Tuesday's Tidbits

Hello everybody. Welcome to a new week.

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Yesterday, January 25th, was my birthday. And boy, oh boy, did I ever celebrate it in style! My wife and I arose early, put Jimmy together and took him to Gramma's house for the day. Then, we drove to Orlando, so that I could have a happy birthday colonoscopy. The doctor found one polyp, which he says look benign. But, it's on it's way to be tested, with the results expected back in about a week. When you've had cancer in the past like I have, every little "burp and gurgle" gets your attention. So, for the next week, I'm sharing space with the 600 lb. gorilla.

On the way home, we stopped at Dennys. Boy, was that ever yummy! And then, there was birthday cake waiting for me at Gramma's. All in all, it was a good day!

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The NFL conference championships were Sunday. New Orleans beat Minnesota in overtime for the NFC crown, while Indianapolis topped the Jets in the AFC. The Colts meet the Saints in Miami for Super Bowl 8 million(or whatever roman numeral they're at now) on February 7th.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to battle for a playoff spot. They won both games since our last report, beating Toronto 3-2 in overtime last Thursday and Atlanta 2-1 in a shoot out on Saturday. Steven Stamkos and Ryan Malone scored in regulation, then Marty St. Louis netted a power play goal with 10 seconds left in OT to beat the Leafs. Against the Thrashers, Stamkos scored a first period power play goal, and Jeff Halpern scored the shoot out winner. Antero Niittymaki tended goal both games for the Bolts.

The Lightning hosts Montreal tomorrow night at 7:00pm and Anaheim on Friday at 7:30pm. They then travel to Washingtom for a 3:00pm Sunday game. The games are on 620 WDAE radio and Sun Sports TV in HD.

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The biggest story with the Lightning these days, concerns their financial stability. Apparently, TV partner Sun Sports fronted them some money, and the NHL advanced them some of the revenue sharing dollars expected at the end of the season, so that the team could meet it's January payroll. And the NHL Network reported that the team is expected to be out of money by February 15th. No, the NHL will not allow a team to fold mid-season. But, it's a prettyu sticky situation, to say the least.

Stay tuned for more.

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Jimmy had loads o' fun at Gramma's house yesterday. He sure is a good little guy! More toofys, more words, more fun. We sure hit the jackpot with him, yes we did!

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In the USHL, Green Bay's lead in the East over Cedar Rapids is at 13 points. In the West, Omaha's lead over Fargo is now at 5 points. And Tri-City is now 5 points up on Sioux City for the final playoff spot. However, the Muskies have 4 games in hand. It could be pretty tight down the stretch.

Dubuque ownership has announced that their new team, returning the city to the USHL after a 9 year abscence, will carry the name of the old team, the Fighting Saints. All the latest, including a look at their new logo, is available at http://www.ushl.com/news/story.cfm?id=2981.

Someone also posted on another board I frequent, that Muskegeon, which currently fields two minor pro team teams, was expected to be admitted to the USHL for next season, to replace the current IHL team. (Who knows, or even cares about the AAHL team there?) An announcement was expected during the league's All-Star break, currently underway in Indianapolis.

Stay tuned on that one.

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My new job started last week. So far, so good. And hopefully, my wife will receive good news on the job front this week. Keep sending the prayers, positive vibes and well-wishes our way please. Thanks.

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Well, that's it for this week. Have fun, see ya soon!

Thursday Thingies

Yo! Nice to see y'all again.

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders have named Brendan Taman as their new general manager, while giving head coach Ken Miller the added title of vice president of football operations. Details a plenty at http://rodpedersen.blogspot.com/.

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The NFL tournament continued last weekend with divisional round games. On Saturday, Indianapolis beat Baltimore 20-3 and New Orleans blasted Arizona 45-14. On Sunday, it was the Jets over San Diego 17-14 and Minnesota over Dallas 34-3.

For the AFC crown, the Jets play at Indianapolis and for the NFC title, Minnesota is at New Orleans. Both games are on Sunday. The AFC game is on CBS and the NFC game is on Fox. The Super Bowl rolls on February 7th on CBS.

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Tampa Bay has split their two games so far this week. On Monday, the Lightning won at Carolina 3-2. Ryan Malone, Vinny Lecavalier and Steve Downie scored for the Bolts, who got 20 saves from Antero Niittymaki. Tampa Bay then left the offense, defense and goaltending in Florida, going down 8-2 to the Rangers Tuesday in New York. Vinny Lecavalier and Alex Tanguay scored for the Lightning, while Antero Niittymaki got the start in goal, stopping 15 of 20 shots. Rookie Dustin Tokarski played the third, stopping 5 of 8 shots.

