U.S. Wins, but Not in Top Form

The best weren’t at their best Tuesday. As they prepared to travel the final steps of their long journey, the pace slowed just a bit.

The 4-0 victory over Sweden in the semifinals of the Salt Lake Olympic tournament won’t go down as one of the U.S. women’s hockey team’s top performances. But it accomplished what none of the numerous blowouts and powerful displays during the team’s pre-Olympic tour and even the first three outings at Salt Lake City could: It put them in the long- anticipated gold-medal game against Canada on Thursday.

“Here we are,” Coach Ben Smith said.

Said U.S. forward Julie Chu: “When the buzzer went off, it hit me that we’re in the gold-medal game. It should be a great battle out there.”

After Canada had to come back from a one-goal deficit to beat Finland, 7-3, earlier in the day, the players were peppered with questions about their matchup against the United States. Of course, there still remained the small technicality that the United States had to play Sweden. There wasn’t the qualification that usually precedes anticipated showdowns in, say, the NCAA tournament, when reporters at least bother to ask, “If you face Team X....”

Why bother? It would have been a better use of time to say, “If Team USA’s bus makes it to the arena on time Thursday, how do you like your chances?”

The Americans did not seem to be focused on Sweden on Tuesday.

They looked slower, their passes weren’t as crisp, their shots not as accurate. They had only nine shots on goal in the first period, five fewer than their previous low for the tournament.

They weren’t the focus of the fans or media, either. Their game was up against the women’s figure skating short program, another Wayne Gretzky news conference between the second and third periods, and a media availability session for the U.S. men’s hockey team. As a result, there were empty seats throughout the arena and the press box.

The E Center crowd of 7,738 finally cheered when Cammi Granato scored Team USA’s first goal from flat on her stomach. She reached out with her stick and poked in a rebound with 2:44 remaining in the first period. Katie King added a more conventional goal 21/2 minutes later.

There wasn’t much to Granato’s second goal. On the power play, Jenny Potter took a slow shot that somehow squeezed by Swedish goaltender Kim Martin and waited for Granato to knock it in.

The fourth goal, about 13 minutes into the third period, was much prettier. Four players touched the puck as Angela Ruggiero passed to Granato, who passed to Krissy Wendell, who slid the puck across the crease to Natalie Darwitz for the shot.

“I think that in the third period, that was us,” defenseman Chris Bailey said. “The first two, maybe not. Especially the second.... You see the way Darwitz and Granato and Wendell moved the puck, that’s the way we like to play hockey.”

As sluggish as the Americans started, at least they didn’t trail. Canada, which didn’t allow a goal in the first three games of the tournament, found itself behind Finland, 3-2, to start the third period before rallying to set up the matchup everyone expected.

“I wouldn’t say we would have been disappointed [if Finland won],” U.S. forward Katie King said. “I think it would have been great for women’s hockey if something new happened. At the same time, there’s a rivalry there [with Canada]. Definitely.”

They have played for the championship of every tournament that mattered in women’s hockey. The ledger stands at seven world championships for Canada, one Olympic gold medal for the United States.

In playing close in defeat, at least Tuesday’s losers (or, to put a more positive spin, Thursday’s bronze-medal competitors) provided a little hope that perhaps future women’s hockey tournaments won’t be so mismatched. The North American dominance is so strong that in December the Swedish hockey federation questioned whether it would be worthwhile to send a team.

“We did show them that we could win,” Swedish forward Maria Roth said. “I think they’ll be happy. We’re really happy.

“We had a great time. It’s the greatest thing you can ever dream of as an athlete.”

Now the Swedes can say they have a shot at the bronze, which is the equivalent of the gold medal for the rest of the world.

The real gold, as expected, will stay on this continent. The only question is if it will be north or south of the border.