VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Ryan Miller could only do so much.

Only a shot from Canada's favorite Kid — Sidney Crosby — 7:40 into overtime during Sunday's gold-medal game kept him from carrying the United States to a perfect mark and the top spot on the Olympic podium.

Canada 3, United States 2.

And it was every bit that close thanks to the American goaltender, who made 36 saves in an arena rooting hard against him and waiting for him to fail.

"I'm just very frustrated," Miller said. "We got ourselves in a position to win from two goals down. Sudden death kind of stings, especially in this situation. I was happy, proud, the way I handled myself these two weeks."

When Crosby's winning shot found the back of the net, Miller dropped to a knee and then fell forward. He stayed down for several moments until it was time to head to the bench.

Miller, the tournament MVP, graciously accepted the silver medal around his neck, but the disappointment was easy to read on his face.

"He was the main reason we were in the gold medal game and why we got it to overtime," forward Ryan Callahan said.

Chris Drury, Miller's former teammate with the Buffalo Sabres, hugged the devastated goalie near the U.S. bench as the celebration roared all around them.

"He's pretty down, but there's no chance we're here without the way he played the whole tournament," Drury said. "It's heartbreaking to lose in OT of a gold-medal game, but he should be proud of everything he did the last two weeks."

Miller played in all six U.S. games and was in for the duration, except for the second half of the third period in a 6-1 semifinal win over Finland. He stopped 139 of 147 shots in the tournament.

His defining moment — on the winning side — will be the stellar 42-save effort a week earlier that carried the Americans to a 5-3 victory over Canada in the preliminary round. That victory began making believers of many people outside the red, white and blue dressing room.

"This was a classic hockey game, just as our game was a week ago," U.S. coach Ron Wilson said. "Ryan gave us a chance to win, and unfortunately we didn't."

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