Do you believe in miracles?

Locally, the coverage of Team USA's 5-3 victory over Team Canada Sunday night carried on cable's MSNBC out-drew NBC's coverage of the Vancouver Olympics coverage that was on Channel 2.

MSNBC never out-rates its bigger brother NBC, which makes this "victory" almost as astonishing as the 42-save performance by Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller for Team USA.

The U.S. victory, which gave Team USA a bye into the quarterfinals and an extra day of rest, attracted a 14.6 rating locally on MSNBC, representing 14.6 percent of area households. Meanwhile, NBC's coverage of skiing and figure skating averaged a 13.4 rating during the game on Channel 2.

And the hockey audience undoubtedly was even much higher here because it was simulcast by CFTO, the CTV affiliate in Toronto. Ratings for CTV haven't been available here, with speculation that the station wasn't coded in a way that it could be measured.

NBC did break into the game during the final 40 seconds and carried an interview with Miller. Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth also provided post-game analysis in prime time and in late night, much of it praising Miller's performance.

Hockey fans around Western New York have questioned why NBC wouldn't put the game on in prime time. But hockey doesn't do nearly as well nationally as it does in Buffalo, which is why NBC declines to use more than two hours in prime to carry a full game.

In a way, MSNBC's victory over NBC here Sunday night is evidence that so many people have cable that just about anyone who wanted to see the game in its entirety here could have seen it.

NBC will carry the men's final this Sunday afternoon, the same time it carries the NHL Game of the Week.