February 3, 2010
By Cameron Eickmeyer
USAHockey.com
Months, and in some cases years, of preparation for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games have members of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team itching for the opening puck drop on Feb. 14.
U.S. head coach Mark Johnson likened the feeling to a giant slalom ski racer standing at the gate waiting to be let loose down the mountain. That desire to compete for the goal the team has been preparing for the past year can present a challenge to the coaches, who work to keep players focused on practices and the little things that have been crucial all along.
“We’re just trying to make sure everyone’s organized from that standpoint,” Johnson said. “When we leave on Sunday, then the fun starts.”
Before the U.S. heads to Vancouver, there is one last test in the form of Finland, ranked No. 3 in the world, which the U.S. will host in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday in the final game of the Qwest Tour.
“It’s a good way to finish the Qwest Tour,” Johnson said, adding that the game gives his team a chance to see where it stands against top competition heading into the Games. “From a coaching standpoint, you want to see how you react to the situation.”
The situation is likely to be a raucous pro-American crowd in the city that both the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Hockey call home. Johnson said that atmosphere will be a good emotional sendoff for his team.
“It will give them a small indication of what the big picture looks like,” he added, referring to the support the team will have from the entire country.
Jenny Potter, who has competed in three Olympic Winter Games, said she feels her team is in a good place heading into the transition from the Qwest Tour to the big tournament.
“We’re all in a good place and we’re having fun, joking around and are pretty relaxed, but serious when we need to be,” she said.
Potter will be counted on to lead given her experience on the biggest stage for women’s hockey, but said she’s confident the Olympic rookies will be fine in Vancouver.
Women's game continues to grow | Whether you watch Thursday’s game against Finland or catch Team USA’s games in Vancouver, expect an entertaining brand of women’s hockey that continues to grow by leaps and bounds since it first burst on the Olympic scene in 1998.
“The depth of many of the teams has increased and the quality of the players has become much better and so you put that together and the end result is a pretty entertaining product on the ice,” Mark Johnson said.
Johnson credits the growth of the sport and the improvement of coaching in the NCAA, Canada and Europe for bringing the women’s game along at a rapidly expanding rate.
“They’ll be impressed how competitive these young ladies are and their skill level,” he added. “If you’ve been around 8, 9 or 10 years to see it grow, it’s really neat.” |
“I think they have a lot of experience and hold themselves very well,” she said. “They’ve been under a competitive atmosphere as far as Frozen Fours and big games like that so I’m not worried at all.”
The key to the transition, Potter said, is to treat every day as if it’s the same as the one before, even when the consequences and pressure increase.
“I think this team is very prepared on the ice and we’ve prepared ourselves as much as we can off the ice,” she said. “Everything else will kind of take care of itself.”
The team spent the week prior to Thursday’s game in Colorado Springs and Johnson said it was a good time to settle some of the non-hockey tasks surrounding the Olympic experience. Once family ticket requests are taken care of and the team is moved into the Olympic Village in Vancouver, the team can finally settle in on the goal its had for all this time.
“They’re in a real good place, so now it’s that ability to mentally get your self ready to take the challenge on,” he said. |