Morning Sentinel from Waterville, Maine (2024)

February 21, 2002

Publication:

Morning Sentineli

Location:

Waterville, Maine

Issue Date:

Thursday, February 21, 2002

Page:

19

Extracted Article Text (OCR)

Central Maine Newspapers Winter Olympics or US Canadait comes down to this SALT LAKE2002 in the World and the history between them gives any meeting a special edge playing for what everybody says Cammi Granato a part of all eight teams US teams that have faced Canada for a world or Olympic th tie a great rivalry between the teams and there be any doubt of that when the puck This renewal of that rivalry comes in the most visible showcase will be a great says Canadi an defenseman Cheryl Pounder whole world will get to see what wom hockey is all Unlike 1998 the US comes in as a fa vorite Canada after losing all eight of its exhibition meetings with the US is in the underdog role Each side claims to be comfortable with its position trying to set the precedent for By DAVID LASSEN Scripps Howard News Service WEST VALLEY Utah the Olympic hockey tournament begins at the end in gold medal game All tne rest was simply a formality After winning eight games by a combined 64 5 the tournament boils down to the widely ex nected pairing of the US and Canada a rematch of not only the 1998 Nagano Games but also the final of all seven world championship tournaments The US won the gold in Nagano Canada has won all seven world champi onships Clearly these are the two best teams relaxed in the dressing says the forward often labelled the best player know what we have to do and really ex cited to get on that ice against the US and give them a run for their not as if the US has consistent dominated the series Half of the eight games were decided by one or two goals the others by three or four were a few games we should have she said last game in Vancouver (a 3 2 US win Jan 8) for ex ample One mistake and they won the game We outplayed them the entire game And there are other games where they outplayed us the entire game all depends on who has the best comes down to: 60 minutes ot who has a better C6 Thursday ebruary 21 2002 hockey and trying to force other teams to play to our level Up to this point been able to do it and I just hope that it keeps says US defense man AJ Mleczko one of 14 returning players from the Nagano gold medallists As for Team 8 0 record against Canada the Canadians say it means nothing And the defending Olympic champions agree comes down to one says coach Daniele Sauvageau even if we would have played them 20 times or three times it who the best team on that agrees US forward Shelley Looney why it matter hannnned in the Hayley Wickenheiser who had two game that given day and all it I a 1 1 1 T7V A atsxn nt vvrlkza goals in uanaaa semuinai win uvei in land says Canada nothing to lose the Tube SCHEDULE NBC 4 5 pm Cross Country Skiing: 4x5km 8 9:15 pm Alpine Skiing: giant slalom 9:15 9:30 pm Nordic Combined: Sprint K120 competition 9:30 pm 12 am igure Skating: Ladies' long program 12:35 2:05 am Late Night haTly pd ITt RIDAY Alpine Skiing giant slalom) noon Bobsleigh (four man runs 1 2) 5:30 pm Curling bronze medal) 11 am gold medal) 4:30 pm igure Skating (exhibition) 8:45 pm Nordic Combined (sprint 75km) noon Speedskating 15000) 2 pm Medal Count MSNBC 1 2 pm Curling: bronze medal game 2 4:30 pm Ice Hockey: bronze medal game 4:30 7 pm Curling: Women's gold medal game CNBC 7 1 0 pm Ice Hockey: Women's gold medal game Ahead TODAY Alpine Skiing giant slalom first run) Noon (men's giant slalom second run) 3 pm Cross Country Skiing 4x5km relay) 2:30 pm Curling (women's bronze medal US vs Canada) 11 am gold medal Switzerland vs Britain) 4 pm igure Skating (women free program) 7:45 pm Ice Hockey (bronze medal inland vs Swe den) 2 pm (gold medal Canada vs US) 7 pm 'Nordic Combined (sprint k1 20 jump) 12:30 pm Country Total Germany 9 15 7 31 USA 8 9 8 25 Norway 10 6 2 18 Austria 1 4 9 14 Russian ed 5 5 3 13 rance 3 4 2 9 Italy 4 Canada 21 4 7 Switzerland 3 1 3 7 inland 3 2 1 6 Netherlands 2 3 0 5 'Sweden 0 13 4 Bulgaria O' 1 2 3 Notables is issues esses esei STARS blm Shea United States: first third generation ath lete won skeleton to become the second