|
 |
U.S. women roll as DeCosta blanks Finns
By Zack Van Eyck Deseret News Olympic specialist
WEST VALLEY CITY — If the U.S. women's hockey team plays for the gold medal Thursday as expected, Sara DeCosta likely will start in front of the net.
Coach Ben Smith has alternated his two goalkeepers from game to game since the '98 Olympics and doesn't see why he should stop now.
But DeCosta showed Saturday she deserves a chance to go for the gold — not because of the luck of the draw, but because she is capable of shutting down the best teams in the world.
Finland, the bronze medal winner in Nagano and the third seed in the 2002 Winter Games tournament, provided a real test for DeCosta with 21 shots on goal in the final preliminary-round game for both teams. But she turned away all of them, surviving several point-blank attacks and two five-on-three shorthanded situations, as the Americans stifled the pesky Finns 5-0.
"It's great to play in a game like this," said DeCosta, 24, of Warwick, R.I. "I think any goalie would rather have 21 shots as opposed to eight. It's a lot easier to stay focused and stay involved in the action."
DeCosta was busy from the start. The U.S. (3-0) outshot the Finns 47-21 for the game, but in the first 10 minutes the Finns (2-1) held a 5-3 advantage in scoring opportunities. One of those early DeCosta saves came on a power-play breakaway by Katji Riipi, who entered the game as Finland's scoring leader with two goals and two assists in the first two games.
"I felt like I was in the zone today," DeCosta said. "Just getting a few shots at the beginning, the first few minutes, that definitely helps you get into the game mentally."
DeCosta and Tueting were the U.S. goalies four years ago, but the rotation at that time favored Tueting, a 25-year-old from Winnetka, Ill. Tueting defeated Canada in the '98 gold-medal game as the U.S. claimed the first Olympic championship in the history of the sport.
"Sara DeCosta is enjoying an excellent season for us, just as Sarah Tueting is," Smith said. "We've got two goalies that are interchangeable."
The statistics and recent performances support the decision that apparently has been made by Smith's systematic approach. But DeCosta isn't counting on playing in the gold medal game.
"I feel like I can play in the gold medal (game), but I think either of us can play. We both work hard, either way," she said. "Obviously, we do look toward that final game, but you can't look too far ahead. You can't look past any teams we have left."
Smith confirmed Tueting would get the start in Tuesday's semifinals, leaving DeCosta as the probable starter Thursday in what is likely to be a rematch of the '98 gold medal game between the U.S. and Canada.
Natalie Darwitz, an 18-year-old phenom from suburban Minneapolis who has been on the national team since she was 15, took just three games to collect her first Olympic hat trick. She is the team's leading goal-scorer in the tournament with six.
GERMANY 5, CHINA 5: At Provo, seventh-seeded Germany (0-2-1) scored three unanswered goals in the third period to tie sixth-seeded China (0-2-1). Because the Germans have a better goal differential in the tournament, they earned the third seed out of Group B; China will be the fourth seed for Sunday's consolation semifinals.
E-MAIL: zman@desnews.com
|
|
February 17, 2002
|
