ZURICH – When Switzerland opens the 2011 IIHF World Women’s Championship on Saturday as the clear underdog against Olympic champion Canada it will be the first time the Swiss host this event on home ice.

The Swiss might have hosted the Division I event in 2005 in Romanshorn to get back to the top division straightly – and they have remained there ever since – but it will be the first time they host the crème de la crème of women’s hockey on home ice.

Women’s hockey is not very well-known in Switzerland where men’s ice hockey is the most-attended team sport behind football. Just 1,043 female players are registered in the Swiss Ice Hockey Association, far fewer than in Canada (85,624) or the United States (61,612), and even Europe’s leading women’s hockey nations, Finland (4,694) and Sweden (3,425).

Men’s hockey gets the lion’s share of attention, maybe even more than in other top hockey nations. Many top clubs in Switzerland don’t want to afford a women’s team, or they got rid of it after some years. Noteworthy exceptions are the ZSC Lions Zurich and HC Lugano, the two top teams of the Swiss women’s league.

Some of the best Swiss players have tried playing abroad in the last few years. Team captain Kathrin Lehmann played in Germany and Sweden where she signed contracts as a hockey forward in winter – and as a football goalkeeper in summer.

In the recent years more and more players have tried to develop in the U.S. college system after playing in boys’ and women’s leagues in Switzerland.

Among them is Florence Schelling, who was the best European goalkeeper and third-best overall in the Vancouver Olympics with a 90.91 save percentage. She also belongs to the top players in the NCAA Division I with the Northwestern University in Boston where she plays with her compatriot Julia Marty.

The third NCAA player on the Swiss roster is her twin sister, Stefanie Marty, who was third in scoring in last year’s Olympics with nine goals and two assists, behind only two Canadians, Meghan Agosta and Jayna Hefford.

For most other players hockey comes beside a full-time job. Playing in their league and participating in international tournaments takes lot of time and vacation days for the players. They symbolize the amateurism of the Olympics’ old days, and they do it with passion and pride.

Despite limited funding, the Swiss finished last year’s Olympic women’s ice hockey tournament in fifth place after defeating Russia, a country with a professional league.

That was better than the men’s team that was eighth, and better than the whole Swiss Olympic delegation that finished sixth in the medal ranking.

In the IIHF World Women’s Championships of the last few years Switzerland went between seventh in 2009, a year with bad luck in a key game against Kazakhstan, and fourth in 2008, thanks to a surprise win against Sweden.

The last few years have been a clear improvement for the Swiss women, who are coached by René Kammerer. He joined the team as an assistant coach in 2002 and has been its head coach since 2004. As with most players, Kammerer doesn’t make money out of women’s hockey. His daily business is being a production manager at a metal die cast company.

He and his team staff use most of their vacation days for camps and tournaments. “It needs lot of time and energy. There’s not much time left for holidays with the family,” he says. His words are representative for many team members.

It’s this kind of dedication that makes these players a team that has often achieved more than people expected. The Swiss hope that the event will have a positive impact on the sport in Switzerland. Something that’s needed.

“Women’s hockey has developed a lot internationally,” says Philipp Steiner, the team manager. “We have to watch out that we don’t stand still. Many nations around as are investing in their women’s programs while we try to counter with the means we have. And with passion.”

But money is not the only problem, Kammerer notes. “Often women’s teams don’t get ice time and dressing rooms. Even the national team hasn’t been welcome in some places. Hockey clubs and officials have to realize that there’s huge potential when it comes to women and girls, but this potential lies fallow. Female players should be able to play in all clubs. That would also benefit the boys programs where many clubs have a lack of players. Women’s hockey is like a growth market.”

The 2011 IIHF World Women’s Championship won’t change everything, but having the event on home ice has helped the national team to get more media attention already before the first puck drop. Being in almost every newspaper and on the channels of the Swiss state TV is something the players have been able to enjoy only at the Olympics, if at all.

To switch the momentum to a sustainable success, the Swiss will also need to convince on the ice.

“Our opponents in the preliminary round have more funding. We’re the underdogs in that aspect,” Kammerer says. “But on the other hand our team has incredible potential. We have to see where our limits are, but I’m convinced we can reach something big.”

While defeating Canada in tonight’s opening game would be a first for the Swiss, and a miracle, the hosts hope to gain their points against Finland and Kazakhstan. After that the Swiss hope to live their dreams in the final round. And to entertain their fans.

“I’m really looking forward to play the World Women’s Championship on home ice,” national team goalkeeper Schelling told hockeyfans.ch after her return from Boston.

“I hope we can show people that women’s hockey can be attractive,” said Schelling, whose goalie career started when her elder brothers made her a netminder in the family’s garage.

After the first game against Canada tonight in Winterthur the Swiss will play Finland the day after and Kazakhstan on Tuesday at the same venue.

MARTIN MERK