This is it for 2010

It's Friday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is December 31st, the 365th day of 2010. There are 0 days left in the year.

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Jackets pluck Leafs.

Thrashers snap slide, beat Bruins in shootout.

Stamkos powers Lightning past Habs.

Niemi leads Sharks to win at Chicago.

Avs blow lead but beat Oilers in shootout.

Philly crowns L.A.

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Watching football on TV today and the question pops into my head: Should Mike Belotti re-grow his porn star mustache and just fade away? He does as poor a job as anyone these days.

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Clifford commits to Niagara.

Gamblers beat Stars at BCA.

Mullin OT goal lifts Fargo over Dubuque..

Phantoms surrender lead, lose to Bucs.

Black Hawks fall to Cedar Rapids.

Disastrous second period hurts Phantoms.

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I'm hungry. Got any left-over turkey, or perhaps some cheese squares?

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U.S. National Junior Team Tops Slovakia, 6-1, at the IIHF World Junior Championship

Palmieri Scores Twice as U.S. Improves to 1-1-0-0

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Kyle Palmieri (Montvale, N.J./Syracuse Crunch) scored two first-period goals and added an assist, as the U.S. National Junior Team topped Slovakia, 6-1, in its second preliminary-round game of the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. Team USA improved to 1-1-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) and currently sits in first place in Group A.

"I was happy with our power play tonight getting three goals," said Keith Allain, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "We hope to continue to improve as the tournament goes on so that we're at our best at the end."

Team USA jumped out to a 1-0 lead less than five minutes into the game. Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass./Boston College) chipped the puck through the neutral zone to spring Charlie Coyle (East Weymouth, Mass./Boston Univ.) on a two-on-one rush. Coyle fed Palmieri in the crease for a tip-in goal.

Three minutes later, Palmieri notched his second of the night with Team USA on the power play. After a long shot by Jon Merrill (Brighton, Mich./Univ. of Michigan) flew wide, Palmieri collected the rebound off of the boards and fired a shot from a sharp angle past Slovakia goalie Dominik Riecicky.

The U.S. used a pair of second-period power-play goals by Coyle and Chris Brown (Flower Mound, Texas/Univ. of Michigan) to increase its lead to 4-0 midway through the frame. Following a Slovakia goal at 12:26 of the second, Drew Shore (Denver, Colo./Univ. of Denver) restored Team USA's four-goal advantage when he gloved down a loose puck at his own blue line, skated by two Slovakia defensemen and lifted a backhand shot past Riecicky.

Emerson Etem (Long Beach, Calif./Medicine Hat Tigers) gave the U.S. a 6-1 lead heading into the final period with a wrist shot that slipped out of Riecicky's glove, chasing the Slovakian goaltender.

U.S. goalie Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich./Windsor Spitfires) shut the door in the third period, stopping seven shots in the frame and finishing the night with 17 saves. Meanwhile, Slovakia goalies Riecicky and Juraj Holly combined for 51 saves in a losing effort.

Team USA will play its third preliminary-round game of the IIHF World Junior Championship on Thursday (Dec. 30) against Germany. The game, to be televised on NHL Network U.S. and streamed live on USAHockey.FASTHockey.com, will start at 7:00 p.m. EST.

NOTES: Kyle Palmieri was named Team USA's player of the game ... Team USA finished 3-for-7 on the power play, while Slovakia was 0-for-2 with the man advantage ... In earlier action, Finland shut out Switzerland, 4-0; Canada topped the Czech Republic, 7-2; and Sweden defeated Russia, 2-0. For a full tournament schedule and ticket information, visit BuffaloWorldJuniors.com ... Additional information on Team USA, including a team blog, stats and a media guide, can be found at USAHockey.com.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

SVK 0 - 1 - 0 - 1
USA 2 - 4 - 0 - 6

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Palmieri (Coyle, Kreider), 4:31; 2, USA, Palmieri (Merrill, Coyle), 8:02 (pp). Penalties: SVK, Hrasko (contact to the head, match penalty), 6:42; SVK, Janosik (holding), 18:05.

