Esche shines in U.S. loss to Canada

The Flyers' goalie valiantly kept his team in the game,
but the Canadians held on for a 2-1 World Cup triumph in Montreal.

By Tim Panaccio

Inquirer Staff Writer

MONTREAL - Chances are, Robert Esche won't soon forget his World Cup of Hockey debut at Bell Centre.

The Flyers goalie was under siege last night as Team Canada ambushed Team USA early, then hung on for a 2-1 victory in both countries' tournament opener.

Coach Pat Quinn's Canadians will meet Slovakia tonight in Montreal while Ron Wilson's 1996 defending champion Americans travel to St. Paul, Minn., to face Russia tomorrow.

Esche, who was sharp in goal with 30 saves, survived an early, all-out blitz, allowing the Americans to make a game of it.

"They were dynamite," Esche said. "You expect you might have to come out and steal some momentum from them and hold your team together, which is what happened. But it was a fun game. I thought it was great."

The United States trailed by 2-0. It rallied to regain its composure and went into the third period behind by a goal but couldn't tie it.

Canada had a rather effective pairing of Joe Sakic centering team captain Mario Lemieux and Jarome Iginla. Sakic scored the game-winner.

"Esche played really well, especially that first period when we could have been 3-0," Sakic said of the Canadians' 19-shot barrage. "He kept them in that game."

Not surprisingly, the match was fiercely competitive, with frayed emotions and a fair amount of chippiness. There were injuries, too. Mike Modano of Team USA sustained a "lower body" injury and left the game early, forcing Wilson to juggle his lines. Canadian defenseman Ed Jovanovski sustained a knee injury.

Canada wore a throwback sweater commemorating the Winnipeg Falcons, who won the first gold medal ever awarded at a Winter Olympics in hockey in 1920. It had an that ugly mustard color strongly resembled the Nashville Predators' uniforms. There were no names on the back - only the word Canada.

Though the Americans talked about coming out with guns a blazing, it was Canada that was firing volleys. Through the first eight minutes, Canada outshot the U.S. team, 10-3. "Robert Esche was on top of things," Wilson said. "He was impressive."

Esche made repeated outstanding saves that first period. He had pad stops on Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton, who would later assist on the game's first goal. He made two pad stops on Iginla from point-blank range and had back-to-back stops on Scott Niedermayer and Shane Doan.

Canada had three power plays that period, plus one to start the second period - and capitalized twice for a 2-0 lead. Special teams were pivotal.

"Their power play clicked well," said Team USA's Bill Guerin. "We gave them too many opportunities."

On Canada's first goal late in the opening period, Thornton drove the net from the left corner, then slid the puck into the slot for Martin St. Louis, who beat Esche.

Canada scored again at 3 minutes, 5 seconds of the second period as Sakic, playing the point on the power play, shot a wrister that appeared to hit a stick, then Chris Drury, changing directions. "I was going right, it went left," Esche said.

Through the first 26 minutes, Canada dominated with 18 scoring chances to Team USA's none. Near the midway mark of the second period, the Americans had their first, back-to-back scoring chances but goalie Martin Brodeur twice denied Keith Tkachuk in the crease. It was the start of a turnaround.

"They got physically involved; they were pushing us and we didn't push back early," Wilson said. "But the second half of the game was something for us to build on."

U.S. luck changed soon after when Scott Gomez gave Guerin a nice pass in the right circle and the former 40-goal scorer beat Brodeur to the glove side at 10:40 of the second period, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

The goal ignited Wilson's team as the momentum started to swing its way and Brodeur endured contact in the crease. "They ran him four or five times on purpose," Quinn said. "It makes a guy like myself pretty, bloody angry."

By period's end, Lemieux ran Steve Konowalchuk for piling into Brodeur with help from Sakic, touching off a melee in which Niedermayer and Jeff Halpern dropped gloves and everyone else paired off.

"They drove the net to get themselves going," Brodeur said. "The way we play defense, teams drive on me. I had some contact but I expected that."

Sweden 5, Germany 2

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Mats Sundin had a goal and two assists to lead Sweden past Germany in the World Cup opener for both teams. Flyers defenseman Kim Johnsson added a goal and assist for Sweden.

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This article contains information from the Associated Press. Contact staff writer Tim Panaccio at 215-854-2847 or tpanaccio@phillynews.com.