Canadian women take preparation to a new level to defend Olympic hockey gold

(CP) - The Canadian women's hockey team has pulled out all the stops this winter in order to defend its Olympic gold medal in Turin, Italy.

But the U.S. will have something to say about that. Canada and the U.S. have met in the final of all nine world championships and the gold-medal games of both Olympic Games where women's hockey has featured. The Canadians have won eight of those world finals and the gold at the 2002 Olympics.

While an upset by Sweden or Finland is in the realm of possibilities in Turin, those countries have yet to show they've significantly closed the gap on the North Americans.

If the Olympic gold was decided in a seven-game series, Canada would take it over the U.S. because the Canadians have put more into their preparation this winter.

But in a one-off game, the odds even out. The Canadians proved that in 2002 at the Sale Lake City Olympics when they had lost eight straight games to the Americans before winning the gold-medal game 3-2.

Canada opens defence of its gold on Feb. 11 (TV, 2:30 p.m. ET) against host Italy at the Palasport Olympico.

Canada, the top seed in the eight-country tournament, is in Group A along with No. 4 Sweden, No. 5 Russia and No. 8 Italy.

The U.S., the second seed and defending world champion, is in Group B along with No. 3 Finland, No. 6 Germany and No. 7 Switzerland.

The top two teams in each pool advance to the semifinals on Feb. 17 with the medal games slated for Feb. 20.

This is the most prepared a Canadian women's hockey team has ever been for an Olympics because it has played a record 46 games this winter. That's more than any other country. The U.S. has played some 24 games.

Twenty-two of Canada's matches were against men's midget triple-A teams (aged 15 to 17) in Alberta and that was a new element in its Olympic preparation. Those games gave the Canadian women the kind of competition they get only from the U.S. in international women's hockey.

Canada's weakness when it comes to playing the U.S. is that after dominating puck possession against other countries in a tournament, the team suddenly has to adjust to playing without it. The fleet-footed Americans are also the only team that really pressures Canada's defence in its own zone.

The games against the men were designed to improve Canada's play in that area.

"The games and also the practices, we've been working the last month just giving the defencemen as much pressure as possible, working on breakouts and on executing with poise and patience under pressure in all areas," forward Hayley Wickenheiser said. "If we can do that in the moment of truth in the gold-medal game, we're going to be successful and everybody knows that."

Canada's challenge has also been to consistently be more creative on offence, as its top snipers went cold in a 1-0 shootout loss to the U.S. in the final of the 2005 world championship.

Canada, coached by Melody Davidson, is 8-2 against the U.S. in the winter runup to the Games, but the Americans have won two of the last three meetings.

The U.S. was a team in disarray in October and November, when it was outscored 18-0 over three games by Canada.

The Canadians had been training together in Calgary since Aug. 1 and the Americans hadn't spent as much time together at that point. The U.S. struggled to generate offence without veteran forwards Cammi Granato and Shelley Looney, who were cut from the team last summer in a controversial move by head coach Ben Smith.

But the U.S. has come around as they've practised and played more games together, which should set up another battle royal for gold.

"They have skill, they have the ability to do things that can beat you, but I also know if we show up and we play the way we can, I believe we are a better team and we should win," Wickenheiser said. "It's going to come down in that last game, to who makes fewer mistakes, who capitalizes on specialty teams and who battles harder and wants it more."

The road to Turin has seemed smoother than it was to Salt Lake City for the Canadian women. Those eight straight losses to the U.S., plus the replacement of a player a month prior to the Games, were unsettling for the team, but Canada prevailed in the end to win gold.

Canada has 13 players returning players from that team for Turin, while the U.S. has nine veterans.

The Americans beat Canada 5-3 in their last meeting on Jan. 1 in Winnipeg in a game that was televised nationally. At the time, Davidson described Canada's performance with a profanity, but now says it was a valuable reminder that the team has to show up and execute in order to win.

"These girls hate to lose and that feeling will still be fresh in their minds," Davidson said. "I can talk all I want about worlds, but this is a different team and a different group and some of them didn't experience that feeling.

"The last loss to the U.S. will keep us hungry and remembering we don't like to lose to anyone."

Finland and Sweden are expected to battle for bronze. The Finns led Canada 3-2 heading into the third period of their Olympic semifinal in Salt Lake City, before Finland's goaltending collapsed and the Canadians rattled off five goals.

Russia, Germany, Switzerland and Italy will battle for the final four positions.

A look at the Canadian Olympic women's hockey team at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy:

Games history: Gold in 2002 with a 3-2 win over the U.S.; Silver in 1998 with a 3-1 loss to the U.S.

2006 Schedule: All games on TV, . Feb. 11 vs. Italy (2:30 p.m); Feb. 12 vs. Russia (10:30 a.m.); Feb. 14 vs. Sweden (9:30 a.m.); Feb. 17, semifinals (11 am. and 3 p.m.); Feb. 20, gold-medal game (2:30 p.m.).

Players to watch: Defenceman/forward Caroline Ouellette; forward Hayley Wickeneheiser; forward Meghan Agosta.

© The Canadian Press, 2006