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U.S. women's hockey win makes the young players grin
By Zack Van Eyck Deseret News Olympic specialist
WEST VALLEY CITY — Julie Chu couldn't stop smiling.
A 10-0 victory will tend to put a grin on your face. But this was before the game.
The anticipation of the Olympic experience, the realization that the moment had finally arrived, was just too much for Chu — one of three teenagers on the U.S. women's hockey team — to contain. Even a little good-natured ribbing from teammate A.J. Mleczko, a veteran of the '98 Olympic team, couldn't wipe away the glow.
"We're at the Olympics. I don't think there's anything to frown about," said Chu, a 19-year-old New Englander who scored a goal and assisted on another as the Americans opened Olympic play Tuesday with a spirited but easy win over Germany. "This is the greatest experience of my life."
Ditto for Natalie Darwitz, the 18-year-old who made her first U.S. national team at the age of 15. She scored her first Olympic goal Tuesday to give the U.S. a 3-0 second-period lead and then followed five minutes later as one of two the Americans scored on the power play.
"It's quite an amazing experience, seeing all the (American) flags out there," said Darwitz, a spunky Minnesotan who is the daughter of a hockey coach and grew up playing on boys' teams.
The other teenager, 16-year-old New Yorker Lyndsay Wall, didn't get on the scoreboard Tuesday but did mix it up a little, engaging in a shoving match with a German player but staying out of the penalty box. Wall, the youngest on the 20-player roster, was teamed on defense with Angela Ruggiero, who was the youngest player on the '98 Olympic squad at 18.
"She talks to me all the time about where I should be positioned," said Wall, who has also received mentoring from 30-year-old forward Karyn Bye. "It's hard to get along with 30-year-old women. I mean, at times it's awkward."
Courtney Kennedy, who will be 23 next month, is no babe in the woods. But after trying out for the national team four years in a row, the former University of Minnesota standout finally made it this summer. Tuesday's game was her first Olympic competition as well.
"We've been waiting for this for a long time, so we're just enjoying the moment and working our hardest," said Kennedy. "But it's still a hockey game, you know? It's probably crazy for my friends and family watching it on TV, but I'm just playing the game. I think after it's all over, it will hit me."
Krissy Wendell, a 20-year-old also playing in her first Olympics, scored an unassisted goal in the third period. But while the youngsters contributed to the scoring, so did nine of Team USA's 14 Olympic veterans. And another one, goalie Sara DeCosta, stopped all eight shots on goal by the seventh-seeded Germans.
The Americans had 57 shots on goal, nine fewer than top-seeded Canada managed in its 7-0 victory over Kazakstan on Monday.
Despite taking a 6-0 lead into the third period, the Americans didn't let up.
"I think we just try to focus on doing what we do and that is going out every shift and working as hard as we can," said forward Katie King, who assisted on one of linemate Karyn Bye's two goals. "You're almost playing like every shift is your last. That's kind of what we focus on in the third period, and every period."
The second-seeded but defending Olympic champion Americans need a win over sixth-seeded China on Thursday or against third-seeded Finland on Saturday to secure advancement to the medal round.
FINLAND 4, CHINA 0: At The Peaks Ice Arena in Provo, Hong Guo made 50 saves in goal for China but 1998 bronze medalist Finland still slipped in four goals and logged a shutout victory.
Four different players scored and Riikka Nieminen had three assists for Finland, which scored two goals each in the second and third periods while outshooting China 54-12.
In the Olympic opener for both teams, Paivi Salo of Finland was penalized twice for bodychecking, which is illegal in the women's game.
"The referees are pretty strict on those situations. If you play with your arms up, they'll give you a penalty right away," Salo said.
Tuula Puputti, who plays for the University of Minnesota-Duluth, was the winning goaltender for Finland.
E-MAIL: zman@desnews.com
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February 13, 2002
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