The following is an article from today's Edmonton Journal.  Following the
game report is another report from the Journal regarding a dispute
between a Swedish player and his club team regarding his participation in
the tournament which may be of interest due to prior discussions here on
the same topic.  Finally, the box score of the game (and exhibition which
the article does not note) is provided.
 
CANADA TRIMS FINNS FOR STARTERS
 
        In their way of thinking, this was the first game of a nine-game
winning streak.  And it was a Jussi victory, too.
        "We have that set out.  We play nine games and we're looking for
nine wins," said team captain Todd Harvey Wednesday as Team Canada won
its first of nine games together, dousing Finland 4-1.
        Canada did what a sellout crowd of 3000 came to the Crystal
Gardens [in Grande Prairie] to see, and they accomplished it against a
goalie who almost stole Canada's show here.
        Undrafted 19-year-old Jussi Markkanen stopped five consecutive
Team Canada breakaways and 29 of 33 shots on the night.  It was just one
of those evenings where Canada lacked a little, ahem, Finnish.
        "Yep, he played pretty well," said Harvey with a laugh, looking
down the post game press conference table at his centreman Marty Murray,
who'd blown a pair of breakaways.
        "I felt both times like I had him beaten.  I just didn't lift
the puck," said Murray.
        "It was just that day when I could get everything," Markkanen
said.  "Maybe tomorrow I don't get nothing."
        Markkanen thwarted Murray and Larry Courville twice each, and
then stoned Alexandre Daigle for good measure on a night where Finland
scored first but only mustered a cross bar and post the rest of the way
on a steady Dan Cloutier, who faced 30 shots.
        "He's definitely taking a run at it," Head coach Don Hay said of
Jamie Storr's starting netminding job.  "A little competition never hurt
anyone."
        It was 1-0 Finland after 20 minutes before Darcy Tucker and Jason
Allison scored on power plays to give Canada a 2-1 lead after two
periods.  Jeff Friesen (power play) and Denis Pederson (empty netter)
scored in the third period.
        Power plays were the difference, as Canada went three for seven
with the man advantage.  Tucker and Allison both converted on rebounds
while Friesen simply deked Markkanen into the ice before depositing the
prettiest goal of the night.
 
END OF ARTICLE
 
        In game notes Mark Spector, who wrote the above article, reports
that four players, Denis Pederson, Shean Donovan, Jason Botterill, and
Larry Courville are competing for spots on the the checking line.  One of
them will end up the odd forward.
 
BOX SCORE
 
First Period
1. Finland, Miettinen (Tarvainen, Karalahti) 17:43 (pp)
Penalties: Aalto, Fin. (high sticking) 13:07; Tucker, Can. (slashing)
16:07; Harvey, Can (holding) 19:39
 
Second Period
2. Canada, Tucker (Friesen) 12:16 (pp)
3. Canada, Allison (Jovanovski, Murray) 18:02 (pp)
Penalties: Rajamaki, Fin. (holding) 10:34; Daigle, Can. (charging) 14:50;
Tarvainen, Fin. (roughing) 16:37
 
Third Period
4. Canada, Friesen (McCabe) 0:34 (pp)
5. Canada, Pederson (Botterill) 18:58) en
Penalties
Harvey, Can. (high sticking) 5:21; Nutikka, Fin. (interference) 6:48;
Rivers, Can. (hooking) 11:55; Hamalsinen, Fin. (elbowing) 19:36
 
Shots on goal:
Finland    12    8   10    30
Canada      6   13   14    33
 
And if you made it this far, here is the article on participation dispute:
 
SWEDE SKIPPED OUT FOR SHOT AT MEDAL
 
        It was the third year in a row that Malmo, Jesper Mattsson's
Swedish club team, forbade him to play in the world junior tournament.
        When he finally told them "Jag Aker!" (I'm leaving!) he knew it
would make a splash in the hockey world....
        Finally, Mattsson is Sweden's captain at the world junior hockey
tournament.  This time, it was a decision he did not sweat over.
        "It was not hard.  This is my first world junior--the other two
years the national coach said I could come, that I made the team.  But
Malmo said no," said Mattsson, 19, who plays on Sweden's big line with
Ranger's draft pick Niklas Sunstrom and Dallas property Per Svartvadet.
        What's been holding Mattsson back for the last three years is
that Malmo has been in the European Cup, a big money tournament for
Europe's championship club teams.
        Malmo wanted Mattsson, Calgary's first pick in the 1993 draft, to
stay put and play for them.  This year Mattsson said no, while another
player Team Sweden was counting on here elected to stay in Malmo....
        "I hope they can have discussions so that these tournaments can
be split to different times.  Both teams want to have the players, but it
is the player's choice."......
 
The article goes on but this provides the flavour.  I don't know rules
for hockey in Europe for a dispute of this type.  In football (soccer)
clubs are REQUIRED to give up players for the national team and are
heavily fined if they do not do so.  The rule has to be stringent since
often good players do not play for a club in their own country, so there
is no patriotic reason for a club to give up a player.
 
Arthur Berman  [log in to unmask]
THE MAPLE LEAF FOREVER!!!
GO BU!!!