ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 15, 1996 TAG: 9609170034
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: MONTREAL
SOURCE: Associated Press
TEAM USA CLINCHED the inaugural World Cup of Hockey with two late goals.
Brett Hull and Tony Amonte scored in a 43-second span late in the third period Saturday night, sending the United States to a 5-2 victory over Canada in the championship game of the inaugural World Cup of Hockey.
The teams entered the third period tied at 1 and Canada appeared set to retain its mantle of international ice hockey superiority when Adam Foote scored at 12:50, sending the capacity crowd of 21,273 at the Molson Centre into a deafening roar.
Foote scored his first goal of the tournament on a weak shot from the right point that sailed in over U.S. goalie Mike Richter's shoulder. The United States, on its heels throughout the game, rallied when it seemed improbable.
Hull, who scored the first goal of the game, deflected a shot by Brian Leetch past Curtis Joseph at 16:42 to tie it. The goal was questioned by Canada, which thought Hull's stick was above his shoulder, but the goal was allowed.
Amonte, the vociferous spark plug of the United States, won it, putting in a rebound of a shot by Derian Hatcher past Joseph at 17:25.
Canada nearly tied it in the final minute, but the puck bounced over Wayne Gretzky's stick in front of a wide-open net and Hatcher scored into an empty net with 41 seconds left. Adam Deadmarsh finished the flurry with a goal with 17 seconds remaining.
Canada, which easily defeated the United States in the finals of the 1991 Canada Cup, had a much more difficult time in this tournament, losing to the U.S. team in the first round and being extended to the limit in the best-of-three finals mainly because of Richter, who made 35 saves for the second straight game and was named tournament MVP.
Joseph, who kept Canada from falling behind early in the critical third period, finished with 21 saves.
Canada dominated the game, outshooting the United States 37-25, but didn't solve Richter until its 22nd shot of the second period. Eric Lindros scored with 5.5 seconds left while Canada held a man advantage - four skaters to three.
The big Philadelphia star, maligned in the press for his uninspiring play, tied the score at 1-1 on a relatively weak shot that skidded along the ice under Richter's blocker. It was his third goal in seven tournament games.
Before that, Canada's best chance to break through came midway through the second period during a two-man advantage that lasted 23 seconds. This time it was Gretzky who was baffled when the puck didn't go in as it has 960 times during his illustrious NHL career.
The United States had built a 5-1 record in the tournament by making a habit of scoring the first goal, and did it again in the first period. And it was Hull, the Canadian-born star of the United States team, the man billed as ``traitor'' by the fans, that got it, on a power play.
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Team USA's Bill Guerin (right) decks Team Canada'sby CNBPaul Coffey during the final game of the World Cup of Hockey in
Montreal on Saturday. Team USA won 5-2.