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U.S. women start their quest for a 2nd gold
By Zack Van Eyck, Deseret News Olympic specialist
The U.S. women's ice hockey team, which won the sport's first Olympic tournament in 1998, will begin its quest for a second gold medal Tuesday morning.
The Americans, led by team captain Cammi Granato and featuring 14 veterans of the '98 Olympic squad, will be heavily favored going into their 11 a.m. Tuesday game against seventh-seeded Germany at the E Center.
"There are so many reasons to play well. There are so many reasons to be psyched about what's coming up," said U.S. goalie Sarah Tueting, who was in net for the Americans' gold-medal upset of Canada four years ago.
"If you don't show up in the next couple of weeks, you have a serious problem, so I think we'll all be ready to go."
Also Tuesday, third-seeded Finland faces sixth-seeded China at 2 p.m. in Provo's Peaks Ice Arena. Finland edged China 7-6 in a preliminary-round game in the 2001 Women's World Championships.
The United States and Finland are favored to emerge from that pool of four teams and compete in the medal-round semifinals Feb. 19.
The gold- and bronze-medal games will be played Feb. 21.
The four teams on the other side of the bracket will play Monday. Top-seeded Canada is expected to have little trouble with eighth-seeded Kazakhstan in their 11 a.m. game at the E Center. Fourth-seeded Sweden plays fifth-seeded Russia at 2 p.m. at the Peaks.
— Zack Van Eyck
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February 11, 2002
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