Tampa Bay is now 19-20-10 for 48 points, 4 points behind the Islanders for the final playoff spot in the East. The Lightning are now home for four games, starting when host Toronto tonight at 7:00pm, Atlanta Saturday at 7:30pm. Both games can be heard on 620 AM WDAE Radio and seen on Sun Sports in HD.

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In the USHL, Green Bay is 13 points ahead of Cedar Rapids in the East, while Omaha is now just 3 points ahead of Fargo in the West. Tri-City's lead over Sioux City in the race for the last dance card in the West is down to 2 points, and the Muskies have 3 games in hand. Sioux City is at Green Bay and Chicago this weekend, while Tri-City takes it's annual trip to Indianapolis(That, along with the annual weekend in Green Bay, are the ones I miss the most).

Speaking of Indy, they host the USHL all-star game next Tuesday.

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Is it just me, or is the All American Hockey League this biggest lost cause in sports these days? They started last season with a different name and four teams. This year, they started with six teams, but have lost two(actually, I think that's three, but they took two teams and made them into a new one) the latest coming earlier this week when Madison called it quits. Way, way, WAY too many stories of players, coaches and skeleton staffs not getting paid, with seemingly just as many stories of the league not properly checking the background of potential owners, if they even check them at all. Then, those owners, convinced they can make an easy score, turn things over to others, then predictably disappear when the going gets tough.

Also, you have league officials who have to have other jobs on the side, a (now former) league president who is very publically preparing (and has been for quite awhile) to move his team into another league, people who swear on a stack of bibles they have nothing to do with operations, then get named executive of the year, announcements saying big news is coming soon, and on and on and on. All this abortion of a league needs is a calliope, and then it will truly be the circus most consider it to be.

Several people much smarter than me never expected this fiasco to make it to year two. Now, if the league actually survives (in spite of itself) and plays a third year, the Earth will truly spin off it's axis.

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Jimmy says hi! He loves to play with video tapes more than watch them, he'd still rather feed himself with his fingers than use a spoon and he now says "Night Night!" when it's time to go to bed. He plays with the dogs nicely, but still gets a bhit too rambunctious from time to time. What a little Super Toddler he is!

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Next Monday is my birthday. Jimmy will spend the day at Gamma's, while my wife drives me to Orlando for my colonoscopy. What a way to celebrate, eh?

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Still waiting for one final piece of the puzzle to fall into place before starting my new job, while my wife awaits word on her possible new gig. Keep us in mind when you say your prayers please.

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That's it for this week. See ya real soon!

Tuesday's Tidbits

Heydee-Ho there good neighbors! It's another week to look back at, and another one to look forward to. Here we go....

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The NFL playoffs are underway. In the Wildcard weekend, the New York J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets knocked off Cincinnati 24-14(Mark Sanchez is the fourth rookie quarterback to win his first-ever playoff game), Baltimore scored 24 first quarter points on their way to a 33-14 win at New England, a 17 yard fumble return for a touchdown in overtime pushed Arizona past Green Bay 51-45(No defense, as evidenced by over 1,000 yards total offense) and Dallas beat Philadelphia 34-14(Cowboys first playoff win since 1996).

Division playoffs are this coming weekend. On Saturday, Arizona is at New Orleans(4:30pm EST on FOX) and Baltimore is at Indianapolis(8:15pm EST on CBS). On Sunday, Dallas is at Minnesota(1:00pm EST on FOX) and the Jets are at San Diego(4:40pm EST on CBS).

And, as announced earlier, Pete Carroll is the new coach in Seattle. Five year deal worth $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

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USA ended Canada's five-year reign over the World Junior Championships last week. John Carlson scored twice, including the overtime winner, to power the US past Canada 6-5 in Saskatoon.It's the Americans sixth WJC medal since 1977 and their second gold. The first came via a 4-3 win over Canada in Helsinki, Finland back in 2004. Next year's tourney will be held in Buffalo, New York. Tickets are available at http://www.buffaloworldjuniors.com.

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The Lightning went 1-2-0 this past week. Their week started with a 5-3 loss at Buffalo on Wednesday. Five of the goals were scored in the first period, the other three in the second. Marty St. Louis, Victor Hedman and Vinny Lecavalier scored for Tampa Bay, Mike Smith had 30 saves.

The Lightning won at New Jersey 4-2, in a game that started on Friday and ended on Sunday. Tampa Bay built a 3-0 lead when a bank of lights in one end of the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey went out, with just over 9 minutes remaining in the second period. After a two hour delay, in which Devils staff apparently did an incredibly poor job of informing their fans of what was happening, it was decided to complete the game on another date. It was subsequently determined that, since the Lightning were already in the area, and that they had no other trips to Newark this season, to go ahead and complete the game on Sunday, despite the "unofficial" rule of not allowing teams to play on three consecutive nights(Oh, wah, wah, freeking wah!). When the game resumed, Tampa Bay saw the lead slip to 3-1, but scored again, then skated the rest of the time out, winning 4-2. Steve Downie and Brandon Bochenski scored once, Steven Stamkos twice for the Lightning, who got 33 saves from Mike Smith.

On Saturday, between halves of the New Jersey game, Tampa Bay lost at Philadelphia, 4-1. Marty St. Louis scored for the Lightning, Antero Niittymaki made 27 saves against his old team.

Tampa Bay is now 17-17-10 for 44 points, tied with Atlanta for second in the Southeast, 16 points behind division-leading Washington. They trail both Montreal and Ottawa by 4 points for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

This week, the Lightning hosts Washington tonight at 7:30pm, then play a home-and-home with Florida. Thursday's game is in Tampa at 7:30pm, with Saturday's game at the Panthers beginning at 7:00pm. All three games are on both 620 AM WDAE radio and Sun Sports TV, in HD.

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Jimmy continues to charm our socks off, while taking his off every time he rides in the car. He's a bit cranky today though, as he has another tooth coming in.

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My wife has a marvelous(?) sense of humor. She called the doctor's office in Orlando, to reschedule the colonoscopy I had scheduled for tomorrow, to give our insurance time to kick in. The new date? Monday, January 25th. Oh, that just happens to be my birthday too. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving! A definite diagnosis and course of treatment will be a most treasured present!

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Oh, looks like the $$$$ bind we've been in is about to come to an end. Prayers, good thoughts, whatever you wish to offer up on our behalf will be most appreciated. More details as they become available.

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Green Bay in the East, and Omaha in the West, are still on top of their respective divisions in the USHL. My old team, Tri-City, is solidifying their hold on a playoff spot in the West. Storm Goaltender Steven Bolton won goaltender of the week honors, posting a 1.50 goals-against-average,.950 save percentage, and one shutout as he earned back-to-back victories for Tri-City. Just two days after his 20th birthday, he celebrated by stopping all 34 shots he faced in the 1-0 victory vs. Cedar Rapids on Friday. It was the first USHL shutout for the native of Las Vegas, Nevada. He then made 23 saves to help Tri-City claim a key 4-3 road victory over division-rival Sioux Falls on Saturday. Bolton has registered a 5-3-0 record with a 2.56 GAA and .913 save percentage in 10 appearances for the Storm this season. Jaden Schwartz is second in league scoring, with 18 goals and 31 assists for 49 points, 4 points behind Omaha's Matt White. Attendance is holding steady at 1,835 a game through 15 home dates.

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That's it for this week. Have fun everyone!

US strikes gold, beats Canada in WJC final

From http://www.usahockey.org

U.S. National Junior Team Wins Gold at 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship with 6-5 Overtime Win over Canada

John Carlson Scores Championship-Winning Goal in Extra Frame

SASKATOON, Sask. - Defenseman John Carlson (Colonia, N.J.) scored twice, including the game-winning goal in overtime, as the U.S. National Junior Team defeated Canada, 6-5, to win gold at the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship.

Following a pad save by Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.), Team USA skated up ice on a three-on-one odd-man rush. Carlson glided in on the wing and fired a quick snap shot past goalie Martin Jones for the game-winning tally.

"We put the right team together for this tournament, filled with gritty, hard-working players," said Dean Blais, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "Our guys battled the whole tournament, and we're very happy to come away with the gold here in Saskatoon."

Canada took an early 1-0 lead on a backhand goal by Luke Adam two minutes into the game. Team USA responded with back-to-back goals later in the period, however. Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass./Boston College) fired a wrist shot from the left circle over the glove of Canada starting goalie Jake Allen 14 minutes into the period. Then, just 30 seconds later, Jordan Schroeder (Prior Lake, Minn./Univ. of Minnesota) gave Team USA a lead with a wrist shot high to the short side.

