
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, February 28, 1994                   TAG: 9402280119
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Dallas Morning News
DATELINE: LILLEHAMMER, NORWAY                                LENGTH: Medium

SWEDEN TAKES GOLD IN HOCKEY

At an Olympics few Norwegians wanted to end, there was a gold-medal hockey game Sunday that seemingly never would end.

Not after three 20-minute periods and a 10-minute overtime. Not even after the first five shots by each team in a shootout. It wasn't until the second round of a second shootout, when Tommy Salo made a pad save on a shot by Canada's Paul Kariya, that Sweden had a 3-2 victory and its first Olympic gold medal in hockey.

"I was crazed," Salo said. "I saw it was Kariya, and I just took a chance."

The winning goal was credited to Swedish star Peter Forsberg, who slipped a weak backhand past Canada's Corey Hirsch just before Salo's save.

For Sweden (6-1-1), the victory erased a reputation of coming close but never winning the gold. Sweden had won silver medals in 1928 and '64 and bronze medals in 1952, '80, '84 and '88. Canada (5-2-1) repeated as silver medalist.

The victory had special meaning for the Swedes.

"It means I've won everything a hockey player can win - an Olympic gold medal, a world championship and a Stanley Cup," said forward Mats Naslund, who won one Stanley Cup during eight seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. "There's not too many guys who've done that."

Two other Swedes - Tomas Jonsson (with New York Islanders) and Hakan Loob (Calgary Flames) - also have been members of a Stanley Cup champion.

It was the first time the Olympic gold medal had come down to a shootout - in which each team alternated shooting penalty shots. Even the victorious Swedes didn't like that.

"There's too much luck involved," Naslund said. "They should play the gold-medal game on Saturday night so there's a chance to play a second final on Sunday [if there's a tie]."

Early on, it didn't seem as if the game would get to a shootout. Sweden seized a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal by Jonsson 6 minutes, 10 seconds into the first period and dominated until midway through the third period.

Sweden outshot Canada 42-21. But goaltender Corey Hirsch kept Canada in the game with one outstanding save after another.

by CNB