URL:http://www.canoe.ca/HockeyWomen/mar30_wom1.html

March 30, 1997

IT'S CANADA-U.S. IV
                                    
THE NEW HOCKEY RIVALRY ADDS ANOTHER CHAPTER THIS WEEK IN KITCHENER AS U.S.
AIMS FOR FAVORED CANADIANS IN WORLD WOMEN'S HOCKEY TOURNAMENT
  
By TONY MARASCHIELLO -- Toronto Sun Number one with a bull's-eye.
  As the Canadian women's hockey team gears up for a run at its fourth
consecutive world championship, starting Monday at Kitchener, it can't
seem to escape the cross-hairs of an American team hungry for revenge.

  The U.S. has been frustrated time and again by Canada, finishing
runner-up the past three world championships to their northern
neighbors.
  "They're hungry to beat us, big time," said Team Canada head coach
Shannon Miller, whose squad takes on Switzerland in its first game of
the seven-team world tournament on Monday at Memorial Auditorium at
7:30 p.m. "Right now the U.S. is our biggest challenge. They are big,
they're strong and they have become a better skating team. They have
put a lot of time and energy into their program. I don't think they
want to lose to us again."
  AMERICANS IMPROVED
  The Americans have improved in all areas of the game, but need to be
at their best against a Canadian team that is being touted as the most
talented since the world women's hockey championship was created in
1990. The Canadians are 15-0 in world championship play.
  "Without a doubt, this is probably the best team we have had," said
Team Canada veteran forward Angela James, who is expected to be one of
the top offensive guns for the Canadians. "This is a very offensive
team. But we've been working hard on our defence, too. Overall, we're
pretty well-rounded."
  A trademark of the Canadian team will be speed. It was the first
skill Miller and her coaching staff looked for when assembling the
team.
  "That was the number one criteria for us," Miller said. "When you're
the number one team in the tournament, you don't adapt to the
competition. You have to set the pace and let the opposition adapt to
you. We just felt this is what we needed to be successful again for a
fourth world championship title."
  Despite the absence of star goalie Manon Rheaume, who was a late
cut, the Canadian defence is as solid as ever with veteran Geraldine
Heaney leading the way.
  "Everybody can do the job," said Heaney, who plays for the vaunted
North York Aeros club team. "We've got depth from top to bottom."
  Heaney said the Rheaume situation has not been a major distraction
for the team. Rheaume, who backstopped Canada at the 1994 worlds, was
cut because the coaching staff felt she was not playing at her best.
  "I think the team dealt with it really well," said Heaney, a veteran
of the past three world championships. "We had three goalies in camp
so a decision had to be made. We tried not to talk about it. It was
kind of hard for the other two goalies to get up for practice because
they didn't know what was going to happen. But when they told Manon,
they just took her to the airport so nobody really saw her after that.
It was a lot easier on everybody."
  HANDS FULL WITH U.S.
  Heaney and the other five Canadian blue-liners, along with goalies
Lesley Redden and Danielle Dube, will have their hands full with the
American scoring line of Cammi Granato (sister of San Jose Sharks'
Tony Granato), Karyn Bye and Sandra Whyte, who combined for six goals
and 10 assists this week as the U.S. swamped Russia 13-0 in an
exhibition game.
  "In 1990 and 1992, they won pretty convincingly," said Whyte. "Since
then, we've gotten closer and closer, and we're right there with them.
We're ready. We're ready to take the gold."
  Canada should also get a challenge from Finland, which has finished
third in all three past world championships.
  The Finns are not as big as Canada or the U.S., but they are fast
and talented. Leading Finland will be speedy right-winger Sari Krooks,
who plays her club hockey for the North York Aeros, and defenceman
Pirjo Nieminen, who is the team's best all-round player.
  The Finns, who finished third at last year's European championship,
also have solid goaltending in Liisa-Maria Sneck and Kati Ahonen.
  Sweden could make a run at third, especially since the team proved
it can win at a high calibre competition, capturing the 1996 European
championship.
  Russia is making its first world championship appearance and will be
the most inexperienced team in the tournament. The Russians were
bombed this month in two exhibition losses to the U.S. The team is led
by Ekaterina Pashkevich, a 5-foot-11, 165-pound forward who plays for
MIT in Boston.
  China is making its second world championship appearance. While the
Chinese don't possess the skills of a Canada or U.S.A., they make up
for it with a physical brand of play. One of the Chinese's first
exposure to hockey was a tape of a North American hockey game, so the
team assumed it had to hit to win. The team is one of the more heavily
penalized teams in the competition.
  HUNGRY
  The Swiss are led by coach France Montour, who, ironically, won gold
with Team Canada at the 1992 world championship. The Quebec-born
Montour went to Switzerland to be a player-coach and eventually was
hired as the Swiss national team coach.
  After its opening game against the Swiss, Canada takes on Russia on
Tuesday and China on Thursday in round-robin games. Both games are at
Memorial Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
  "These players are so hungry to learn and hungry to produce for
you," Miller said of her Canadian team after a high-tempo practice on
Friday at Canada's training camp in Barrie.
  "There is such great leadership within the team that as long as you
give them a little direction, they are pretty much unstoppable."

_________________________________________________________________


CANOE home
Copyright (c) 1997, Canoe Limited Partnership.
All rights reserved.