Second Period - Scoring: 3, USA, Coyle (Palmieri, Faulk), 3:56 (pp); 4, USA, Brown (Dumoulin, Leddy), 11:47 (pp); 5, SVK, Jurco (Majdan), 12:26; 6, USA, Shore (unassisted), 13:32; 7, USA, Etem (Bjugstad, Bourque), 16:57. Penalties: SVK, Kudrna (delaying-the-game), 3:09; SVK, Trska (hooking), 7:14; SVK, Jokel (hooking), 10:52.

Third Period - Scoring: None. Penalties: SVK, Simcak (contact to the head, match penalty), 12:09; USA, Ramage (cross-checking), 18:04; USA, D'Amigo (slashing), 18:41.

Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total
SVK 1 10 7 18
USA 22 21 14 57

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
SVK, Riecicky 36:57 22-20 18-14 -- 40-34
SVK, Holly 23:03 -- 3-3 14-14 17-17
USA, Campbell 60:00 1-1 10-9 7-7 18-17

Power Play: SVK 0-2; USA 3-7
Penalties: SVK 8-58; USA 2-4
Referees: Martin Frano (CZE), Jari Levonen (FIN)
Linesmen: Christian Kaspar (AUT), Daniel Winge (SWE)
Attendance: 12,750

U.S. National Under-17 Team Blanks Team West, 4-0, in Exhibition Game of 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge

Vatrano Scores Goal and Adds Assist; Rutledge and Olson Stop 18

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man. - Frankie Vatrano (East Longmeadow, Mass.) had a two point night and goaltenders Jared Rutledge (Chicago, Ill.) and Collin Olson (Apple Valley, Minn.) combined efforts for the shutout as the U.S. National Under-17 Team blanked Canada's Team West, 4-0, here tonight at the PCU Centre, in its exhibition game preceding the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

"We accomplished what we set out to do tonight," said Danton Cole, head coach of the U.S. National Under-17 Team. "The team got its legs going and we got back into game mode after a short break off."

The opening frame saw the U.S. outshoot Team West, 10-4, but no pucks found their way to the back of either net and the first period ended in a 0-0 tie.

Team USA continued to pepper the opposing goaltenders with shots in the second stanza and cashed in on the powerplay at 14:29 when Connor Carrick (Orland Park, Ill.) lit the lamp. Carrick received a quick pass from Nicolas Kerdiles (Irvine, Calif.) low in the slot and wristed a high shot past Team West goaltender Andy Desautels for the score.

Kyle Osterberg (Lakeville, Minn.) netted a goal just 31 seconds into the third period to put Team USA up, 2-0. From behind the net, Osterberg wrapped the puck around the post and snuck it past Desautels and his outstreched right pad. Miles Koules (Los Angeles, Calif.) added to the U.S. lead when he knocked the puck in the net after a Vatrano ricochet shot off the boards found his stick.

A quick shot by Vatrano from just inside the blue line found daylight and his goal at 12:51 in the final frame sealed the Team USA victory over Team West, 4-0. Dakota Mermis (Alton, Ill.) collected an assist on the play.

Rutledge and Olson combined to make 18 saves in the win, while Chris Dreidger and Desautels stopped 38 shots in the loss for Team West.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team will next face Finland tomorrow (Dec. 29) at 3 p.m. CT in Team USA's first round-robin game of the World Under-17 Challenge. The game will be held at the MTS Iceplex in Winnipeg.

NOTES: All games during the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge will be available via live webcast at FASTHockey.com ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with #NTDPU17 ... The U.S. is the defending champion at the tournament, having captured the 2010 title in Timmins, Ontario ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team is part of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, along with the U.S. National Under-18 Team ... Find USA Hockey on Facebook at Facebook.com/USAHockey and Twitter at Twitter.com/USAHockey.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA 0 - 1 - 3 - 4
WST 0 - 0 - 0 - 0

First Period - Scoring: None. Penalties: USA, Samuelsson (elbowing), 2:15; WST, Gaudet (hooking), 8:31; WST, Harms (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:40.

