Winnipeg Sun
Sunday, February 24, 2002
By Kirk Penton -- Winnipeg Sun

HAMILTON -- An unofficial poll of Manitoba Moose players and staff suggests they used their hearts instead of their heads when offering predictions on today's Olympic gold medal hockey game between Canada and the U.S.

Those polled yesterday all backed up their prognostications with the hockey-speak analysis that an AHLer can extoll, but the bottom line is that they are all of the opinion that their home country will bring home the gold.

Defenceman Zenith Komarniski, who hails from Edmonton, thinks Canada will prevail 4-3 and that blood might be spilled.

"There's just too much firepower out there for them to not score goals," Komarniski said. "From what I remember the last time they played (1996 World Cup), it was a pretty physical, chippy game. So it'll be typical North American hockey, I imagine."

Assistant coach Barry Smith, an American, believes the U.S. will win 5-3. Meanwhile, winger Justin Morrison, a Los Angeles native, feels his country can get it done but took a diplomatic approach considering he is the lone Yankee on a team with 19 Canadians.

"I want U.S.A. to win, but I really believe that a Canada-U.S. final is just going to be great for hockey all over North America," Morrison said. "It goes to show how far we've come. I want U.S.A. to win, but even if Canada wins it's still going to be a good thing."

Bryan Allen, a product of Kingston, Ont., is calling for a 5-3 Canadian victory that will be sealed with an empty-netter, while Winnipegger Justin Kurtz believes it will be a 3-2 triumph for Canada.

Head coach Stan Smyl declined to make a prediction and had only one thing to say: "Go Canada, go."

The former Brandon Wheat King set the Bulldogs' record for most points in a season by a defenceman Friday night when he picked up an assist in his team's 6-5 overtime win over the Moose.

Butenschon, who was traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Edmonton Oilers last spring, has six goals and 29 assists for 35 points, which is one more than Todd Reirden posted in 1998-99. Reirden now plays for the Atlanta Thrashers.

Butenschon didn't believe the news at first.

"The guys mentioned it earlier in the week and I thought they were joking," Butenschon said. "... But hey, we've scored a lot of goals this year and most of the time I just put it ahead to the forwards and they take care of the rest. I'll definitely take it."



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