U.S. women on wrong side of hockey history

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For at least one evening, Sweden definitely had a better team than the U.S. That’s another bit of international progress the Americans were hoping wouldn’t arrive until after the gold-medal match.

“I think we’ve got a young team, (but) it’s not an excuse,” said Jenny Potter, a three-time Olympian. “Things didn’t go our way. Their goalie stood on her head, and we didn’t bury it. It’s hard. It brings tears to my eyes. I think we outplayed them.”

The sport’s domination by the U.S. and Canada was the talk of the tournament’s first week, with some questioning whether a sport even more stratified than baseball belonged in the Olympics.

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Canada and the U.S. had never lost to anybody except each other in a match at the World Cup or the Olympics. The Americans won the sport’s inaugural gold medal in Nagano and Canada won in Salt Lake City, shredding their foes in every prior match.

But the Americans barely rallied past Finland on Tuesday before losing to Sweden, which lost 8-1 to Canada in the preliminary round. Parity has arrived — and the world benefits from the U.S. loss.

“It’s always been two countries that can win the gold,” said Mats Naslund, the president of the Swedish Hockey Federation. “I think Canada is too much ahead in this Olympics, but it gives the girls a chance for the next Olympics to catch up.”

Coach Ben Smith made some debatable choices in the Americans’ preparation for Turin, cutting longtime captain Cammi Granato and then opting for a short pre-Olympic training camp and tour. His roster’s overall inexperience must now be questioned as the Americans settle for their worst Olympic finish in the bronze-medal game Monday.

“We had plenty of leadership on this team,” said Smith, a longtime advocate for better development programs in every nation. “This is where the game is going. It’s not just about us and Canada.”

The U.S. barely made it to the shootout, surviving a late 5-on-3 disadvantage in which a Swedish player missed an open net. And the Americans actually went 0-for-5 on four chances against Martin in the shootout: Ruggiero got a second chance when Martin moved too early, but she missed an open net.

After U.S. captain Krissy Wendell missed and Rooth finished it with a low stick-side shot, the Swedes mobbed Martin. They joined hands and skated around the ice to the cheers of a small rooting section, while hundreds of American fans stared blankly or cried.

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