Second Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Carrick (Kerdiles), 14:29, (pp). Penalties: WST, Stovin (tripping), 12:37.

Third Period - Scoring: 2, USA, Osterberg (unassisted), 0:31; 3, USA, Koules (Vatrano), 4:28; 4, USA, Vatrano (Mermis), 12:51. Penalties: WST, Stephenson (tripping), 5:25; WST, Severson (high-sticking), 9:36; USA, Hartman (hooking), 14:56.

Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total
USA 10 19 13 42
WST 4 6 8 18

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
USA, Rutledge, 29:41 4/4 5/5 0/0 9/9
USA, Olson, 30:19 0/0 1/1 8/8 9/9
WST, Dreidger, 29:41 10/10 11/11 0/0 21/21
WST, Desautels, 30:19 0/0 8/7 13/10 21/17

Power Play: USA 1-5; WST 0-2
Penalties: USA 2-4; WST 5-10

Team USA 2011 World Under-17 Challenge Schedule
Dec. 28, 2010 - Jan. 4, 2011 • Winnipeg / Portage la Prairie, Man.

Date Event Location Time (CT)/Result

Tues., Dec. 28 USA vs. Canada West (exh.) PCU Centre W, 4-0
Wed., Dec. 29 USA vs. Finland MTS Iceplex 3:00 p.m.
Thurs., Dec. 30 USA vs. Germany PCU Centre 3:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 1 USA vs. Canada Atlantic MTS Iceplex 3:00 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 2 USA vs. Canada Quebec MTS Iceplex 3:00 p.m.

U.S. National Under-17 Team Topples Finland, 5-2, in Opening Game of 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge

Samuelsson Nets Two Goals; Carrick, Lane and Trouba Have Two Point Games

WINNIPEG, Man. - Henrik Samuelsson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) netted two goals and Connor Carrick (Orland Park, Ill.), Matthew Lane (Rochester, N.Y.) and Jacob Trouba (Rochester, Mich.) each added two point games as the U.S. National Under-17 Team toppled Finland, 5-2, here this evening at the MTS Iceplex, in its opening game of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

"We came out of the gates doing the things we wanted to do well," said Danton Cole, head coach of the U.S. National Under-17 Team. "The good start gave us confidence and it showed as all four lines put pressure on the opposition all game long."

Team USA played strong early in the game, outshooting Finland 15-6 in the first period and clanging the puck off the pipe twice. The goal scoring floodgates opened when Samuelsson deked Finland goaltender Oskari Setanen out of position and deposited the puck into the net for the score. Carrick assisted on the play.

Carrick added to the U.S. lead on a highlight reel goal at 13:02 of the opening frame. Crashing the net with two Finnish defenders draped all over him, Carrick carried the puck to the front of the net, dragged it along the goal crease and snapped a shot past an oustretched Setanen. Cameron Darcy (South Boston, Mass.) and Thomas Di Pauli (Woodridge, Ill.) earned assists on the goal. Lane joined in on the scoring parade and notched a goal just under one minute later, putting the U.S. up 3-0 heading into the first break. Trouba registered an assist on the score.

The U.S. continued to put the pressure on Finland and capitalized when Samuelsson made another pretty move and put the puck between the pads of Setanen for the score. Trouba collected his second assist of the game on the goal. Team USA jammed home another score, when Nicolas Kerdiles (Irvine, Calif.) snuck the puck under Setanen to put the U.S. up 5-0. Lane and Matt Grzelcyk (Charlestown, Mass.) recorded assists on the play. Finland would answer shortly after, but the U.S. maintained a 5-1 lead after two periods of play.

Finland would add another goal late in the third period to inch closer to Team USA, but the U.S. lead proved to be insurmountable as it won 5-2.

Jared Rutledge (Chicago, Ill.) made 15 saves for Team USA in the victory, while Setanen stopped 46 shots for Finland in the loss.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team will continue round-robin action against Germany tomorrow (Dec. 30) at 3 p.m. CT. The game will be held at the PCU Centre in Portage la Prairie, Man.

