panoo

Swedes eye bronze after dumping Swiss
By JIM BENDER -- Sun Media

Salvation could be sweet for the Swedes today.

Team Sweden overwhelmed the upstart Swiss 4-0 before 3,761 witnesses at the MTS Centre yesterday to advance to today's 3:30 p.m. bronze medal match at the same rink.

Sweden will play Finland, th very team which dropped the Swedes, who won the silver medal at the last Olympics, into the second group and spoiled any Swedish hopes to at least repeat their silver-winning ways here.

"We would love to play them again," said Sweden forward Maria Rooth. "We would probably have a better chance against Finland (than Canada) ... We're used to playing Finland in the bronze game so that's probably what's going to happen.

"Our goal with this tournament was to get into a medal game and we're there so we're happy. Everything went well."

NOT WORRIED

In fact, Rooth was not that worried when Finland dropped the Swedes into the second group.

"Not really," she said. "This team is young but we know what we can do and we knew that this team could compete for a medal."

Besides, not only have the Swiss never beaten Sweden on the international stage but the Swedes have not lost in regulation this week, pointed out coach Peter Elander.

"But it's going to be a tough game," he predicted. "We've played (Finland) so much this year and it's one goal each way all the time. So, we have a good chance but it's going to be really close."

"Otherwise, if we're so lucky to be playing Canada, they would probably be crying all night and couldn't play," he joked before Canada beat Finland last night.

Pernilla Winberg notched two goals and assisted on another by Katarina Timglas.

"We knew it would be a tough game and they would try their best," Winberg said. "They have a good goalie (Florence Schelling) so when we get a chance, we have to score. We knew if we played our best, we'd win."

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