Monday, March 31, 1997

Canucks deep-six Swiss defense

KITCHENER, Ont. (CP) -- The Canadian women's hockey team is going to
have to cash in more of its scoring chances if it wants to win a fourth
straight world title.

Coach Shannon Miller's squad outshot Switzerland 61-5 in its tournament
opener Monday night but led only 3-0 with two minutes remaining. The
final score was 6-0, but only after Swiss penalties in the late going
set up repeated power-play chances.

The Swiss might be famous for cuckoo clocks and cheese with holes, but
not for women's hockey, regardless of the boasting they will be doing
today after sticking within three goals of a global powerhouse for 58
minutes.

Vicki Sunohara, Hayley Wickenheiser, Danielle Goyette, Nancy Drolet,
Angela James and Rebecca Fahey scored, yet, Canadian shooters
repeatedly failed to finish off gift-goal opportunities.

Canada, a perfect 15-0 while winning the first three women's worlds,
has outscored opponents 142-18 in its 16 straight wins.

Canada plays Russia tonight, has Wednesday off and finishes the
round-robin Thursday night against China, which beat Russia 6-2 in the
other Pool A opener.

In Pool B, it was: United States 7, Norway 0; and Finland 5, Sweden 0.

Medal play is Saturday and Sunday. The top five gain berths in the
Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, next February.

Canada outshot Switzerland 23-0 in the first period yet managed only
one goal, with Sunohara sliding a shot from the middle of Switzerland's
zone between the pads of goaltender Patricia Sautter at 4:30.

Time and again, play was whistled to a stop after the Swiss resorted to
their favorite ploy -- icing the puck.

In the second, Wickenheiser scored on a breakaway at 1:25. The Swiss
got their first shot when Kathrin Lehmann broke in on Dube to no avail
at 6:25. Canada had already peppered Sautter with 29 shots. Goyette
made it 3-0 from a scramble at 12:04.

In the third, with two Swiss in the penalty box, Drolet made it 4-0
with 1:38 left; James got another power-play goal with 24 seconds on
the clock; and Fahey slapped a long shot past Sautter with nine seconds
remaining.

It'll be tougher tonight against the Russians.

Summary

First Period
 1. Canada, Sunohara (Schuler) 4:30
 Penalties -- St-Louis Can (goaltender interference) 1:43, Jeannottat
Swi (bodychecking) 6:59, Dupuis Can (bodychecking) 9:47, Wyss Swi
(bodychecking) 13:07, Marano Swi (slashing) 15:45, Drolet Can
(hooking) 17:39.

Second Period
 2. Canada, Wickenheiser (Dupuis) 1:25
 3. Canada, Goyette (Wilson, Drolet) 12:04
 Penalties -- Smith Can (tripping) 5:36, Wickenheiser Can
(bodychecking) 12:09, Hefford Can (high-sticking) 18:13, Letendre Can
(bodychecking) 18:25.

Third Period
 4. Canada, Drolet (Nystrom) 18:28 (pp)
 5. Canada, James (Wickenheiser) 19:36 (pp)
 6. Canada, Fahey (Schuler) 19:51
 Penalties -- Lehmann Swi (tripping), Noethiger Swi (body contact)
18:17, Lehmann Swi (tripping), Noethiger Swi (body contact) 18:17.

Shots on goal by
 Switzerland 0 2 3--5
 Canada 23 12 26--61

Goal -- Switzerland: Sautter; Canada: Dube.
Power plays (goals-chances) -- Switzerland: 0-7, Canada: 2-5.

Referee -- Manuela Groger, Germany.
Lines -- Sigrio Lise, Norway, and Johanna Kuisma, Finland.
Attendance -- 3,889.