NOTES: All games during the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge will be available via live webcast at FASTHockey.com ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with #NTDPU17 ... The U.S. is the defending champion at the tournament, having captured the 2010 title in Timmins, Ontario ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team is part of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, along with the U.S. National Under-18 Team ... Find USA Hockey on Facebook at Facebook.com/USAHockey and Twitter at Twitter.com/USAHockey.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA 3 - 2 - 0 - 5
FIN 0 - 1 - 1 - 2

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Samuelsson (Carrick), 9:20; 2, USA, Carrick (Darcy, Di Pauli), 13:02; 3, USA, Lane (Trouba), 14:01. Penalties: FIN, Kojo (roughing), 18:51.

Second Period - Scoring: 4, USA, Samuelsson (Koules, Trouba), 1:11; 5, USA, Kerdiles (Lane, Grzelcyk), 8:28; 6, FIN, Nattinen (Hautamaki, Kuronen), 8:44. Penalties: FIN, Vainonen (hooking), 5:37; USA, Samuelsson (slashing), 10:21; FIN, Kojo (delay-of-game), 14:02; USA, Trouba (hooking), 18:37.

Third Period - Scoring: 7, FIN, Ikonen (Teravainen, Markkula), 19:07. Penalties: FIN, Vainonen (tripping), 7:34; USA, Samuelsson (interference), 7:42; FIN, Kulmala (holding), 12:10; USA, Shore (hooking), 15:05; FIN, Bench (too-many-men), 16:40.

Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total
USA 15 18 18 51
FIN 6 5 6 17

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
USA, Rutledge, 60:00 6/6 5/4 6/5 17/15
FIN, Setanen, 60:00 15/12 18/16 18/18 51/46

Power Play: USA 0-6; FIN 0-4
Penalties: USA 4-8; FIN 6-12

Team USA 2011 World Under-17 Challenge Schedule
Dec. 28, 2010 - Jan. 4, 2011 • Winnipeg / Portage la Prairie, Man.

Date Event Location Time (CT)/Result

Tues., Dec. 28 USA vs. Canada West (exh.) PCU Centre W, 4-0
Wed., Dec. 29 USA vs. Finland MTS Iceplex W, 5-2
Thurs., Dec. 30 USA vs. Germany PCU Centre 3:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 1 USA vs. Canada Atlantic MTS Iceplex 3:00 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 2 USA vs. Canada Quebec MTS Iceplex 3:00 p.m.

U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team Downs Sweden, 6-2, in Pre-Tournament Game

Team USA to Open 2011 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship Play on Jan. 1

STOCKHOLM - Paced by a four-point effort from Haley Skarupa (Rockville, Md.), the U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team posted a 6-2 victory over Sweden in a game prior to the start of the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's U18 Championship here tonight at Stora Mossen Arena. Team USA begins tournament play on Saturday (Jan. 1) against the Czech Republic.

Skarupa opened the scoring at 9:34 of the first frame when she took a feed from Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.) and put it over Swedish netminder Elin Moberg's glove just after a U.S. power play had expired. The Americans extended their lead to 2-0 when Lee Stecklein's (Roseville, Minn.) point shot hit the back of the net at 18:30.

Sweden scored the lone goal of the second period to cut the U.S. lead to 2-1. Felicia Karlsson skated across the goalmouth and put a backhanded shot in the open right side of the net at 7:06.

After the Swedes tied the game at 2:16 of the third period, Team USA tallied four unanswered goals to account for the 6-2 final score. Skarupa netted her second of the game at 4:49 off Carpenter's rebound and Karley Sylvester (Warroad, Minn.) made it 4-2 at 11:18. Amanda Pelkey (Montpelier, Vt.) put the puck through Moberg's legs at 14:08 and Carpenter closed out the scoring at 16:46 with a hard shot from the slot.

Megan Miller (Long Grove, Ill.) and Shenae Lundberg (Peterborough, N.H.) combined for 11 saves in net for the U.S., while Moberg stopped 59 of Team USA's 65 shots in the losing effort.

NOTES: The U.S. outshot Sweden by a 65-13 count ... The U.S. was 0-for-5 on the power play, while Sweden was 0-for-2 ... The U.S. roster can be found here ... The eight-nation tournament, being played for the fourth time, includes Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States ... Team USA captured gold in each of the first two years of the tournament (2008, 2009), followed by a silver medal in 2010 ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the 2011 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship. Scores will be designated with #U18wwc ... Follow the U.S. Women's National Program blog here ... Find USA Hockey on Facebook at Facebook.com/USAHockey and Twitter at Twitter.com/USAHockey.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA 2 0 4 -- 6
SWE 0 1 1 -- 2

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Skarupa (Carpenter, McMillen), 9:34; 2, USA, Stecklein (Skarupa), 18:30. Penalties: SWE, Karlsson (holding), 7:31; SWE, Lowenhielm (holding the stick), 10:26.

Second Period - Scoring: 3, SWE, Karlsson (unassisted), 7:06. Penalties: USA, Trivigno (cross checking), 10:51; SWE, Holmgren (holding), 14:02; USA, Trivigno (hooking), 17:13; SWE, Hedin (roughing), 19:53.

Third Period - Scoring: 4, SWE, E.Johansson (Lowenhielm, Daniels), 2:16; 5, USA, Skarupa (Carpenter, Savage), 4:49; 6, USA, Sylvester (Burke), 11:18; 7, USA, Pelkey (Pfalzer), 14:08; 8, Carpenter (Skarupa), 16:46. Penalties: SWE, Karlsson (hooking), 8:54.

Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total
USA 20 19 26 65
SWE 2 7 4 13

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
USA, Miller, 30:51 2-2 2-1 x-x 4-3
USA, Lundberg, 29:09 x-x 5-5 4-3 9-8
SWE, Moberg, 60:00 20-18 19-19 26-22 65-59

U.S. National Under-17 Team Upends Germany, 4-1, in World Under-17 Hockey Challenge Action

Samuelsson Nets Hat Trick in Team USA

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man. - Henrik Samuelsson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) scored three goals as the U.S. National Under-17 Team upended Germany, 4-1, here this evening at the PCU Centre in World Under-17 Hockey Challenge action.

"We knew the Germans would come out playing hard," said Danton Cole, head coach of the U.S. National Under-17 Team. "We just kept shooting and kept the pressure on their defense and it paid off."

The U.S. jumped to an early lead when Samuelsson netted the first goal of the game. Connor Carrick (Orland Park, Ill.) fed the puck up ice to Frankie Vatrano (East Longmeadow, Mass.) who crossed the blue line into the attacking zone. In a set play, Vatrano ripped a shot off the boards behind the net and the intentional carom found an open Samuelsson who ripped the puck over the shoulder of German goaltender Marvin Cupper.

Germany responded at 2:22 in the opening frame to knot the game at one goal each. Team USA grabbed the lead back on Samuelsson's second goal of the contest. Vatrano sent a pass from behind the net to Samuelsson, who lifted the puck top shelf for the score. The U.S. held a 2-1 lead after one period of play.

Team USA capitalized on the powerplay at 4:05 of the second period when Samuelsson netted his third goal of the game to give the U.S. a 3-1 edge. Off the faceoff win, Matt Grzelcyk (Charlestowon, Mass.) slid the puck over to Jacob Trouba (Rochester, Mich.) who then blasted a booming slapshot on net. Samuelsson redirected the puck home for the score.

Collin Olson (Apple Valley, Minn.) made several key stops for the U.S. to hold Germany off the board in the middle frame. Moments after a series of pad saves by Olson, the same combination of Grzelcyk and Trouba, after another faceoff win, found Miles Koules (Los Angeles, Calif.) for the fourth U.S. goal. Team USA led Germany 4-1 heading into the second intermission.

The U.S. clamped down defensively in the final stanza, allowing Germany only five shots on goal. Team USA did not allow a goal on any of the five chances and defeated Germany, 4-1. The win gives the U.S. six points in the tournament standings; three points are awarded for regulation wins.

Olson made 21 saves for Team USA in the win, while Cupper stopped 42 shots for Germany in the loss.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team enjoys an off day tomorrow (Dec. 31) before continuing round-robin play when they face Canada's Team Atlantic on New Year's Day (Jan. 1). Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. CT at the MTS Iceplex in Winnipeg, Man.

