Swedes Storm Vernon:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Swedes storm Vernon

By Kevin Mitchell - Vernon Morning Star
Published: January 02, 2009 4:00 PM

Shaking the “Chicken Swede” label by getting more physical was among four items a 2002 commission of inquiry on junior hockey in Sweden noted on their wish list.
Creating stronger goaltending, a better attitude and paying more attention scoring were also stressed by former pro coach Tommy Boustedt, head of the 120-man inquiry which included several Swedish NHL scouts.
The Swedes appear to be making progress, and more trips to Canada are helping. The national Under 17 team went 3-0-1 against B.C. Hockey League Island clubs last year and open a three-game Interior series Sunday (2 p.m., Wesbild Centre) against the Vernon Vipers.
Keenan Desmet and the Salmon Arm SilverBacks host the bright blue and yellow-jerseyed Crowns Wednesday night. Desmet faced the Swedes last year with the Victoria Grizzlies.
“It was a good game, it was close, “ said Desmet, a Strathmore, Alta. product. “They won 2-1. They’re very skilled and they move the puck very well. We played our game, but it was kind of hard to get up for the game. It was tough playing that kind of team when there is nothing on the line. I kind of expect the same from them except this year we’re going to win.”
The Swedes, who are staying at the Cove Lakeside Resort in Kelowna, battle the Westside Warriors Tuesday night. They have six players tabbed as potential first-round picks in the 2009 NHL entry draft, led by Adam Pettersson and Adam Larsson. Pettersson was named Top Forward and Larsson Best Defenceman at a European tournament earlier this season.
Viper d-man Kyle Bigos, a student of the game, is anxious to face the Swedes. He and the Notre Dame Hounds played against Russia two years ago in the Mac’s Midget Tournament in Calgary.
“They were a real fast and skilled team,” said the towering California. “Very few turnovers. They really know how to generate offence in the neutral zone. It was a real big eye-opener to see them skate and stickhanded. Their passes were just unreal.”
Bigos expects the Swedes to bring the same style to Vernon.
“If you watch any late-night TV, there’s always an international hockey game on, and watching the Swedes, their passes are just crisp on all the time. If they can’t get any offence generated, they just chip it into the soft area, they know they can get it back. It’s going to be a real tough game, but it’s going to be real fun as well.
“We’re real excited to be playing them. It’s test for us to see where we’re at, see where we rank at the international level as well.”
Swedish head coach Anders Eriksén, who shares the same hometown (Omskolsvik) as the Vancouver Canuck Sedin twins, said a big difference is the smaller ice surfaces in Canada. His team is unable to move the puck in the tighter spaces as well as they can in Europe.
“It’s a more physical game, and you have to play more straightforward,” Eriksén told the Victoria Times Colonist last year. “Here you have to shoot more, and you have to win more battles.”
One of the first drills the Swedes worked on in Victoria last year was skating hard towards the bench, jumping over the boards, and then jumping back on the ice. They apparently open the gate for line changes back home.
The Vipers had sold 1,700 tickets at $10 as of New Year’s Eve, and are expecting 2,000-plus for Sunday’s matinee.
There is a free skate with the Swedes and Vipers after the game.