After Canada tied the game to end the first period, Team USA regained the lead one minute into the second on the power play. Carlson let go a long slap shot from the point that beat Allen low to the stick side. But Canada answered once again, knotting the score, 3-3 after two periods.

Team USA took its third lead of the night four minutes into the final period. Captain Derek Stepan (Hastings, Minn./Univ. of Wisconsin) broke into the Canada zone on a two-on-one break and fed Jerry D'Amigo (Binghamton, N.Y./Rensselaer), who gave the U.S. a 4-3 edge. Stepan then extended his team's lead to 5-3, flicking a backhand shot into the net after Allen failed to handle a long shot cleanly.

Canada scored twice in the period's final three minutes, including once on the power play, to send the game into overtime. But Team USA emerged with the victory, the second-ever gold medal for the U.S. in tournament history.

Campbell earned the win, turning aside 32 of 34 shots faced in just over 40 minutes of work after relieving Mike Lee (Roseau, Minn./St. Cloud State Univ.) in the second period. Meanwhile, Jones took the loss, making eight saves after replacing Allen in the third period.

NOTES: Derek Stepan, who finished as the tournament's leading point-getter with 15 (5-10), was named Team USA's Player of the Game. With 15 points, Stepan tied Mike Modano (1989) for the third-most points ever scored by a U.S. player at a World Junior Championship. Stepan's 10 assists tied Phil Kessel (2006) for second most in U.S. single-tournament history ... Stepan and John Carlson were named to the tournament's Media All-Star Team ... The U.S. will defend its gold medal on home soil next year in Buffalo, N.Y. Tickets are on sale at buffaloworldjuniors.com ... An encore presentation of tonight's game will be shown on the NHL Network in the U.S. tomorrow (Jan. 6) at 6 p.m. EST ... Team USA's other gold medal at a World Junior Championship came in 2004, when the U.S. defeated Canada, 4-3, in Helsinki, Finland. The gold medal marks Team USA's sixth overall medal at the tournament since 1977 ... Sweden defeated Switzerland earlier today, 11-4, to win the bronze medal. For full tournament results and stats, visit IIHF.com ... For full coverage of the 2010 U.S. National Junior Team, including photos, videos and features, click here.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 6
CAN 2 - 1 - 2 - 0 - 5

First Period - Scoring: 1, CAN, Adam (Caron), 2:40; 2, USA, Kreider (Palmieri, Jenks), 13:56; 3, USA, Schroeder (Bourque, Donovan), 14:32; 4, CAN, Nemisz (Kennedy, Hall), 16:03. Penalties: CAN, Della-Rovere (charging), 16:34; CAN, Pietrangelo (checking-from-behind, misconduct), 19:21.

Second Period - Scoring: 5, USA, Carlson (Kristo, McRae), 1:03; 6, CAN, Hall (Adam), 3:56. Penalties: CAN, Caron (slashing), 4:20; USA, Lashoff (tripping), 7:13.

Third Period - Scoring: 7, USA, D'Amigo (Stepan, Kristo), 4:12; 8, USA, Stepan (D'Amigo), 6:23; 9, CAN, Eberle (Pietrangelo, Hall), 17:11; 10, CAN, Eberle (Ellis, Kadri), 18:25. Penalties: USA, McRae (delay-of-game), 1:29; USA, Palmieri (charging), 15:59.

Overtime - Scoring: 11, USA, Carlson (Ramage), 4:31. Penalties: None.

Shots by Period 1 2 3 OT Total
USA 13 12 8 4 37
CAN 5 14 19 3 41

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 OT Total
USA, Lee 23:56 5-3 2-1 -- -- 7-4
USA, Campbell 40:35 -- 12-12 19-17 3-3 34-32
CAN, Allen 46:23 13-11 12-11 3-1 -- 28-23
CAN, Jones 18:08 -- -- 5-5 4-3 9-8

Power Play: USA 1-3; CAN 1-3
Penalties: USA 3-6; CAN 4-16
Attendance: 15,171

Tuesday's Tidbits

This isn't Monday, is it? I didn't think so. But, here we go anyway.

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The NFL regular season concluded over the weekend. Atlanta knocked off Tampa Bay 20-10(Bucs finish 3-13, but play well enough over the final three games to save Head Coach Raheem Morris), San Francisco bombed St. Louis(who won just once this season) 28-6, Chicago beat Detroit 37-23, Houston beat New England 34-27(Texans finish with first-ever winning season but don't make playoffs) and Minnesota blew up the New York Football Giants 44-7.

Pittsburgh edged Miami 30-24(But failed to qualify for the post season), Carolina beat New Orleans 23-10, Cleveland slipped past Jacksonville 23-17, Dallas blanked Philadelphia 24-0 and Kansas City(Who?) blasted Denver 44-24(Broncos start season 6-0, but fail to make playoffs).

Baltimore beat Oakland 21-13, Tennessee tipped Seattle 17-13(Titans didn't make playoffs, but finish with 8-8 record after starting season with six straight losses), San Diego topped Washington 23-20(Jim Zorn is out as Redskins coach, Mike Shanahan is in), Green Bay beat Arizona 33-7 and the New York Jets steamrolled Cincinnati 37-0.

Playoffs start this weekend. In the Wild Card round on Saturday, Cincinnati hosts the Jets(4:30pm EST on NBC) and Dallas hosts Philadelphia(8:00pm EST on NBC). On Sunday, New England is home against Baltimore on Sunday(1:00pm EST on CBS) and Arizona is home against Green Bay(4:40pm EST on FOX).

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Jimmy continues developing at a fast pace. He is putting puzzle pieces where they go, and can now answer yes/no questions. Not that he's going to be the next Einstein or anything like that, but we are very pleased, as is his doctor.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning went 2-0-1 this past week. Last Monday, Alex Tanguay scored late in the first and Marty St. Louis scored a power play goal late in the second, to lead the Lightning past Boston 2-1. On Wednesday, Kurtis Foster tied the game with an early third period goal, but Montreal scored in overtime to win 2-1. Then, in a Saturday afternoon matinee, St. Louis scored in the first, Zenon Konopka in the second and Steve Downie in the third, as Tampa Bay overpowered the defending Stanley Cup Chanpions from Pittsburgh 3-1. Mike Smith was outstanding in net in the three games, with a 1.31 goals against average and a .957 save percentage.

It was also announced that five Lightning players will play in the 2010 Winter Olympic games in Vancouver, BC. Ryan Malone will play for the USA, Anterro Niittymaki will play for Finland, Mattias Ohlund will skate for Sweden, Andrej Meszaros will play for Slovakia, and Tampa Bay farmhand Martin Karsums will play for Latvia. The NHL will take a two-week break for the Olympics starting February 15th.

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The finals of this year's World Junior Championships take place tonight in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Team Canada takes on Team USA, beginning at 8:00p.m. EST. You can see the game on the NHL Network.

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Life marches on. My wife and I continue looking for work, and I have a couple of medical thingies coming up. Another CT scan is on the schedule for this Friday, and yet another colonoscopy next Wednesday. (I'll betcha NuLytely isn't any yummier than Go or Half. I shudder just thinking about it. Oh well, as long as it leads to a solid diagnosis and an effective course of treatment, I'll do whatever it takes.)

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Oh, finally, for the jerk-bait who sent in the anonymous comment last week(Everyone else can skip this part):

I have NOTHING to apologize for. Nowhere does it say people who are struggling in any way, can't have nice things, or enjoy recreational activities, simply because times are tough. Nor should they be required to give up items acquired when times were good, such as any type of mobile device.

You know Mr. Anonymous, if you had the cajones to post with a verifiable identity, I quite likely would have posted your comments. But, since you don't have the courage to stand behind what you write, I would most graciously(yeah, right) extend you the invitation to delete this blog from your list of sites you visit. I don't have time for people like you, nor do I need to apologize for anything. You're a coward and you can take a flying leap.

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That's it for this week. All y'all have fun, okay?

US beats Sweden in WJC, to face Canada for Gold

From http://www.usahockey.org



U.S. National Junior Team Advances to Gold-Medal Game with 5-2 Win over Sweden
Team USA Will Face Canada Tuesday

SASKATOON, Sask. - Jerry D'Amigo (Binghamton, N.Y./Rensselaer) scored twice including a third-period shorthanded goal, as the U.S. National Junior Team defeated Sweden, 5-2, in the semifinals of the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship . The U.S. (5-0-1-0) will face Canada in the gold-medal game Tuesday (Jan. 5) at 7 p.m. CST.

