A TOUGH CALL FOR U.S. COACH; SMITH VEERS FROM GOALIE ROTATION.

Byline: Carolyn Thornton Providence Journal-Bulletin

U.S. women's hockey coach Ben Smith was anticipating the worst when he decided which goalie he was going to start in Tuesday's 3-1 gold-medal victory over Canada.

It was actually his faith in Sara DeCosta's ability to come through in a bind, certainly not a lack of ability, he says, that persuaded him to start Sarah Tueting in net.

``In all honesty, I thought that if something was to go wrong or awry or if someone got hurt, I feel that Sara DeCosta is better out of the bullpen than Sarah Tueting,'' he said. ``So that decision was made with that in mind. Obviously a difficult one for Sara DeCosta because we had been rotating all year and it was really her turn.''

The goalie position has posed some of the toughest decisions for Smith since his team first set its sights on Olympic gold last year.

The first came just before Christmas when he decided to go with two rookies - DeCosta and Tueting - over veteran Erin Whitten.

Although many thought Smith would choose only one of them along with the five-time national team member, he felt their stats against Canada earned them both a spot on the Olympic team.

By Christmas time, DeCosta had proved that she could beat the Canadians, sporting a .932 save percentage and a 3-2 record that included an unprecedented 3-0 shutout in the final of the Three Nations Cup.

Tueting, 21, a junior at Dartmouth who had 21 saves Tuesday, was also 3-2 against Canada with a .914 save percentage.

Smith continued to alternate the two goaltenders through the final month of the pre-Olympic tour and into the preliminary round of the Winter Games.

With Saturday's game with Canada meaningless in the standings, he split them in goal and they combined for a 7-4 win. Tueting stopped 10 of 11 shots she faced. DeCosta came in midway through the second period and made 21 saves on 24 shots, allowing three goals, all which were shorthanded.

Although DeCosta was slated to start next according to the rotation, Smith informed the goalies of his decision to go with Tueting during Monday's practice.

``It was a really tough decision with the goalies because ability-wise, I don't think there's much of a difference between either one of them,'' he said. ``The one thing that worked in Tueting's favor is that I think she's a real good starter, but I don't think she's a good closer. And I didn't want to get ourselves in a situation where I'd have to bring her in from the bullpen.

``Sara DeCosta has shown me on several occasions that she's fine whether she starts, whether she comes in 10 minutes into the game or 30 minutes into the game like she did the other night. Sarah Tueting doesn't have that same type of makeup. Sarah wants the ball to start or she's probably not going to be as sharp as she can be.''

``When I talked to Sara DeCosta, I said, `Look, I'm making the decision and it's the decision that's the best for the team, it's not the best for Sara DeCosta,' '' Smith said. ``Sara said, `I understand, Coach.' And that's the type of kid she is. She took it as the great athlete that she is and the great person that she is.''

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Photo

PHOTO U.S. goalie Sarah Tueting, who had been sharing the job with Sara DeCosta, carries the American flag across the ice after victory.

Associated Press