HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- Archenemies, style differences, super-skilled players, hard-nosed warriors, a wild home crowd and a gold medal. No doubt, Sunday night's World Junior Championship final between Canada and Russia will be another memorable chapter in their storied rivalry.

Both teams carry perfect 5-0 records into the gold-medal game, a rematch of last year's final when Russia overcame a pair of two-goal deficits en route to a 5-4 title win in Pardubice, Czech Republic. Eight players from that gold-medal team will be in the Russian lineup Sunday, while Canada will have four holdovers on the ice seeking revenge.

The Canadians -- who haven't won the tournament since completing a five-year run in 1997 -- will have a huge home-ice advantage, with a sellout crowd of 10,594 in full voice from the time they hit the ice during pregame skate. But the Russians overcame a similar disadvantage in the 1999 gold-medal game in Winnipeg. That Russian team (powered by Sabres forward Maxim Afinogenov) thoroughly dominated the Canadians, who needed a sensational performance from goalie Roberto Luongo (now with the Panthers) to force overtime. In sudden death, Russia scored to cap a 3-2 victory.

In recent WJC history, the Russians have enjoyed an edge over their Canadian counterparts, winning five of their last six meetings dating back to 1998. Prior to that, the Canadians had won three straight from the Russians.

In this game, Canada and Russia will play their usual roles. The Canadians will be their physical, straight-ahead selves, while the Russians will rely on their superior finesse skills.

Canadian defenseman Nathan Paetsch, one of the four returning players and a Capitals' 2001 draft pick, knows what it will take to win the gold.

"We have to take the body," Paetsch said, after Canada's nail biting 3-2 semifinal win over Team USA on Friday. "They [Russia] have some very skilled players who can hurt you 1-on-1. We have to make it tough on them.

"Offensively, we'll want to get the puck in deep and cycle. Their goalie is a very good position goalie. But he's not the quickest guy, so we'll want to move him side-to-side."

Russia's goalie is Andrei Medvedev, who was selected by Flames with the 56th overall pick in the 2001 draft. A roly-poly goalie, Medvedev doesn't look the part of world-class athlete. In fact, he looks a little more like Drew Carey or Tom Arnold. Still, he was strong in tournament victories over the Americans and Finns.

At the other end of the rink, Canada will rely on Quebec Junior League stopper Marc-Andre Fleury. A classic butterfly goalie, Fleury likes to challenge the shooter and he's quick enough to slide back into position. His second-period breakaway save on American Dustin Brown was one of the difference makers in the semis.

Fleury, likely top 10 pick at the June draft who leads the tournament with .939 save percentage and 1.15 goals-against average, faces his toughest challenge. The Russians move the puck with speed and precision, and rarely miss when they have a scoring chance. Fleury and his teammates will have to be particularly mindful of 17-year-old left wing Alexander Ovechkin. Not eligible for the NHL draft until 2004, Ovechkin has a tournament-best six goals, courtesy of hat tricks against the Americans and the Swiss. Many amateur scouts have compared Ovechkin to Thrashers' sophomore winger Ilya Kovalchuk, but add that Ovechkin seems to be more of a team player than the flamboyant Kovalchuk.

Of course, the Canadians also have to limit the time and space that forwards Yuri Trubachev (Flames), Igor Grigorenko (Wings), Alexander Perezhogin (Canadiens), Alexander Polushin (Lightning) and Andrei Taratukhin (Flames) get during the game. Any one of them has the pure skill to make an opponent look bad.

On the flip side, Canada's forwards also can finish. The line of center Derek Roy (Sabres), right wing Jeffrey Lupul (Ducks) and left wing Gregory Campbell (Panthers) turned in a strong effort against the Americans, with Roy drawing several penalties.

The Canadians have been excelling on special teams, leading the tournament with 13 power-play goals in five games (39.39 percent) and allowing just one (95.24 percent), and have been good on the draw. Kyle Wellwood (Leafs), Roy and Jay McClement (Blues) stand 1-2-3 in the tournament. Controlling the circle will be key in keeping the puck away from the Russians' shifty forwards.

Team USA coach Lou Vairo, who has faced both teams, said the Canadians' home-ice advantage could be the difference.

"To beat Canada, you have to play through the Maple Leaf," Vairo said. "When you play Canada, you play against all Canadians ... and a few on short wave radio in Florida.

"If the game was in Moscow, they might not be able to win. But, here in Canada, they can beat them."

For bronze ...
With a win over Finland on Sunday afternoon, Team USA could earn its first WJC medal since 1997 when they grabbed the silver in Geneva, Switzerland.

To beat the Finns, the Americans will need a similar effort to the one they put forth against Canada, which included a stellar 39-save performance from Bob Goepfert (Penguins).

In recent days, Vairo has said he's willing to use James Howard (draft eligible in 2003), who started the first game against Russia. In that game, Howard struggled and was pulled. Goepfert, however, has earned this bronze medal start.

Offensively, Team USA's best line has been center Zach Parise (eligible in '03), left wing Eric Nystrom (Flames) and right wing Dustin Brown (eligible in '03). Parise's puck sense and competitive nature has been particularly impressive to the army of amateur scouts in attendance.

The Finns, meanwhile, are looking for their third straight medal finish. They had high hopes coming into Halifax, but a pre-tourney injury to center Mikko Koivu (Wild) left them short-handed. Also, key forward Tuomo Ruutu (Hawks) has been playing through a shoulder injury and hasn't been 100 percent. However, highly touted Finnish goalie Kari Lehtonen (Thrashers) could steal the bronze for his country.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.