"We've gotten better every game of the tournament," said Dean Blais, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "We worked really hard tonight, and we put ourselves right in the position we wanted to be."

Team USA scored the lone goal of the first period less than two minutes into the game. Kyle Palmieri (Montvale, N.J./Univ. of Notre Dame) fed Tyler Johnson (Spokane, Wash.) in the slot, who sent a shot high past Sweden goalie Jacob Markstrom.

Sweden took a 2-1 lead in the second period thanks to a pair of goals by Anton Lander. But D'Amigo tied the game with five minutes remaining in the frame by chipping the puck off the boards to himself in the neutral zone, racing towards the net and beating Markstrom between the pads.

Team USA regained the lead 12 minutes into the third when John Carlson's (Colonia, N.J.) long slap shot trickled past Markstrom and over the goal line. Then, while killing a penalty, the U.S. and D'Amigo struck again. Team USA's Player of the Game took a pass from captain Derek Stepan (Hastings, Minn./Univ. of Wisconsin) on a two-on-one break and sent a wrist shot over Markstrom's shoulder.

AJ Jenks (Wolverine Lake, Mich.) tallied a last-minute empty net goal to put the game out of reach. Mike Lee (Roseau, Minn./St. Cloud State Univ.) earned his fourth victory of the tournament, stopping 27 shots in the win. Markstrom turned aside 29 shots in defeat.

Team USA's gold-medal game against Canada can be seen live in the U.S. on the NHL Network. It will also be streamed live in the U.S. on FASTHockey.com.NOTES: The U.S. is returning to the gold-medal game of the World Junior Championship for the third time. Team USA is 1-0-0-1 in previous gold-medal games. The U.S. won its lone gold medal against Canada in 2004 ... Team USA is only the third team ever to emerge from the quarterfinal round to appear in the World Junior Championship gold-medal game ... Derek Stepan leads all skaters with nine assists and 12 points ... The 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship runs Dec. 26 - Jan. 5 in Regina and Saskatoon, Sask. The NHL Network (U.S.) and FASTHockey.com will air every U.S. game live from Saskatoon ... Canada defeated Switzerland, 6-1, in the other semifinal game.

GAME SUMMARY
Scoring By Period
USA
1 -1 -3 -5
SWE
0 -2 -0 -2
First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Johnson (Palmieri), 1:24. Penalties: SWE, Andersson (hooking), 7:16.

Second Period - Scoring: 2, SWE, Lander (Rodin, Andersson), 4:17; 3, SWE, Lander (Rodin, Silfverberg), 12:17; 4, USA, D'Amigo (Carlson, Gardiner), 15:06. Penalties: SWE, Rundblad (hooking), 0:25; SWE, Erixon (interference), 5:05; SWE, Johansson (tripping), 7:31; USA, Walker (roughing), 14:02; SWE, Lundberg (roughing), 14:02; USA, Stepan (delay-of-game), 16:31.

Third Period - Scoring: 5, USA, Carlson (Morin), 12:34; 6, USA, D'Amigo (Stepan); 15:32 (sh); 7, USA, Jenks (Morin), 19:05 (en). Penalties: SWE, Johansson (elbowing major, game misconduct); 0:39; USA, Fowler (slashing), 5:37; USA, Bourque (delay-of-game), 13:48.

Shots by Period
1 2 3 Total
USA
11- 15- 8- 34
SWE
8- 11- 10- 29

Goaltenders (SH/SV)
1 2 3 Total
USA, Lee 60:00
8-8; 11-9; 10-10: 29-27
SWE, Markstrom 58:50
11-10; 15-14; 7-5: 33-29

Power Play: USA 0-5; SWE 0-3Penalties: USA 4-8; SWE 6-35
Attendance: 12,137

USA drops 5-4 shootout to Canada at WJC

From http://www.usahockey.org

U.S. National Junior Team Falls in a Shootout, 5-4, to Canada

Team USA Will Face Finland Saturday in Quarterfinals

SASKATOON, Sask. - The U.S. National Junior Team scored two shorthanded goals but fell to Canada, 5-4, in a shootout in its final preliminary round game of the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. The U.S. (3-0-1-0) will face Finland in the quarterfinals on Saturday (Jan. 2) at 8 p.m. CST.

