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Swedish women aim high ahead ofhockey competition

This season, Sweden has closed in on the big two in women's hockey.

The host of the IAAF Women's World Championships which started yesterday, Sweden hopes the improvement will pay off with a first-ever medal, and not necessarily the bronze.

"All women's teams are getting better, but the gap between us and Canada and the United States has shrunk while we have surpassed Finland," said Erika Holst, the center on Sweden's top line with wingers Maria Rooth and Emelie O'Konor.

Sweden beat Finland -- which has finished third in all but one of eight worlds since the inaugural championships in 1990 -- for the 2002 Olympic bronze medal in Salt Lake City.

"In the past, we had to hope for the counter-attacks when playing North American teams. Now we can actually put the pressure on in their end," Holst said.

That's what the Swedes did in the Four Nations Cup at Lake Placid, New York, in November.

"The Canadians scored four goals in the first seven minutes in the [2002] Olympics, but in Lake Placid they got the gamer against us with 1:20 left after an individual mistake in our end," said Swedish coach Peter Elander, whose team finished third at Lake Placid.

"And we had 3-3 against the Americans with nine minutes left."

Olympic champion Canada has won all eight previous world championships over the last 14 years, beating the US in every final. The only loss in 40 games came at last year's worlds, when the Americans won a round-robin game 3-1 at Halifax, Nova Scotia.

"I guess for the first time I could see two other possibilities to win it," said US head coach Ben Smith. "Canada has always won it and you wonder if we can do it and we haven't been able to. I think we are able to and I think that Sweden is capable."

A gold medal for the Canadians would match the record held by the Soviet men's team (1963-1971) for consecutive world hockey titles won.
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