Shelley Looney had a goal and two assists as the United States breezed to a 6-0 victory over China on Saturday in the Women's World Ice Hockey Championship.
The United States, silver medalists in three previous worlds, will again try to take the gold medal from Canada, which beat Finland 2-1 on a last-minute goal by Vicki Sunohara. China and Finland will play for the bronze.The Chinese, who have a reputation for intense physical play, were unusually quiet with only 14 shots on U.S. goalie Erin Whitten. China's "Great Wall," Guo Hong, had 32 saves.
The wall began to falter on a power play, dropping the puck virtually onto the stick blade of Stephanie O'Sullivan, who shoveled it in at 12:05 in the first period.
Looney assisted on that goal and on Tara Mounsey's late in the period. She and Karyn Bye added goals late in the second, and Laurie Baker and Gretchen Ulion scored early in the third.
In the early game, Sunohara scored with 24 seconds remaining to give Canada a fourth shot at the title.
"I have one thing to say and that's `Whew!' " Canada coach Shannon Miller said.
Sunohara broke up ice with Geraldine Heaney, took her pass and faked Finnish goalie Tuula Puputti for the game-winner.
"I was wide open, and I don't know if Geraldine has eyes in the back or side of her head or what, but she saw me," she said.
It was a triumphant moment for Sunohara, a 1990 national team member who fought crippling depression after failing to make the 1992 squad.
Canada never lost a game in any previous worlds on its way to three gold medals.
Finland, which has won the bronze three times, opened the scoring seven minutes into the game on a power play goal by defenseman Kirsi Hanninen. The quick-skating Finns held Canada to eight shots in the period, including one near-goal when the puck fluttered between Puputti's pads and stopped just outside the red line.
Miller showed a short motivational video during the break, featuring scenes from past championships as well as this year's earlier games.
"It was quite obvious in the first period that the fires were not lit, so we lit them for the second," she said.
Hayley Wickenheiser tied it 1-1 on a feed from Angela James at 5:27 in the second period.
Puputti stopped 33 shots and Canada's Lesley Reddon had 19 saves.
Five of the eight teams competing will advance to the 1998 Olympics at Nagano, the first games to include women's ice hockey. The host country, Japan, gets automatic entry.
The four teams playing Saturday earned Olympic berths in the preliminary round, and Russia and Sweden will vie for the final opening today. Switzerland and Norway were eliminated Friday.