There was no reason to hold anything back, no need to save her energy for another tedious practice at some chilly rink. She had pursued her dream and she had caught it. And as members of the U.S. women's Olympic hockey team prepared to take their place in history Tuesday to accept the first Olympic medals in their sport, Brown-Miller wept under the weight of the occasion.

It's their theme song now, thanks to power-play goals by Gretchen Ulion--who plans to retire from hockey and resume her teaching career--and Shelley Looney, and an empty-net goal by Sandra Whyte. Ulion lifted a shot from the left circle over the shoulder of Canadian goaltender Manon Rheaume at 2:38 of the second period and Looney deflected a shot by Whyte past Rheaume's leg at 10:59 of the third period with Danielle Goyette serving a penalty for body checking.

While the mournful Canadians watched from their blue line, the U.S. players--who were 6-0 in this tournament--piled atop Tueting in a mass of wriggling arms and legs, hugging each other, grinning and draping American flags around their shoulders like capes. Defenseman Angela Ruggiero, who was a 12-year-old middle school student in Simi Valley when women's hockey was added to the Olympic program, rushed to retrieve the game puck and stash it away for her father, Bill. She then took a flag handed to her from the stands and waved it wildly as she zigzagged in mad circles around the zone the U.S. had defended in the third period.