Womens hockey is often seen as a battle between two powerhouses: Canada and the United States. Nike Free Run+ 2 Mens Cheap . Anything less than gold for either nation is considered a disappointment. Yet for Switzerland, advancing to the semifinal might be a victory in itself. Switzerland got by Russia on Saturday in their quarter-final, winning 2-0. The Swiss, led by their goalie Florence Schelling, will face Canada in the second semifinal on Monday at 12 p.m. ET, streaming live at cbc.ca/olympics. The United States plays Sweden in the earlier semifinal at 7:30 a.m ET after the Swedes beat Finland in a hard-fought quarter-final. Of course, the odds are heavily stacked in favour of the Canadians. Canada and Switzerland have met twice in womens Olympic ice hockey, with Canada winning both meetings. Their most recent Olympic encounter was their opening game in Sochi, in which Canada won 5-0. Their other Olympic match took place in a group match at Vancouver 2010, in which Canada routed the Swiss 10-1, with nine different players scoring. To make matters worse for the Swiss, theyre facing a Canadian squad that looks stronger than ever. History is not on Switzerlands side: Canada has not lost a match in Olympic womens hockey since Nagano 1998, winning its last 18 games. Canada has now won the gold medal in each of the previous three Olympic Games. Despite the overwhelming odds against them, the Swiss have reasons to feel good about their Sochi experience: Switzerland is guaranteed its best finish ever in womens Olympic hockey. Its previous best result was a fifth-place finish in Vancouver. Switzerlands head coach, René Kammerer, is feeling tremendous pride in his teams performance in Sochi. "I am so proud of the staff and the players. They have all put so much hard work in to this," Kammerer said. "We put up so much fight throughout that match and the goaltending and all of the teams performance was great."Kammerer added that he felt his teams good preparation ended up helping the Swiss do better this time around. "We had good preparation going into this game, especially about how to handle the noise from the home fans. We will enjoy this victory but we cant just simply tell our girls to win the next match. Plan A is to win and then we are guaranteed at least a silver. "I hope people know how dangerous we are now." Nike Free 3.0 Mens sale . The pitchers agent, Bob Garber, confirmed the decision and said Oswalt would go to work for his agency, RMG Baseball. Oswalt will be vice-president of baseball operations. Nike Free 3.0 UK . Speaking to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun on Friday, Brodeur said "Ive come to the conclusion that Im definitely going to be available July 1.VANCOUVER -- Kadeisha Buchanan sometimes has to pinch herself. The 18-year-old defender with Canadas womens soccer team was always confident in her ability, but she never thought her rise would happen this fast. "I did not expect to come in at such a young age," the Toronto native said this week. "Sometimes when Im in my room I just relax (and think) Im actually here. This is a huge opportunity that Im willing to take and do my best." After scoring her first goal with the national team in a 1-1 draw with the United States last month, Buchanan will get another chance to show off her talents when Canada hosts Germany in another friendly on Wednesday night. And as Canada continues its preparations ahead of hosting next years womens World Cup, Buchanan has fit in seamlessly with the national team after impressing at lower levels. "I dont think its difficult because my teammates just encourage me to bring what I bring to the team," said Buchanan. "Theyre very accepting to what I bring." Canada head coach John Herdman said Buchanan -- who will play at this summers under-20 womens World Cup on home soil -- has impressed him ever since he first saw her at an under-17 camp in 2011. "She was just streets ahead of anything Id seen before," said the Englishman. "We didnt fancy taking her to the (2012) Olympics because she was 15. She probably could have handled it, to be honest. Shes that good." Herdman said Buchanans versatility is what has made her such an effective player in 13 appearances for her country, including 11 starts. "Weve challenged all the senior players to start showing the DNA of a modern centre back, and a modern centre back can play like a midfielder," he said. "They can disguise their passes, they have a range of different types of passes and they can defend. These younger players have been able to do that. Kadeishas never given her shirt back." Canada comes into Wednesdays game at B.C. Place Stadium ranked seventh in the world by FIFA, while the Germans sit No. 2 behind only the Americans. Herdmans team lost 1-0 in Germany last year in game that saw Canada defend well, but fail to get much going offensively. With less than a year until the World Cup, he wants to see more positive play as the team continues to build towards the showcase tournament. "We have to shift forward pretty quickly on how we attack the game. I think thats been a big emphasis over the last couple of days," said Herdman. "Last time we played against Germany we defended well, we hung on for 90 minutes, kept it within one goal. But we definitely didnt threaten them in a way that, if youre going to win a World Cup, you have to. "Im hoping that were a bit more lively. The game might be a bit more open and they might get a few more chances to score because were trying to change a few things in the way we go about how we play. Judge us on the amount of shots, crosses we have in the game and that will give an idea of how weve progressed against Germany." Canadian captain Christine Sinclair said Wednesdays game is crucial as the team looks to see where it stacks up against the worlds best on the field that will host next years final. Cheap Nike Free 3.0 V3 Mens. . "This is a huge preparation game for us," said the veteran striker. "Obviously a World Cup venue and were playing the second-ranked team in the world. I dont think many people understand that. They just see the Americans. Germany is a quality side. "Its a completely different test for us." Herdman has tried to implement a more free-flowing system since Canadas bronze-medal performance at the London Olympics two years ago, and despite that 1-1 draw with the U.S. in May, Sinclair said the players still have a ways to go. "I think consistency for us right now is very important. Were coming off a decent result against the Americans," she said. "Its important for us to be able to put together another one against another top side because thats whats going to be expected in the World Cup." While Canada has continued to produce good young talent in defence and midfield, the country still relies heavily on the 31-year-old Sinclair for goal scoring. Herdman said the national team is constantly trying to identify and develop talent in the attacking third, but it has not come easy. "You have to be ready to have a talent system where you have a profile, you know what that profile is and players then develop from the age of 13 on to fit that profile," he said. "I think thats not what weve done in the past. We havent had a very clear profile. "Its going to take time, but with the talent weve got, another (Sinclair) is going to pop up soon." Herdman said he expects Germany to present its usual well-organized defence on Wednesday, adding that his side will have to be clever in attack if its going to defeat the European giants for the first time. "Its got to be a high-tempo, possession game and weve got to have players with the technical capacity to work against that German block," he said. "There isnt a better defensive unit. Theyre physical, they move collectively together on every blade of grass, theyre so hard to break down. Its a huge challenge. "Youre going to see one of the best teams in the world here -- a huge challenge ahead of us." A year out from the World Cup, another huge challenge will be how Canada deals with the pressure that is already starting to mount as tournament hosts. But its something Herdman said both he and the players will relish. "When you come into a job like this, at the end of the day my role is to help these girls fulfil their dreams," said Herdman. "They want to win a World Cup here. I think collectively we all feel a bit of pressure that we dont want to let the country down, but were just going towards it, embracing it. "Its what gets us out of bed in the morning. We look it as our opportunity and not a curse. As soon as it becomes a curse, then you lose sight of why you come to work." cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '