Finland's breakthrough in women's hockey came earlier than planned. After the 2006 Olympics, Finland's three-year plan was to peak this year when they hosted the 2009 women's world championship. Their first win over the U.S. in the country's history last year in Harbin, China, was premature, but they'll take it. It created an unexpected buzz around the Finns heading into their world tournament.

The odds are against the Finns upsetting nine-time champion Canada in Wednesday's playoff game (noon ET). But they're hoping to buck those odds and stage another upset with the support of more than 3,000 fans at Patria Arena. The Canadians beat Finland 3-0 in a pre-tournament exhibition game in Lempaala.

"If we played 10 times against Canada, I think we would lose nine times, but once we can win and that's our moment," Finnish head coach Hannu Saintula said. "We have to use the moment." Canada, the U.S. and Finland are in the playoffs after posting 2-0 records in the preliminary round. The countries with the two best records advance to Sunday's final (noon ET), while the third-place team plays for bronze.

Sweden, Kazakhstan and Russia will vie for a berth in the bronze-medal game. Japan, Switzerland and China square off with the winner avoiding relegation to the world B championship. The defending champion Americans have Wednesday off and face the Finns on Thursday. Canada and the U.S. square off Friday (noon ET) in what is expected to be a preview of the championship game.

Kim St. Pierre will make her second straight start in net Wednesday after an 18-save shutout versus Sweden in the preliminary round Monday. The Finns will likely counter with Noora Raty, who was named the top goaltender last year in Harbin.

Finland defeated the U.S. 1-0 in a playoff game in Harbin and needed a Canadian win over the U.S. to get into their first world championship final. But Canada's loss to the Americans quashed Finland's dreams of making hockey history. Canada also lost to the U.S. in the final, while the Finns took the bronze.

But Finland's victory over the U.S., plus Canada's loss to Sweden at the Four Nations Cup in November, has made those two countries that traditionally finish third and fourth more confident in challenging the top two.

"I feel like in the past teams have tended to sit back against us and haven't had a real aggressive forecheck or tried to create a lot," Canadian head coach Melody Davidson said. "They were just trying hard not to get beat badly. That's where we say the sport has come so far because that isn't so now. They come right after you."

She believes the Finns will be more motivated than ever against Canada on Wednesday. "I think we are expecting them to elevate it to a level we've never seen," said Davidson. "The crowds here have been terrific and the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation has worked hard to set this up. "Their women are going to play in front of a full house and something is on the line and they feel they can really compete for that."

But the hesitation and frustration that plagued Canada at the Four Nations hasn't surfaced at the world championship in their opening two games. In a 7-0 win over Sweden to avenge their previous loss, Canada's audacity in the offensive zone was back and the Swedes couldn't match their speed and creativity even-strength.

Canada has outscored the opposition 20-1 in their opening two games. One of Davidson's projects is getting her defence to more involved in creating scoring chances and they've responded here. Calgary defenceman Carla MacLeod leads Canada in scoring with two goals and five assists in two games.

The Finns will have a similar game plan to the Swedes in that they'll rely on a trapping defence and special teams to keep them in the game or get ahead. About a dozen Finnish players committed to stay until the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver after 2006. Finland's blue-line is a seasoned, smart group, if a little small for Saintula's liking. "If I could change one little thing, I would add five centimetres and five kilograms to each player and then it's perfect," he chuckled. "Otherwise I'm very happy with our defence."

The longer Canada goes without scoring, the more confident Raty and the rest of her team will become. Canadian captain Hayley Wickenheiser says the Finns have had a strong blue-line for years. "In the 1999 worlds they had excellent defence and have all the way until now," she said. "Goaltending, whether it's the NHL or this hockey, they've always had strong goaltending, so you have to outwork the goaltender, stay patient and know it might not happen the first little while and eventually we'll try to wear them down."