URL:http://www2.torstar.com/sportswire/amhockey/HKY-Finland-Canada-Cl.html SportsWire amhockey SportsWire INTO e-zine _________________________________________________________________ Late breaking SportsWire Story last updated on Sat Apr 5 21:40:29 EST 1997 _________________________________________________________________ Finns accused Canadians of disrupting preparation - Women's hockey relations between Finland and Canada are considerably cooler in the wake of Saturday's world championship semifinal. Finnish coaches and players accused ``yelling and screaming'' Canadians of disrupting their quiet time at the team hotel hours before Canada eked out a 2-1 victory. ``I thought it was childish,'' said Finnish superstar Sari Krooks, who plays club hockey for the Toronto Aeros. ``I don't know whose idea it was, but it was a bad idea. It was low, tasteless.'' It wasn't anyone's idea, bad or otherwise, say Canadian players. ``I'll tell you one thing - that's not true,'' said forward Jayna Hefford of Kingston, Ont. ``We had a big breakfast with some Team Canada alumni, we went back to our rooms, got some treatment and then hopped on the bus. I don't know when that could have happened.'' The apparent one-sided controversy caught Canadian captain Stacy Wilson of Moncton off guard. ``I don't know what they're talking about,'' she said. ``This is the first I've heard of it.'' Finland coach Rauno Korpi first brought up the issue during his post-game press conference. Growing angrier by the minute, he accused the Canadians of disrupting his team's ``relaxation and visualization practice'' with some ``screaming and yelling.'' That brought a sharp rebuke from Canadian coach Shannon Miller. ``I can guarantee you . . . Team Canada wouldn't be involved in anything like that,'' she said. ``We're far above anything like that. ``I take offence to it. If you're a coach, you take responsibility for your team, if it's a win or loss, there are no excuses.'' Krooks said she saw ``20 or 30 people screaming and jumping.'' The Canadian and Finnish teams are housed in the same downtown Kitchener hotel but their rooms are on different floors. Krooks said she had not seen a Canadian player before Saturday morning. Surprisingly, given their apparent disturbance, the Finns came out flying in the first period of Saturday's game, out-shooting Canada 10-8 and taking a 1-0 lead. Finnish coach Korpi said he did not take up the incident with his Canadian counterpart. ``I have nothing to discuss with her.'' KITCHENER, Ont. (CP) SportsWire amhockey SportsWire INTO e-zine