gold medalist His grandfather won two speedskating golds in 1932 Tristan Gale United States: inished 1 2 in skeleton with teammate Lea Ann Parsley Annl rleslnger Germany: Won gold and set world record I in 1500 meters speedskating American Jennifer Ro took bronze pie Einar Bjoerndalem Norway: Won gold in the 30 kilo meter biathlon relay the third winter athlete ever to win as many as four golds at one games Manlca Kostelic Croatia: Slalom win gave her two golds and a silver for the games 1 HOCKEY STUNNER (Belarus the lone team in the tournament with no NHL for 'wards stunned Sweden 4 3 in the quarterfinals The de 'fending champions from the Czech Republic were elimi nated 1 0 by Russia OTHER AMERICANS 'Speedskating 1500 meters: Chris Witty fifth Amy 1 Sannes eighth and Becky Sundstrom 1 3th Women's slalom: Lindsey Kildow 32nd Kristina Koznick Sarah Schleper and Tasha Nelson did not finish 30 kllometer biathlon relay: US team of Jeremy (Teela Jay Hakkinen Dan Campbell and Lawton Red (man 15th skeleton: Lincoln DeWitt fifth Chris Soule seventh COMING EVENTS figure skater Michelle Kwan is leading going in to Thursday night's free skate with US teen agers Sasha Cohen and Sarah Hughes third and fourth Erik Schlopy and Bode Miller have shots at medals in the giant slalom The US hockey team meets Canada for the gold QUOTE THE DAY jThis is the biggest thing that could happen for a small country such as us Economically it is not good now so this is a big moment for our country" Belarus forward Vladimir Tsyplakov after the victory IrweASwaffeo EsgBKKHKggg 'J IMIBsI ftr f' 5SI The Associated Press The United John LeClair (10) right congratulates teammate and goalie Mike Richter (35) at the conclusion of their 5 0 victory over Germany at the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics in Kearns Utah on Wednesday US moves on Team tops Germany to reach rematch with Russia WEST VALLEY CITY Utah (AP) Now the rematch John LeClair losing a tooth but not his scor ing touch and linemate Brett Hull each scored a goal and the United States closed within a vic tory of its first Olympic hockey medal since 1980 beating Germany 5 0 Wednesday Mike Modano the third member of the pro ductive US top line had two assists while Jeremy Roenick Chris Chelios and Tony Amonte also scored to back Mike 28 save effort in goal The United States plays Russia on riday in a semifinal rematch of their 2 2 tie Saturday that drew the largest US TV audience for hockey since the 1980 Olympics And this for coincidence: Not only is Herb Brooks again the US coach just as he was in 1980 but riday is the 22nd anniversary of the on 4 3 Olympic upset of the seemingly unbeatable Soviet Union hockey machine There was an upset of historic magnitude in quarterfinals but this time it involve the United States Just before the Americans took the ice Belarus stunned previ ously unbeaten Sweden 4 3 to eliminate a poten tial finalist ROUNDUP medalist Sabine Voelker riesinger set a world record in the 1500 meter race late charge knocked teammate Chris Witty off the medal stand as she sought her second medal of these games and fourth overall Witty who was recovering from mononucleosis said she felt awful after the race Ole Einar Bjoemdalen became the third Olympian to win four gold medals at a single games as Norway 30 kilo meter biathlon relay Three time defending Olympic champion Germany won the silver and rance took the bronze Only two others had previously taken four gold medals in one Winter Olympics: American speedskater Eric Heiden with five in 1980 and Russian speedskater Lydia Skoblikova with four in 1964 is veiy said Bjoemdalen who said later he would skip 50K cross country race and a chance at a fifth gold If nothing else that upset further focused the attention on Germany which just as Belarus played its way through the prelimi naries into the round of eight before going 0 3 in round robin play Just as they have throughout their 3 0 1 Olympic run in which outscored oppo nents 21 3 the Americans moved the puck well to generate plenty of scoring chances without relaxing defensively the kind of teamwork that was missing when they failed to win a medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics German coach Hans Zach who played on the 1980 West German team that lost 4 2 to gold medalists talked beforehand about wel coming the chance to play the Americans And the Germans came out playing aggressively and physically so much so they drew 33 penalty minutes in the first period LeClair lost a tooth when struck by Erich wayward stick in the first period with Goldmann drawing a high sticking penalty and a game misconduct LeClair was rammed in the face again by a stick in the second period causing him to slam his own stick into the glass in frustration SPEEDSKATING: bronze medal gave the United States eight medals in eight long track events equaling the 1980 team as the most prolific in US history Rodriguez 25 finished behind the German pair of gold medalist Anni riesinger and silver SLALOM: Croatia 3 United States 0 the medal count in the Alpine skiing events where Janica Kostelic of Croatia won her second gold and third medal overall in the slalom Kostelic who won gold in the combined and silver in the Super braved a heavy snowfall to take the slalom Laure Pequegnot of rance was second and Anja Paerson of Sweden took the bronze Kostelic will go for her fourth medal riday in the giant slalom The US Alpine team was about the only American squad not to flour ish in Utah and could finish with no medals for the first time since 1988 CURLING: The gold is gone for the US curlers although they remain in the running for a bronze The Americans lost 9 4 to Switzerland snap ping a four game winning streak and setting up a bronze medal contest Thursday against the defending gold medalist Canada The Canadians lost 6 5 to Great Britain set ting up a match between the winners and the Swiss for the gold In the semifinals Canada advanced to gold medal game with a 6 4 victory over world champion Sweden The Canadians will play Norway 7 6 winners in extra time over defending Olympic champion Switzer land Time to send sequined ones down the hill By DAVE KINDRED The Sporting News COMMENTARY an idea to liven up the Win ter Olympics: Send figure skaters down the bobsled run Enough al ready with the frozen smiles of artistic impression Send the sequined ones down the steep twisting icy intestine There would be no controver sy no scandal no to the be spangles scattered everywhere Think about it Down the bob run on skates Maybe 80 miles per hour No music no mousse no rouge No renchwoman pressured into a backroom deal with the Russian judge trading her vote on pairs for his on dancing If we sent the skaters down the bob run there would be no politics no guessing no favors ex changed be quadruple lutzes by the dozens though none on pur pose diary such a sweet prospect Instead we get figure skating as it is A show A nice show But a show Do a quadruple lutz to avoid a ce ment head goon with a stick a sport Do a sit spin to a show a show so swollen with self importance that when a judge goes we are subjected to a media uproar One out of her wig commentator without irony chris tened it Scandal That Ate the Salt Lake City Excuse me? talking figure skating The idea of figure skating as a sport is scandal in itself first rule of sports: no sequins What happened is that one vote the breakable gave the pairs figure skating gold medal to Russians rather than to the superior Canadians The ensuing me dia coverage was so intense have thought something important had happened such as toe cuts soul patch chin whiskers baggy pants aromatic weed and punk rock (Do we slide to Wanna Be or Or as Hank Stuever of The Wash ington Post wrote about feeling like a really smart 11 year Even older 19 the US snowboarding half piper Danny Kass punctuated his sil ver medal excitement by shouting going to be on the Count Chocula Snowboarding hallpipe the chilly cousin of Games skateboarding comes with its own language: grabs and no grabs grabs with amplitude McTwists and monstrous airs (among them roast beef airs chicken salad airs Mellon Collie airs) And listen to this from a TV analyst about a maneu ver from a moguls run in free slyle skiing: He mixes tne water witn a lit tle flour adds the yeast preheats the oven bakes it the dough rises and he delivers a fresh dinner Oh my Whatever all that means it certainly must move a listener or three to long for the simple sporting pleasure of a John Madden Boom! Such a complicated world these Winter Olympics Did you know: 1) K2 Mod speedskating boots are two precious ounces lighter than the combat boots of yore? 2) The Salt Lake City speedskating surface called is produced by spraying 24 layers of deionized puri fied water three quarters of an inch thick? 