NOTES: All games during the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge will be available via live webcast at FASTHockey.com ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with #NTDPU17 ... The U.S. is the defending champion at the tournament, having captured the 2010 title in Timmins, Ontario ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team is part of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, along with the U.S. National Under-18 Team ... Find USA Hockey on Facebook at Facebook.com/USAHockey and Twitter at Twitter.com/USAHockey.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA 2 - 2 - 0 - 4
GER 1 - 0 - 0 - 1

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Samuelsson (Vatrano, Carrick), 0:35; 2, GER, Palausch (Tiffels, Kurth), 2:22, (pp); 3, USA, Samuelsson (Vatrano), 4:06. Penalties: USA, Trouba (slashing), 2:09; USA, Vatrano (tripping), 7:36; GER, Herpich (hooking), 12:57.

Second Period - Scoring: 4, USA, Samuelsson (Trouba, Grzelcyk), 4:05, (pp); 5, USA, Koules (Trouba, Grzelcyk), 18:00, (pp). Penalties: USA, Olsson (roughing), 0:41; GER, Steenssens (roughing), 0:41; USA, Di Pauli (holding), 2:09; GER, Palausch (holding), 2:35; GER, Herpich (slashing), 3:04; USA, Olsson (roughing), 5:47; GER, Eberhardt (high-sticking), 5:47; GER, Wiederer (hooking), 9:05; USA, Mermis (holding), 11:36; GER, Bench (too-many-men), 16:50; USA, Grzelcyk (holding), 18:57.

Third Period - Scoring: None. Penalties: USA, Trouba (slashing), 1:54; GER, Schlenker (elbowing), 8:51; USA, Vatrano (slashing), 13:06; GER, Moser (holding), 17:49; GER, Palausch (boarding), 19:04.

Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total
USA 18 13 15 46
GER 7 10 5 22

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
USA, Olson, 60:00 7/6 10/10 5/5 22/21
GER, Cupper, 60:00 18/16 13/11 15/15 46/42

Power Play: USA 2-8; GER 1-6
Penalties: USA 8-16; GER 10-20

Team USA 2011 World Under-17 Challenge Schedule
Dec. 28, 2010 - Jan. 4, 2011 • Winnipeg / Portage la Prairie, Man.

Date Event Location Time (CT)/Result

Tues., Dec. 28 USA vs. Canada West (exh.) PCU Centre W, 4-0
Wed., Dec. 29 USA vs. Finland MTS Iceplex W, 5-2
Thurs., Dec. 30 USA vs. Germany PCU Centre W, 4-1
Sat., Jan. 1 USA vs. Canada Atlantic MTS Iceplex 3:00 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 2 USA vs. Canada Quebec MTS Iceplex 3:00 p.m.

Power Play: USA 0-5; SWE 0-2
Penalties: USA 2-4; SWE 5-10
Officials: Referee-Malin Axelsson; Linesmen-Johan Nordlof, Rickard Wegersjo

Team USA 2011 IIHF World Women's Under-18 Championship Schedule
Jan. 1-8 • Stockholm, Sweden

Date Opponent Location Time (Local/EST)

Thurs., Dec. 30 Sweden* Stora Mossen W, 6-2
Sat., Jan. 1 Czech Republic Stora Mossen 6:30 p.m./12:30 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 2 Japan Stora Mossen 4 p.m./10 a.m.
Tues., Jan. 4 Sweden Stora Mossen 7:30 p.m./1:30 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 5 Quarterfinals Stora Mossen TBD
Fri., Jan. 7 Semifinals Stora Mossen TBD
Sat.. Jan. 8 Bronze-Medal Game Stora Mossen 3:30 p.m./9:30 a.m.
Gold-Medal Game Stora Mossen 7 p.m./1 p.m.
*Pre-Tournament

U.S. National Junior Team Earns 4-0 Win over Germany at the IIHF World Junior Championship

Team USA Secures Spot in Medal Round; Play Switzerland Tomorrow

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. goalies Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich./Windsor Spitfires) and Andy Iles (Ithaca, N.Y./Cornell Univ.) combined for a shutout, as the U.S. National Junior Team earned a 4-0 win over Germany here tonight in its third preliminary-round game of the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship.

