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Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas picked up more at the Olympics than a silver medal and a dozen minutes of ice time.

The U.S. backup once again looked like the goalie who won the 2009 Vezina Trophy on Thursday night, returning from a slump that left him on two different teams’ benches to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in a shootout on Don Cherry Night in Boston.

The Bruins honoured their former head coach and current Hockey Night In Canada commentator before the game. Cherry took part in the ceremonial puck drop and stuck around to provide commentary on the television broadcast.

Thomas made 24 saves, stopping Tyler Bozak with a pad save to end the shootout before pumping his glove to celebrate Boston’s first win of 2010 in the TD Garden. But the largest saves might have come against former Bruin and Olympic teammate Phil Kessel, stopped at point-blank range three times in regulation and again in the shootout.

“At the Olympics, at the end of every practice, I probably took 400 breakaways after practice,” Thomas said. “And 40 of them were against Phil.”

Miroslav Satan scored a goal in regulation and the only goal of the shootout to give the Bruins their first victory in Boston since the New Year’s Day Winter Classic. That was the day the Team USA roster was announced, with Thomas coming back onto the Fenway Park rink to receive his national team sweater.

Since then, he hasn’t had much to celebrate though, losing the Bruins job to Tuukka Rask and watching Ryan Miller start every game in Vancouver. Miller was named Olympic tournament MVP, and Thomas only got to play 11 minutes 31 seconds in mop-up duty after the Americans opened a six-goal lead against Finland in the semifinals.

“I was trying to show the team they can have some confidence in me again,” said Thomas, who had not won since Jan. 14 or started since Feb. 2, a hiatus that included the last seven Bruins games and the entire Olympic tournament.

“I’m not going to lie: This feels really excellent right now. It’s the first one I’ve had in a long time, and it’s the first one at home in a long time.”

Bruins coach Claude Julien gave his goalie a pep talk to shake him out of his slump.

“I told him, ‘You’re a Vezina Trophy winner,’” Julien said. “‘You don’t go from being a fantastic goaltender to a terrible goaltender.’ We told him the whole organization is behind him. And it was nice to see him respond.’”

Johnny Boychuk also scored for Boston.

Bozak and Viktor Stalberg scored and Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 29 saves for Toronto, which has lost four straight games.

“I couldn’t question for more from the guys,” Leafs coach Ron Wilson said. “We had some fantastic chances — three or four breakaways. I tip my had to Tim Thomas. He made some huge saves for them.”

Boston led 2-1 before Bozak scored to end a scramble in the middle to tie it in the third period. It stayed that way for the last 13:48 of regulation and five minutes of overtime plus the first four shots of the shootout.

Boston’s David Krejci lost control of the puck and didn’t even get off a shot, then Thomas made a glove save on the much-booed Kessel to the delight of the crowd. Giguere deflected Michael Ryder’s shot over the net, then Thomas made a pad save on Jamie Lundmark.

Satan faked a forehand and then place a backhander around Giguere on his right before Thomas stopped Bozak to end it.

Thomas lost six straight starts before Rask took over for him and started seven straight games. Rask was scratched from Thursday night’s game with an unspecified injury, and the team said he is day-to-day.

The Bruins had a goal waved off just 63 seconds into the game when the replay showed that Ryder kicked the puck into the net. But they took the lead midway through the first period when Satan’s slapshot from the blue-line beat Giguere.

Stalberg tied it for Toronto in with 4:33 left in the first, then Boychuk gave Boston a 2-1 lead in the second.

Canadian Olympic figure skater Joannie Rochette momentarily laid her bronze medal on her mother’s casket as she said farewell during funeral services in Berthierville, Que., on Thursday.

Thérèse Guèvremont-Rochette, 55, died of a heart attack just days before her daughter’s Olympic performance in Vancouver last month.

Despite her loss, Rochette delivered two solid performances to earn the bronze medal.

It was her mother who guided her, loved her and made her work for her dreams, the Olympian told the roughly 800 people who packed the small church.

“I’m pleased today because we’re celebrating the life of my mother, Therèse — a small life but an intense one,” Rochette said.

“She taught me how to be courageous. … She was always there for me.”

After the service, Rochette followed her mother’s casket out of the church, accompanied by family members.

Until Guèvremont-Rochette’s untimely death, mother and daughter had been inseparable, said those attending the funeral.

“The mother give to her daughter the best — the courage, the guts to get that bronze medal — what a wonderful gift for Canada, for Quebec, for the world,” one family friend told CBC News.Joannie Rochette, centre, is seen with her mother, Therese Guevremont-Rochette, and her father, Normand, in this undated photo. (CBC)

The entire community has mourned with Rochette, Berthierville Mayor Bernard Grégoire said.

“Therèse has been a part of the heritage of this region,” he said. “It is a huge loss.”

Rochette said she drew inspiration from many people around the world who rallied around her during a stressful and trying time, including her fellow Canadian athletes and people she’d never met.

On Sunday night, Rochette carried the Canadian flag for the closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Games.

The 24-year-ancient is the first Canadian woman to win a singles figure skating medal at the Olympics since 1988.

With files from The Canadian Press

U.S. Olympian Tim Thomas, back from Vancouver and back from a slump that sent the reigning Vezina Trophy winner to the bench, made 24 saves in regulation and overtime and added three more in the shootout Thursday night to lead the Boston Bruins to a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Miroslav Satan, who scored Boston’s first goal, had the only goal in the shootout. Thomas stopped Tyler Bozak with a pad save to end it, then started pumping his glove to celebrate Boston’s first win in Boston since the New Year’s Day Winter Classic and the Bruins’ first win of 2010 in the TD Garden.

Bozak and Viktor Stalberg scored for Toronto, which has lost four straight games. Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 29 saves.

Johnny Boychuk also scored for Boston.

Thomas had not won since Jan. 14 and he had not started since Feb. 2 — a hiatus that included the last seven Bruins games and the entire Olympic tournament for the silver medal-winning United States. But he stopped several breakaways, holding off former Bruin Phil Kessel at point-blank range three times in regulation and again in the shootout.

Boston led 2-1 before Bozak scored to end a scramble in the middle to tie it in the third period. It stayed that way for the last 13:48 of regulation and five minutes of overtime — and the first five shots of the shootout.

Boston’s David Krejci lost control of the puck and didn’t even get off a shot, then Thomas made a glove save on the much-booed Kessel to the delight of the crowd. Giguere deflected Michael Ryder’s shot over the net, then Thomas made a pad save on Jamie Lundmark.

Satan faked a forehand and then place a backhander around Giguere on his right before Thomas stopped Bozak to end it.

Thomas had not started for the Bruins in more than a month, since Feb. 2, with his only action coming as a mop-up man for the U.S. Olympic team after it opened a six-goal lead against Finland in the semifinals. He played the last 11:31, allowing one goal, but otherwise backed up tournament MVP Ryan Miller for the silver medal-winning squad.

It’s been much of the same back in Boston for Thomas as he lost six straight starts before Tuukka Rask took over and started seven straight games. Rask was scratched from Thursday night’s game with an unspecified injury, and the team said he is day-to-day.

The Bruins had a goal waved off just 63 seconds into the game when the replay showed Michael Ryder kicked the puck into the net. But they took the lead midway through the first period, when Miroslav Satan’s slapshot from the blue-line beat Giguere.

Stalberg tied it for Toronto in with 4:33 left in the first, then Boychuk gave Boston a 2-1 lead in the second.