The United States men’s hockey team secured its first Olympic gold medal since 1980 on Sunday, defeating Canada 2-1 in overtime in a winner-take-all showdown between the sport’s two superpowers. The victory marks just the third gold medal in U.S. history in men’s Olympic hockey and the first since the famed “Miracle on Ice” team stunned the Soviet Union in Lake Placid.

Forward Jack Hughes, 24, scored the game-winner less than three minutes into 3-on-3 overtime, beating Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington with a high shot to seal the championship. The decisive sequence began with Hughes breaking up a rush by Connor McDavid before accelerating up ice to join Zach Werenski and Dylan Larkin on a numbers advantage. After Werenski won a puck battle along the boards, Hughes found space on the weak side and fired home the shot that ended the contest.

Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck delivered a standout performance for the Americans, stopping 41 of 42 shots. Canada applied sustained pressure throughout the second and third periods, including a lengthy 5-on-3 power play, but failed to convert. Hellebuyck made multiple critical saves, including denying Devon Toews in front of an open net and turning away a breakaway opportunity from Connor McDavid.

The Americans struck first when Matt Boldy scored in the opening period, maneuvering past defenders Cale Makar and Toews before finishing on the backhand. Makar later tied the game in the second period with a precise wrist shot from the faceoff circle, setting up a tense final stretch that required overtime to decide.

Canada had won previous high-stakes Olympic meetings against the United States in 2002 and 2010 and eliminated the Americans in 2014. This time, however, the U.S. squad withstood the pressure and capitalized when it mattered most.

With the victory, the United States ended a gold-medal drought that spanned more than four decades and reaffirmed its place atop the international hockey stage.