3) Norway sent 40 technicians to Utah to examine snow before de tiding which of 175 waxes would work best on which skis for which race? 4) Scientists believe may be used in the near future to cause the body to produce undetectably performance enhancing substances now banned or even change fast twitch muscles to slow twitch? healing overnight Having said all that I also should say possible perhaps even proba ble that now has a definition beyond the grasp of witnesses old enough to vote or in stance snowboarding in which the United States won its first gold medal of these games seems to have be come Snowboards exist in Mickey prime It was 1965 when Sherman Poppen an industrial gases engineer in Muskegon Mich fas tened two skis together so his little girl could stay upright on the snow wife called the resulting surfboard like contraption a (or small favors we should be gratefill at least suggest the nasal congestion Soon enough skiers being instinc tive elitists snowboarders were shuf fled off into their own little world a maverick world with a Happily a haven of simplici ty available to everyone who ever owned a lexible lyer one event with which we all can identify Despite the ominous sound of its name skeleton is just a matter of bel ly flopping onto your little lyer Granted belly flopping onto a 3V(t foot long 80 pound sled that looks like (to quote a nervous writer) shortened gurney without wheels" And you do fly down a bobsled run with your chin an inch above the ice at 80 mph knowing you might be thrown off and trans formed into a sack of bones Otherwise the same deal as sled rides down Red Haw Hill in Atlanta DL a cemetery hill veiy steep very high very dangerous Today it may ap pear to be a gentle incline at the edge of a cornfield Once upon a time it was a murderous mountain and from the top you careened around trees and sfodded your lyer left snow flying from its runners to keep from falling over a cliff into an abyss with no bot tom Sequins no Skeleton you betcha lifestyle given to rebellion spiky hair i I I i I was just kind of joking because ranged from 55 to 59 and included four 57s She made a thumbs down in good shape for medals too Sasha Cohen is third going into the free skate worth two thirds of the overall score and Sarah Hughes is fourth very focused extremely fo4 cused" coach John said after practice a very narrow focus and why my comments to her seem to be absorbed coach Robin Wagner was optimistic too personality probably better that the chaser and not the Wagner said fires her Technically not always the strongest skater but she makes up chasing Kwan in free skate SALT LAKE CITY (AP) When The American teen age skaters are Michelle Kwan is on tough to beat And so far at these Olympics the 1998 figure skating silver medalist is loolung great Kwan goes for a gold medal Thursday night in the free skate leading archrival Irina slu*tskaya of Russia af ter the short program At practice Wednesday confidence and comfort level showed She was the only skater in the group of six leaders who ran through her entire program and she wore a bright natu ral smile the whole time felt really calm out she said after Tuesday short pro gram am well prepared in good the difference with fluid grace and shape healthy just got to feel artistry that connects with foe crowd you are fortunate already before the Her short program technical marks start of tne After finishing second to Tara Lipin ski in Nagano an Olympic gold re gesture after seeing them mams the only achievement the 21 year old Kwan won Kwan is a those very good technical four time world champion and six Kwan said guess the artis time national title winner tic marks made up for it" I 1 COMMENTARY I ROUNDUP I ROUNDUP 1 COMMENTARY.

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