzerland stunned defending Olympic champion Canada with a 2-0 victory that shook up the men’s hockey tournament, then the United States lost to Slovakia 2-1 at Turin, Italy.

Canadian-born Paul DiPietro scored twice and goalie Martin Gerber turned aside 49 shots for the Swiss, who beat the near equivalent of an NHL all-star team with only two NHL players in their lineup.

The Swiss pulled off one of the biggest upsets in modern Olympic hockey history only two days after beating the world champion Czech Republic 3-2.

Canada and Switzerland are 2-1.

Atlanta Thrashers teammates Marian Hossa and Peter Bondra sandwiched goals around one by Brian Rolston to give Slovakia its win. Slovakia (3-0) strengthened its first-place hold in Group B, moving two points ahead of Russia (2-1) and Sweden and three in front of the Americans (1-1-1).

Jaromir Jagr was assisted off the ice with a bloody cut forehead, and the Czech Republic (1-2) suffered a loss that kept Finland (3-0) unbeaten. Jagr, the NHL’s leading scorer, was helped to the locker room in the second period. His status is unknown.

In other games, Russia defeated Kazakhstan 1-0; Sweden topped Latvia 6-1; and Italy and Germany tied at 3.

Alpine skiing

At Sestriere, Kjetil Andre Aamodt of Norway successfully defended the men’s super-G title for his record eighth Olympic Alpine medal.

Aamodt, who was unable to defend his combined title earlier this week after hurting his knee in the Olympic downhill, covered the sun-drenched course in 1 minute, 30.65 seconds, just .13 in front of heavy favorite Hermann Maier of Austria, the World Cup super-G leader.

Switzerland’s Ambrosi Hoffmann took the bronze, .33 back.

American Bode Miller’s struggles continued. Miller was already .46 back at the first interval when he failed to take a turn properly and veered off his line straight into a gate. He remained upright on one ski with the other flailing wildly at odd angles behind him, striking the ground and threatening to knock him off balance, but he managed to get his ski back on the ground and braked.

“At San Sicario, Croatian Janica Kostelic, 24, became the first woman to win four Olympic Alpine gold medals when she fought off illness to successfully defend her championship in the combined event.

Her five Olympic medals overall – she also has one silver – tied Kostelic for the most by a woman in Alpine skiing with Swiss great Vreni Schneider and German Katja Seizinger. Kostelic is entered in three more medal races these games.

Kostelic’s total time between the downhill and two slalom runs was 2:51.08, beating Austrian Marlies Schild by a half-second and leaving Anja Paerson of Sweden in third.

Curling

At Pinerolo, Pete Fenson’s U.S. men’s team (5-2) beat Germany (1-5) in nine ends, 8-5, pulling away to victory with three points in the eighth and boosting its chances of advancing to the medal round. Italy pulled a 7-6 upset over curling power Canada (4-3), winning in an extra end.

Elsewhere, Britain (6-1) beat Switzerland (3-4) and Finland (5-2) beat defending champion Norway (3-4).

“In women’s competition, the U.S. team (2-5) waited until it was nearly out of the running to have its best game of the Olympics, beating Italy 11-3 in just six ends.

Nordic skiing

At Pragelato, Austria’s Thomas Morgenstern had the longest jump of the day, edging compatriot Andreas Kofler to win the gold medal in large hill ski jumping.

Morgenstern soared 140 meters on his second jump on the large hill to rally and beat first-round leader Kofler by one-tenth of a point.

Miscellany

At Turin, Jin Sun-yu and Choi Eun-kyung finished 1-2 in the women’s 1,500-meter short track speedskating final, and South Korea missed out on a podium sweep when Byun Chun-sa was disqualified for impeding. … At Pragelato, Evgenia Medvedeva-Abruzova made up a 12 1/2 -second deficit on the leading Germans with her final leg to lift Russia to the gold in the women’s 4x5km cross-country relay. … At Cesana, Americans Todd Hays and Pavle Jovanovic were in sixth place following the first two runs of the two-man bobsled competition. … At Cesana, Norway’s Ole Einar Bjoerndalen was denied gold again when France’s Vincent Defrasne sped past him on the final straightaway to win the men’s 12.5K biathlon pursuit. Bjoerndalen won another silver to go with the one he took in the 20K race. … In women’s biathlon competition, the worst of conditions brought out the best in Germany’s Kati Wilhelm, who convincingly won the gold in the 10km pursuit in a snowstorm and swirling winds.