SHOWDOWN AT BIG HAT

NAGANO, Japan —  The Canadian and U.S. women’s hockey teams have been thrown together almost everywhere they’ve been en route to Nagano, dressing in adjacent locker rooms for most of the games on their exhibition tour and bunking next door to each other in the athletes’ village at Nagano.

So it’s only fitting they will be thrown together again Tuesday at Big Hat in the first women’s Olympic gold-medal game, a matchup fraught with emotion built over months of pushing each other--figuratively and literally.

“Good teams thrive on competition, and they always give us good competition,” said U.S. center A.J. Mleczko. “Everyone says, ‘Oh, you must hate Canada and when you see them you say, ‘Uh-oh,’ but playing Canada is fun.”

Said Canadian Coach Shannon Miller: “It’s just another opportunity for Canada and the USA, two powerhouse hockey teams, to have some fun banging each other around.”

Canada had a 7-6 edge in pre-Olympic play, but the U.S. won their most recent meeting, 7-4, Saturday in the round-robin finale. Both had already clinched berths in the gold-medal game, but neither took the game lightly. They combined for 48 penalty minutes, including seven penalties for body checking--which is prohibited in the women’s game--and another for checking from behind.

“We have to adjust our game because when you play against the U.S., it’s more physical. You can’t skate with the puck from end to end,” said Canadian forward Danielle Goyette, who became the center of a firestorm Saturday when U.S. forward Sandra Whyte allegedly made a remark about the recent death of Goyette’s father and players had to be separated before they left the ice.

The U.S. players denied making such remarks and Coach Ben Smith said the team had even sent a sympathy card to Goyette, but the controversy only heightened the rivalry and tension between the teams. “If you can’t get up for this game,” defenseman Tara Mounsey said Monday, “I don’t know what you can get up for.”

Goyette, 32, is the tournament’s top goal scorer, with seven, and is tied for second in scoring with eight points. U.S. forwards Karyn Bye, Cammi Granato and Katie King also have eight points each.

“I can’t ask to have a better tournament than right now, the way I play,” Goyette said. “I’ve really been focusing on my game.

“This is a good opportunity for women’s hockey in the Olympics. Each game is so important, you want to give everything you have.”

The U.S., which has been the runner-up to Canada in each of the four world championships that have been contested, finished first in the Olympic preliminary round with a 5-0 record. Led by Bye’s five goals and four each from Granato, King and Laurie Baker, the U.S. scored 26 goals, 10 more than Canada.

“I think we have to stay out of the penalty box because the last game [last Saturday] when we were five on five, we dominated,” King said.

U.S. goaltenders Sarah Tueting and Sara DeCosta, who each appeared in five games, gave up only seven goals. Smith has alternated his goalies; Tueting started Saturday against Canada but DeCosta replaced her during the second period. Smith said he knows in his mind which goalie is likely to start but he would not reveal his choice. “Not only I, but the entire team seems to feel very comfortable with interchangeable situation back there,” Smith said. “I don’t think any one goalie makes the team feel any better than the other.”

Canada (4-1) has also alternated goalies Manon Rheaume and Lesley Reddon. Miller would not say which will start Tuesday.

No matter which team wins, women’s hockey will ultimately win.

“We want to show a good game,” U.S. forward Shelley Looney said. “We’re trying to get the sport out there. We want people to see how good the sport is, and if the best two teams are playing, that’s what they’ll see.”

Said Mounsey: “I’m a little bit nervous, which is natural, but I think it’s a positive nervous. [Tuesday] night is the biggest night of my athletic career. It’s quite amazing it’s here.”

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Going for the Gold

The U.S. and Canada women’s ice hockey teams play for the Olympic gold medal today. The two teams have met 14 times since October 1997 and are tied 7-7. Here’s a closer look:

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Date Winner Score Oct. 25 USA 5-4 Nov. 7 Canada 3-2 Nov. 8 Canada 4-1 Nov. 10 USA 3-2 Dec. 4 USA 3-1 Dec. 6 Canada 5-4 Dec. 14 Canada 3-2 Dec. 17 Canada 5-4 Dec. 20 USA 3-0 Jan. 16 Canada 2-1 Jan. 20 USA 4-3 Jan. 26 USA 3-1 Jan. 28 Canada 4-2 Feb. 14 USA 7-4

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The United States holds a 44-41 advantage in goals scored. Eight of the games have been decided by one goal.