Canadian men fall to U.S. for 1st loss of Olympic hockey tournament

In a battle of styles, Canada's men's hockey team lost out to the U.S. on Saturday at the Beijing Olympics.

The speedy young Americans beat the big, experienced Canadian squad 4-2 for its second win in as many tries of the tournament. Canada falls to 1-1 with the loss.

"They are fast, fast on transition. It is on us to be better, put pucks deep and not feed into their transition," said Canadian forward David Desharnais.

"You can't feed their transition and that is exactly what we did."

The North American powerhouses are grouped with reigning silver medallist Germany and host China in the group stage that determines seeding for the knockout rounds.

WATCH | Highlights from Canada's loss to U.S.:

It was the first game between the rivals since 2014 Olympic semifinals, when Canada's star-studded roster of NHLers ground out a 1-0 victory on the way to winning gold in Sochi.

On Saturday, the youngsters won out to set up the U.S. to win Group A and avoid the qualification round, in which Canada is now likely to play.

"A lot of people think about physicality and size, but you can be a physical team in a lot of different ways. We have a bunch of guys who compete, they don't back down," said American head coach David Quinn.

Captain Andy Miele led the charge for the U.S. with a goal and assist, pestering Canadian defencemen on the forecheck all game. Miele, a veteran of 15 NHL contests, set the tone by tying things at 1 about a minute after Canada opened the scoring early in the first period.

"To put a stop to their momentum right away was awesome," Miele said.

WATCH | Kenny Agostino supplies the dagger for U.S.:

It was a boost for the U.S., which had just seen its own goalie, Strauss Mann, allow a weak Mat Robinson wrister from the