2010 Winter Olympics: U.S. Women's Hockey Escapes After Sloppy Play

U.S. goaltender Jessie Vetter saw 23 shots this afternoon, as the U.S. provided Finland with the perfect opportunity to upset this powerhouse.

Thankfully, Vetter powered through and managed the mess that Finland caused in front of her crease, and the U.S. continued to roll 6-0 going into the medal round.

Whereas any fan watching these games knows that there is an almost inevitable gold medal match versus the Canadian team, this U.S. team must stay focused on the prize if they are to avoid an upset loss like they suffered four years ago against Sweden.

Coach Mark Johnson obviously wished to practice the respect he preached after last game, leaving hockey mom idol froward Jenny Potter on the bench for large periods of time.

However, the U.S. gave the Finnish side over 10 minutes on the power play, including one 5-on-3 power play.  That is where Vetter shined brightest.

U.S. defender Caitlin Cahow, who contributed a hooking call to the penalty time, said, "Jessie was awesome. It's what we've come to expect."

These two teams faced each other three times in exhibition games, the U.S. winning by a combined 13-3.  

Vetter indicated that familiarity may have contributed the slow U.S. start to the game and the sloppiness in their own zone.  

Julie Chu broke open nearly 10 minutes of flat hockey with her goal, and was quickly joined by Molly Engstrom, Natalie Darwitz, and Meghan Duggan on the score sheet.

The rest was up to Vetter, who consistently rose to the occasion during a second period, riddled with Finnish power plays.

Hillary Knight added a second period goal, and Karen Thatcher capped the victory in the third period.

The next game is against a Swedish team that upset the U.S. in Torino.  These U.S. women face that very same Swede goalie Kim Martin, who turned away 37 shots in the upset four years ago.

Also of note:

With Natalie Darwitz's 3 points, she has 11 total points in these Olympic games. Darwitz broke Cammi Granato's record of 10 points during the Olympic Tournament, set in the 1998 Nagano games.

The U.S. women have faced the Finnish team six times since Aug. 31, 2009.  The U.S. lost that game, the opening game of the Canada Cup tournament, that the U.S. went on to win.

Canadian women's coach Melody Davidson was in the crowd scouting the U.S. team. Clearly not intimidated, she spent most of the game chatting on her cell phone.