SOVIETS CLAIM GOLD IN OVERTIME CLASSIC; USA TAKES BRONZE; SWEDEN EARNS TIN

They said Super Saturday would deliver. It delivered beyond anyone's imagination. Three games. Three compelling stories. And at the end of a long, extraordinary evening at Inwood Ice Arena, the Soviet Union hoisted the gold medal once again after Yuri Fronekinov buried the overtime winner 3:30 into the extra session to defeat Finland 9-8 in a game that will be discussed in these halls for years to come.

The day began at four o'clock with Sweden running roughshod over a shorthanded Canada club, 8-3. Ryan Shawberg racked up five goals in his most dominant individual efforts of the entire tournament. Canada, missing Martin Boban and depleted after their quarterfinal disaster, had no answer for a Swedish side playing with confidence and precision.

The bronze medal game produced exactly the demolition the form book suggested. Eric Jokisch — already the tournament's most electrifying American — scored six goals against Czechoslovakia to lead the United States to a 10-5 victory and the bronze medal. His second six-goal game of the tournament may be the single most remarkable individual achievement of the Spring Classic.

But it was the gold medal game that will live longest in memory. The first period produced eight goals — four for each side — in a breathtaking fifteen minutes of back-and-forth hockey that set the tone for everything that followed. The teams traded goals through regulation and forced overtime tied at eight. Then Fronekinov ended it and the Soviets, who became heavily doubted after an 0-2 start, are again champions.

The Soviet Union's gold medal is a triumph of will and depth. Despite losing Mikhail Kranzentinov, Nickolai Mcandrewnin, Bryadimir Heaponov, and Ryacheslav Johnsonov to injury, they never stopped believing. The Andrewzov-Salvatorionov-Fronekinov line produced offense at a rate not seen in Spring Classic history. They are worthy, extraordinary champions.

Fronekinov's 18 tournament points tell only part of his story. His five point semi-final and seven-point gold medal game performance — capped by the overtime winner — is the defining individual effort of the entire Spring Classic. When the hardware was on the line, he was the best and roundest player on the ice.