Team USA improved to 2-1-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) and guaranteed itself a spot in the medal round.

"I thought our defense played excellent tonight," said Keith Allain, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "I'm happy with our team game as we move forward, and see us coming together as a unit."

Team USA took a 1-0 lead 13 minutes into the game on the power play. After Jon Merrill (Brighton, Mich./Univ. of Michigan) held the puck in Germany's zone along the far boards, Charlie Coyle (East Weymouth, Mass./Boston Univ.) skated to the slot and snapped a wrist shot past the glove of Germany goalie Niklas Treutle.

Less than one minute later, the U.S. extended its lead to 2-0 when Jerry D'Amigo (Binghamton, N.Y./Toronto Marlies) gloved down a German clearing attempt and fired a wrist shot for a short-side goal.

Merrill extended the U.S. advantage to 3-0 eight minutes into the second period with a seeing-eye shot from the blue line. Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass./Boston College) closed out the scoring five minutes later when he powered a shot home from the slot for Team USA's second power-play goal of the night.

After stopping all 14 shots faced in just over 50 minutes of action, Campbell was replaced by Iles midway through the final period.

Team USA will play its final preliminary-round game of the IIHF World Junior Championship tomorrow (Dec. 31) against Switzerland. Should the U.S. win, it would advance to the semifinal round as Group A's top seed. The game, to be televised on NHL Network U.S. and streamed live on USAHockey.FASTHockey.com, will start at 8:08 p.m. EST.

NOTES: Charlie Coyle was named Team USA's player of the game ... Team USA finished 2-for-5 on the power play, while Germany was 0-for-2 with the man advantage ... In other action, Sweden topped the Czech Republic, 6-3; Switzerland defeated Slovakia, 6-4; and Russia earned an 8-2 win over Norway. For a full tournament schedule and ticket information, visit BuffaloWorldJuniors.com ... Additional information on Team USA, including a team blog, stats and a media guide, can be found at USAHockey.com.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA 2 - 2 - 0 - 4
GER 0 - 0 - 0 - 0

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Coyle (Merrill), 12:37 (pp); 2, USA, D'Amigo (unassisted), 13:25. Penalties: USA, Morin (tripping), 2:22; GER, Kuhnhackl (roughing), 6:02; GER, Hufner (holding), 12:04; GER, Ohmann (hooking), 15:24.

Second Period - Scoring: 3, USA, Merrill (Bjugstad, Bourque), 7:54; 4, USA, Kreider (Palmieri, Coyle), 13:10 (pp). Penalties: GER, Keil (cross-checking), 12:59; GER, Mochel (slashing), 15:02.

Third Period - Scoring: None. Penalties: USA, Brown (roughing), 2:26; GER, Woidtke (roughing), 2:26; USA, Bourque (tripping), 16:26.

Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total
USA 23 15 10 48
GER 2 10 2 14

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
USA, Campbell 50:27 2-2 10-10 2-2 14-14
USA, Iles 9:33 -- -- 0-0 0-0
GER, Treutle 60:00 23-21 15-13 10-10 48-44

Power Play: USA 2-5; GER 0-2
Penalties: USA 3-6; GER 6-12
Referees: Antti Boman (FIN), Daniel Konc (SVK)
Linesmen: Jesse Wilmot (CAN), Daniel Winge (SWE)
Attendance: 15,276

