04/01/97 - 01:43 PM ET - Click reload often for latest version U.S. women icers shift top skater to boost offense U.S. women's national hockey team coach Ben Smith's decision to switch all-world center Cammi Granato to the wing was as much about Sandra Whyte as Granato. Heading into this week's World Ice Hockey Championships in Kitchener, Ontario, Smith wanted to take advantage of Whyte's skating ability. He concluded the way to do it was to make Harvard graduate Whyte, 26, the center for Granato and Karyn Bye, two of the most dangerous scorers in women's hockey history. "It has been very productive," Smith says. "I thought when (Whyte) was on the wing, she was too quiet, too reserved over there. "But I always thought she had a burn inside of her. Now that she's at center, the puck always ends up on her stick." The new No. 1 U.S. line receives its first major test today when the USA faces Norway in the opening game of the tournament. Although Smith insists his team won't be taking pool play lightly, the USA and Canada are expected to meet for the championship, as they did for the three previous world championships, starting in 1990. The USA has yet to defeat Canada, except for a pool-play game at the 1995 Pacific Women's Hockey Championships. "Hockey is such a vital part of the social fiber in Canada," Smith says. "They have an easier time attracting their best players. Many of our top athletes are in basketball, soccer, or softball." Smith says the USA's top players are on par with Canada's top players, and Erin Whitten, who has played men's pro minor league hockey, gives the USA an advantage in goal. "But after the top 50 players, the gap (between Canada and USA) widens," he says. Granato, the sister of San Jose Sharks player Tony Granato, and Bye, a former University of New Hampshire standout, are always among the top scorers in international competitions. "With Cammi, the whole is greater than sum of all of her parts," Smith said. "She's never been the fastest skater or had the best shot. She finds ways to be successful." Opposing teams traditionally point their defensive game plan at Granato, which is another reason why Smith wants to use Whyte at center. Also, Whyte inherits some of the defensive responsibility from Granato, which gives her more freedom and more time to linger on offensive rushes. In addition to the Whyte move, Burns also had another stroke of boldness. He named 17-year-old Angela Ruggierio of Harrison Township, Mich., to the team. A 5-9, 175-pound defender, she's very intimidating to opposing forwards. "I really like the makeup of this team," Smith says. Olympic qualifier: The top five teams advance to the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, where women's ice hockey debuts. The host country gets the sixth Olympic spot because Japan is not competing at Worlds. "This is going to be a hotly contested championship," says USA Hockey media spokesman Darryl Seibel. The USA, Canada and Finland are expected to finish in the top three spots, but the next three places are not as easy to predict. "There's been so much growth in women's hockey that the competition between fourth, fifth and sixth is very close. Someone is not going to get to go to the Olympics." By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY; Contributing: Janice Lloyd ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Go to top of page * Atlanta '96 front page * Atlanta '96 index * Sports front page Copyright 1997 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.