"Tonight was a great hockey game for fans of these two countries," said Dean Blais, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "It's tough to lose when a game goes to a shootout like tonight. But I thought both teams played great."

Team USA answered an early Canada goal with a power-play goal four minutes into the opening frame. Philip McRae (Chesterfield, Mo.) collected a rebound in front of the net and buried a quick wrist shot past Canada goalie Jake Allen to tie the game, 1-1.

The U.S. took a 2-1 second-period lead while shorthanded. Tyler Johnson (Spokane, Wash.) stripped a Canada forward in the defensive zone and fed a streaking Jordan Schroeder (Prior Lake, Minn./Univ. of Minnesota) at center ice. Schroeder fired a shot through Allen's pads for his second goal of the tournament.

Following Canada's second goal of the night, Team USA regained the lead with just 11 seconds remaining in the second period. Shorthanded once again, Jerry D'Amigo (Binghamton, N.Y./Rensselaer) broke in on a two-on-one rush and fired a shot on net. Johnson batted in the rebound to give the U.S. a 3-2 advantage.

Just one minute into the third period, Team USA took a 4-2 lead when Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn./Univ. of North Dakota) cut to the net, deked and beat Allen low. But Canada tied the score with goals from Jordan Eberle and Alex Pietrangelo, sending the game into overtime.

A scoreless extra frame sent both teams into a shootout. Despite goals by Team USA's Kristo and Jeremy Morin (Auburn, N.Y.), Canada connected on all three of its shootout attempts to come away with the victory. Canada, which received a bye to the semifinals, will await the winner of the other quarterfinal game between Russia and Switzerland.

Team USA goalie Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.) turned aside 30 shots in the shootout defeat, while Allen made 24 saves in the victory.

Team USA's quarterfinal game against Finland can be seen live in the U.S. on the NHL Network. It will also be streamed live in the U.S. on FASTHockey.com.

NOTES: Tyler Johnson was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... The 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship runs Dec. 26 - Jan. 5 in Regina and Saskatoon, Sask. For Team USA's full schedule, click here ... The NHL Network (U.S.) and FASTHockey.com will air every U.S. game live from Saskatoon ... In other tournament action, Sweden defeated Finland, 7-1, to win Group B; Switzerland beat Slovakia, 4-1, to advance to the quarterfinals; and Russia knocked off the Czech Republic, 5-2, to secure second place in Group B. For complete results and stats from the tournament, visit IIHF.com ... For full coverage of the 2010 U.S. National Junior Team, including photos, videos and features, click here.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

CAN 1 - 1 - 2 - 0 - 1 - 5
USA 1 - 2 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 4

First Period - Scoring: 1, CAN, Della-Rovere (Adam, Caron), 2:03; 2, USA, McRae (D'Amigo), 3:40. Penalties: CAN, Schenn (boarding), 2:26; CAN, Adam (hooking), 9:21; USA, Kreider (hooking), 10:14; USA, Fowler (tripping), 15:26.

Second Period - Scoring: 3, USA, Schroeder (Johnson), 7:08 (sh); 4, CAN, Eberle (Schenn, Scandella), 11:15; 5, USA, Johnson (D'Amigo), 19:49 (sh). Penalties: CAN, Della-Rovere (tripping), 3:00; USA, Stepan (hooking), 6:49; CAN, Teubert (tripping - penalty shot), 12:20; USA, Gardiner (holding), 16:11; USA, Jenks (interference), 18:56.

Third Period - Scoring: 6, USA, Kristo (Stepan), 1:01; 7, CAN, Eberle (Schenn, McMillan), 10:03; 8, CAN, Pietrangelo (unassisted), 15:45 (sh). Penalties: USA, Jenks (slashing), 11:42; CAN, Eberle (high-sticking), 14:56.

Overtime - Scoring: None. Penalties: None.

Shootout - CAN, Eberle (goal); USA, Kristo (goal); CAN, Kadri (goal); USA, Morin (goal); CAN, Kozun (goal); USA, Schroeder (no goal).

Shots by Period 1 2 3 OT SO Total
CAN 10 9 9 6 1 35
USA 9 11 7 1 0 28

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 OT SO Total
CAN, Allen 65:00 9-8 11-9 7-6 1-1 0-0 28-24
USA, Campbell 65:00 10-9 9-8 9-7 6-6 1-0 35-30

Power Play: CAN 0-6; USA 1-4
Penalties: CAN 4-8; USA 6-12
Attendance: 15,171