Will this smile be golden in a few hours time? (thanks to VancityAllie for the image)
With good reason, some of the discussion about the women’s olympic hockey competition was precisely the lack of competition in the preliminary round games. As expected, Canadian and US teams decimated their adversaries by combined scores of 46-2 and 40-2 respectively through the first four games leading to the final. In spite of the football-esque scores, however, enthusiasm has not been in short supply. This is especially true in Vancouver, where the partisan population has done little to curb the pandemic outbreak of mapleleaf-itus coursing through the veins of the nation.
On the ice, meanwhile, like an avalanche that begins with a tremor and turns into a wall of fury, the two powerhouses and long-time rivals have created a wave of excitement and energy around them, with the tipping point set for 18h00 (EST) tonight. Canada has a statistical edge, having one 7 of the last 10 meetings between the two teams, plus the last 2 Olympic titles. The Americans, on the other hand, have also proven that they can answer the bell when it counts, as their two consecutive world titles clearly attest.
In the Canadian goal there have been no controversies, surprises or upsets on the level of Luongo vs. Brodeur debate that the men’s squad had been through in the last four days. Maybe I can give myself a bit of a pat on the back for suggesting Shannon Szabados as the one who would eventually get the net for Team Canada. In that regard, a number of points from the past week stand out; ones which may have a bearing on tonight’s final.
First, a comment on the wonderful attitude of the Canadian goalies themselves. In the final preliminary round game, starter Kim St. Pierre vacated the net for the third period; a victory that was already well in hand for Canada. At first some believed that Coach Mel Davidson had flipped her (mullet) lid, but the truth of the matter was that St. Pierre simply wanted her long-time teammate and the year’s de-facto third string goalie to be able to say she had appeared in a game in the 2010 Olympics. At a time where egos can get the better of people (just check the shenanigans in the women’s downhill ranks) it was without doubt a strong gesture of good sportsmanship.
Meanwhile, 23 year old newcomer Shannon Szabados has had her breakthrough, playing in the semi-final shutout victory against Finland and getting the nod for the gold medal game tonight. Like the others, she has diplomatically handled the presumably difficult policy of never knowing who will get the start until very close to the actual game times. My personal theory as to her selection over veteran St. Pierre is based on some of the comments that came from her own teammates in recent days: the fact that she has always played in men’s hockey has made her into a real battler who is accustomed to a physical game with hard shots and frequent scoring chances (though this is certainly not a knock against the other goalies). The hometown fans better hope this to be be true, since up to now the Canadian goalies have basically had a ride on Easy street. Everyone knows that the US play an uptempo game and will try to pepper the Canadian goalie and drive the net all night.
On the other side of center ice, team USA’s goaltending portrait has been the model of consistency. No hand-wringing or existential pondering here, as Jessie Vetter has been the solid foundation on which the US women have built their gold medal quest. Notably, she did face a rather more substantial challenge in getting to the finals. Even though their game against Finland ended in a 6-0 shutout, Vetter had to make 23 saves, including a stop on a penalty shot and some lengthy 5-on-3 pressure in the third period. Perhaps that adversity will give her an edge when the volume hits a fever pitch just a couple of hours from now…
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