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CANADIAN WOMEN WORLD CHAMPIONS
  
Overtime goal over U.S. maintains Canada's
perfect record at women's hockey tournament
 
Monday, April 7, 1997
By Beverley Smith
Sport Reporter

One shot meant so much.

The shot belonged to Nancy Drolet and with it, Canada won its fourth
consecutive women's world hockey championship, 4-3, taking last
night's final to an overtime period and overcoming an inspired charge
by a very able U.S. team.

The Canadian women have never lost a world championship. They have
never even lost a world-championship game.

And without Drolet last night, they would have been in great trouble.
Drolet, a 23-year-old orthotherapist from Drummundville, Que., scored
three of Canada's goals, the first in the dying seconds of the first
period, the second only 11 seconds into the third.

Drolet's overtime goal was all the more remarkable because she had
survived a drubbing from U.S. player Vicki Movsessian, who took a
two-minute penalty for nailing Drolet into the boards seven minutes
into the overtime period. Drolet had to be helped off the ice.

"We just kept going to the net and kept believing in each other,"
Drolet said. "And that [win] was the end result."

The overtime match was a bloody battle, with Shelley Looney of the
United States collapsing to the ice after being struck by the puck, a
slapshot by Geraldine Heaney of Weston, Ont.

Canada's other goal was scored by feisty veteran Angela James, of
North York, Ont.

The first period was a frenetic fight for supremacy, as the Canadians
finally met their match in speed and muscle. But the Canadians won the
period, as Drolet scooped the puck past unwary U.S. goalie Erin
Whitten with only 24 seconds left. The sold-out crowd erupted.

But then, the partisan crowd of 6,247 cheered wildly any time a puck
headed into the U.S. end with no Canadian player in sight.

The Canadians outshot the Americans 12-4 in the first period.

The Americans came roaring back in the second, turning the tables on
the Canadians and outshooting them 11-7. Two of them slid past
Canadian goalie Lesley Reddon of Mississauga.

The Canadians held the Americans at bay when James scored on a power
play.

Finland won the bronze medal, defeating China 3-0, scoring all three
goals within a 3 -minute span late in the third period.

The Finns turned back a challenge from an earnest Chinese team whose
skills have improved, but who still, from time to time, retreat into a
clogging defensive play that makes it difficult for an opposing team
to score.

The Chinese team did not use its fabled goalie Guo Hong, who played in
the past two world championships. But its second-string goalie, Nuo
Lina, was effective, stopping 29 shots.

"We have two goalies that are about the same level," said Chinese
coach Zhang Zhinan. "But [Guo] played so many days, she is somewhat
exhausted. So we decided to replace her."

The Finns outshot the Chinese 32-10, blanking them completely in the
first period.

"But today Finland had to do their best to beat us," Zhang said. "I am
very satisfied with what our players did, especially for the first 40
minutes.

"After that our players had some penalties and the Finns . . . had
some bodychecking against us."

Finnish goalie Liisa-Maria Sneck played three games during the
tournament and had three shutouts.

"I'm really satisfied with these women," said coach Rauno Korpi. "But
the Chinese team are really dedicated to playing a tight defensive
game. They have a couple of skillful players . . . who can score. But
we had no time and space at all. Yesterday's game [Saturday's 2-1 loss
to Canada in semi-final play] was one factor preventing us from
playing better."

Korpi said the Chinese have improved so much, "maybe China is going to
beat Canada at the Olympics," he said. "Who knows?"
Great hockeyC13

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