WinterSports2002.com, Wednesday, February 20, 2002

Canadians rally to finish off the Finns

By Zack Van Eyck Deseret News Olympic specialist

WEST VALLEY CITY — Players on both the Canadian and American women's hockey teams were careful to say the right things before their Olympic semifinal games, insisting they weren't looking past inferior opponents to a likely gold-medal showdown with one another Thursday night.

But an overlooked, seemingly overmatched Finnish team nearly ruined everything Tuesday.

A spirited goaltending performance by Tuula Puputti and aggressive play by some opportunistic forwards propelled Finland to a 3-2 lead after two periods against top-seeded and defending world champion Canada. It took a concerted effort by the Canadians, with five veterans of the '98 Games leading the way, to come from behind and secure a spot in the gold-medal game.

Playmaker Hayley Wickenheiser made a nice move at the blue line and flipped a backhander past Puputti to tie the game with three minutes gone in the third period. Vicki Sunohara won the ensuing face-off and pushed the puck up to Jayna Hefford for what proved to be the game-winning goal just six seconds later.

The Canadians (4-0) added three more goals before it was over for what, on paper, appeared to be a convincing 7-3 win over the third-seeded Finns (2-2) at the E Center. But for a while there, the Canadian women looked like their male counterparts — failing to meet expectations.

"Obviously, the five goals in the last period, that's saying a lot in terms of our mettle and our determination," said forward Tammy Lee Shewchuk. "We're a team that's not going to go away, and I guess that's just the Canadian way.

"We played about three minutes of bad hockey. We gave up a few quick breaks, two-on-ones and three-on-twos, that should never happen, so we're going to adjust things that we need to adjust and I think we did that in the third. We're confident going on from here."

Canadian coach Daniele Sauvageau and her players insisted there was never a lack of confidence, even when trailing after two. Team captain Cassie Campbell gave a pep talk during intermission and later scored to make it 6-3.

"Everybody was pretty calm. We were smiling. Nobody had their heads down," said Sunohara, one of four Canadian players in her 30s. She said losing to the United States in eight consecutive pre-Olympic games and facing other challenges this season gave her team the resolve it needed to retake the lead.

"My line actually wrote a poem the other day about our whole year and how it hasn't been easy," she said. "It's been a struggle and it's not going to stop being a struggle right until the last second of the final game now."

Canada outshot Finland 54-18 for the game and held a 40-13 edge after two periods. Wickenheiser and 35-year-old Therese Brisson each scored a pair of goals.

The Canadians led 2-0 eight minutes into the game, but then the Finns came back. An errant Canadian pass set up Tiia Reima's first goal, and the Finns caught Canada on a line change when smart passes by Kirsi Hanninen and Sari Fisk put Reima in position to score her second goal, tying the game early in the second. A minute later, Katja Riipi found herself alone in front of the net and beat Canadian goalie Kim St. Pierre for the 3-2 advantage.

"I think Finland's always a threat. Certainly, we have a lot of respect for them and we know when we get out on the ice, they're capable of winning," said Wickenheiser, just 23 but playing in her second Olympics. "They can put the puck in the net and their power play is effective. So, I think a couple more years of development and maybe getting the resources they need in their program, they'll be right there for sure."

Finland, the bronze medalist in the '98 Games and in all seven Women's World Championships held since the sport's emergence in 1990, has never beaten Canada or the U.S. But Tuesday's contest, and a 2000 World Championship preliminary game in which they led the U.S. 3-1 in the third period, give the Finns hope.

"Canada knows how to win games like this," said Puputti, who plays at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. "Somehow, we just need to learn to win the third period after we play well the first two."

CHINA 1, KAZAKHSTAN 1: At Provo, Nadezhda Losyeva scored with two minutes remaining as Kazakhstan (0-4-1) rallied to tie China (0-3-2) in the seventh-place game. China goalie Hong Guo stopped 32 shots, while Kazakhstan's Natalya Trunova had 31 saves.

RUSSIA 5, GERMANY 0: At Provo, Tatiana Burina scored the first two goals of the game, her third and fourth of the Olympics, as Russia (3-2) outshot Germany (1-3-1) by a 42-25 margin and claimed fifth place in the tournament. Russia scored on two of six power-play opportunities.

E-mail: zman@desnews.com

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