<Tr> <Th> City </Th> <Td> Lake Placid, New York, U.S. </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Attendance </Th> <Td> 8,500 </Td> </Tr> <P> The "Miracle on Ice" refers to a medal - round game during the men's ice hockey tournament at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, played between the hosting United States, and the four - time defending gold medalists, the Soviet Union . </P> <P> The Soviet Union had won the gold medal in five of the six previous Winter Olympic Games, and were the favorites to win once more in Lake Placid . The team consisted primarily of professional players with significant experience in international play . By contrast, the United States' team--led by head coach Herb Brooks--consisted exclusively of amateur players, and was the youngest team in the tournament and in U.S. national team history . In the group stage, both the Soviet and U.S. teams were unbeaten; the U.S. achieved several notable results, including a 2--2 draw against Sweden, and a 7--3 upset victory over second - place favorites Czechoslovakia . </P>

Who did the usa defeat to win the gold medal in ice hockey in 1980