By David Wharton, Los Angeles Times

SOCHI, Russia — Twelve hours wasn’t nearly long enough to ease their pain.

The morning after losing in overtime to rival Canada, the U.S. women’s hockey players talked about the anguish of walking away from the Sochi Olympics with silver medals around their necks.

“We didn’t train as hard as we did for second place,” forward Meghan Duggan said. “It’s one of those things we have to swallow.”

Contrast her words with the sigh of relief from Bode Miller a few days earlier. The ski racer acknowledged making a big mistake on the super-G course, saying he felt “really lucky” to hang on for bronze.

Finishing third might feel better than finishing second.

“With silver, you’re just one person away,” said skier Julia Mancuso of Squaw Valley, who has medals of every color from the last three Olympics. “But with bronze, it’s like, I could have been totally off the podium.”

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