2011 IIHF World Junior Championship
Team USA Schedule

Date Opponent Time* City Arena (Tickets Link)
Dec. 19 RPI# 4:00 p.m. Troy, N.Y. Houston Field House L3-4, SO
Dec. 21 Czech Republic# 7:00 p.m. Rochester, N.Y. L2-3, SO
Dec. 23 Norway# 7:30 p.m. Jamestown, N.Y. W6-1
Dec. 26 Finland 8:00 p.m. Buffalo, N.Y. W3-2
Dec. 28 Slovakia 8:00 p.m. Buffalo, N.Y. W6-1
Dec. 30 Germany 7:00 p.m. Buffalo, N.Y. W4-0
Dec. 31 Switzerland 8:00 p.m. Buffalo, N.Y. HSBC Arena
Jan. 2 Quarterfinals^ 7:30 p.m. Buffalo, N.Y. HSBC Arena
Jan. 3 Semifinals^ 7:30 p.m. Buffalo, N.Y. HSBC Arena
Jan. 5 Bronze-Medal Game^ 3:30 p.m. Buffalo, N.Y. HSBC Arena
Gold-Medal Game^ 7:30 p.m. Buffalo, N.Y. HSBC Arena

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Proudfoot loses battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease.

CFL mourns the loss of Tony Proudfoot.

Moffat: Memories of a hero: Tony Proudfoot.

Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.

Visit the league's official website, cfl.ca.

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If you follow minor league hockey at all, you're aware of the mess known as the All American Hockey League. They lost one team before the season started, another one a couple of weeks ago and signs are now pointing to two more team going under. I got caught up in that mess for a short time and I honestly can't say I'm sorry for the problems they're having. It put my family in a hole that we're now just climbing out of. Let me know where they bury the carcass of that league. That's one grave I'll gladly dance on.

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Jimmy and Daddy play hockey.








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I received my first senior discount a couple of Sunday's ago. I'm not sure how to feel about it: Happy I saved some money, or sad because I'm now officially old.

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Here's the Week 17 NFL schedule:

Sunday January 2 1:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns

Sunday January 2 1:00 p.m. Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions

Sunday January 2 1:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

Sunday January 2 1:00 p.m. Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots

Sunday January 2 1:00 p.m. Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons

Sunday January 2 1:00 p.m. Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs

Sunday January 2 1:00 p.m. Buffalo Bills at New York Jets

Sunday January 2 1:00 p.m. Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

Sunday January 2 4:15 p.m. Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans

Sunday January 2 4:15 p.m. Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday January 2 4:15 p.m. New York Giants at Washington Redskins

Sunday January 2 4:15 p.m. Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers

Sunday January 2 4:15 p.m. San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos

Sunday January 2 4:15 p.m. Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts

Sunday January 2 4:15 p.m. Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers

Sunday January 2 8:20 p.m. St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks

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Today is Make Up Your Mind Day.

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Today in Elvis History:

1955 - Elvis Presley's single "I Forgot To Remember" hit #1 on the U.S. Country chart.

1960 - The album "Elvis' Christmas Album" re-charted at #33 in the U.S.

1966 - Elvis Presley's song "If Every Day Was Christmas" hit #9 in the U.K.

1968 - In the U.K., the TV special "Elvis" aired on BBC2-TV.

1975 - Elvis Presley grossed $816,000 for a single performance in Pontiac, MI.

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This is No Interruptions Day.

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Today in Beatles History:

1970 - Paul McCartney filed a suit to dissolve the Beatles.

1971 - The Beatles broke up.

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This has been a really good day. Slept in, ran a couple of errands, watched some TV and also watched a lot of Jimmy. A well rounded day, for sure!

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Today in Sports History:

1967 - The Green Bay Packers won the National Football League championship game by defeating the Dallas Cowboys 21-17. The game is known as the Ice Bowl since it was played with a wind chill of 40 degrees below zero.

1971 - The NHL announced that it had awarded a franchise to the New York Islanders.

1972 - Roberto Clemente (Pittsburgh Pirates) was killed in a plane crash near Puerto Rico while flying relief supplies to Nicaraguan earthquake victims.

1984 - ESPN debuted in Hawaii, making it available in all 50 states.

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The State of Alabama enacted the first dental legislation in the U.S. on this date in 1841.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

Nothin' Doin'

Saturday --

NHL Hockey -- New York Rangers at Tampa Bay Lightning 7:30pm EST

Sunday --

NFL Football -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints 1:00pm EST (Final game of regular season)

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That's it for today. See you next year.