It's Friday

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

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Today is February 4th, the 35th day of 2011. There are 330 days left in the year.

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Bruins top Stars in Wild Victory.

Leafs blank desperate Hurricanes.

Devils hold off Rangers.

Flyers hold off Predators.

Flames beat Thrashers for first win in old home.

Surging Wild top Avalanche.

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February is Avocado and Banana Month. (Linky Link)

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National Team Development Program Weekly Update

U.S. Nat'l Under-18 Team Defeats Cedar Rapids and Green Bay; NTDP Teams a Combined 8-1-1 in Last 10 USHL Games

THIS WEEK: The U.S. National Under-18 Team hosts the Tri-City Storm tonight (Feb. 3) in its final game before the 2011 Five Nations tournament, which will take place Feb. 9-13 in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET at the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Ice Cube.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team returns to action as it visits the Chicago Steel on Friday (Feb. 4) at 8:30 p.m. ET, at The Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Ill. Following its game, the Under-17 Team will prepare for the 2011 Vlad Dzurilla tournament, whic will take place Feb. 11-13 in Piestany, Slovakia.

U18 TEAM SCORES IN OVERTIME, BEATS CEDAR RAPIDS: J.T. Miller (East Palestine, Ohio) netted two goals, including the game-winner in overtime, and added one assist as the Under-18 Team came from behind to defeat the RoughRiders, 5-4, at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena last Friday (Jan. 28).

U18 TEAM DEFEATS GREEN BAY, 2-1: Adam Reid (Chino Hills, Calif.) scored once and assisted on the game-winning goal and John Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa.) turned aside 30 shots, as the U.S. National Under-18 Team defeated the Green Bay Gamblers, 2-1, at the Resch Center last Saturday (Jan. 29).

NTDP ALUMNI UPDATE: Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane (Buffalo, N.Y./2004-06) notched an assist in the 2011 National Hockey League All-Star Game last weekend as Team Lidstrom defeated Team Staal, 11-10 ... Western Michigan University's Chase Balisy (Fullerton, Calif./2008-10) recently earned Central Collegiate Hockey Association Offensive Player of the Week honors after being named Rookie of the Week in early January for his play in WMU's series against Ohio State. The accolades continue to pile up as Balisy was named CCHA Rookie of the Month ... University of Michigan freshman Jon Merill (Brighton, Mich./2008-10) is tied for first in points among Wolverine defensemen with 17 ... Boston College freshman Bill Arnold (Needham, Mass./2009-10) registered his third two-point performance of the season after scoring a goal and collecting an assist in the Eagles' Jan. 29 game against the University of Massachusetts-Lowell ... Cade Fairchild (Duluth, Minn./2005-07) leads all University of Minnesota defenseman with 11 points.

For the complete weekly update, click here.

U.S. Men's National University Team Falls to Belarus, 6-3, at 2011 Winter World University Games

Team USA Next Faces Japan Tomorrow (Feb. 4)

ERZURUM, Turkey – The U.S. Men's National University Team erased a two-goal deficit midway through the second period, but eventually fell to Belarus, 6-3, in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Winter World University Games. The U.S. will face Japan tomorrow (Feb. 4) at 8 a.m. EST in the classification round.

"I'm very proud of every player on the team," said Dave Debol, head coach of the U.S. Men's National University Team. "I loved the effort, especially when we were down, 3-1. We never quit and came back to tie the game, but we just fell a little short today."

Belarus took an early 1-0 lead, but Team USA tied the score 12:22 into the first period. Bob Collar (Brighton, Mich./Davenport University) sent a feed to Michael Macari (Dearborn Heights, Mich./University of Michigan Dearborn), who fired a shot past Belarus goalie Stepan Goryachevskikh.

Belarus took a 3-1 second period lead, but the U.S. responded with two goals 1:19 apart to tie the game. Alan Dionne (North Scituate, R.I./University of Rhode Island) scored at the 10:17 mark and Tim O'Brien (Bethel Park, Pa./Penn State University) followed with a power-play goal to even the score heading into the final frame.

Belarus gained the 4-3 edge just 53 seconds into the third period and added two late goals to secure the 6-3 victory.

Team USA goaltender Dan Pyne (Warrington, Pa./Drexel University) made 27 saves in the loss, while Goryachevskikh and Vitali Bialinksi combined to stop 22 shots in the win.  

NOTES: The winner of Team USA's match-up with Japan tomorrow will advance to the fifth-place game ... The U.S. and Belarus both finished 1-for-7 on the power play ... Michael Macari now leads Team USA in points (3-2--5) and goals through four games, while Kyle Krannich (Randolph, N.J./University of Rhode Island) ranks second on the team with three points (2-1). Krannich and Bob Collar rank second on the U.S. with two goals each ... The complete U.S. roster can be found here and information on the schools and states represented can be found here ... Dave Debol, head men's ice hockey coach at the University of Michigan Dearborn, is serving as head coach of the 2011 U.S. Men's National University Team after having served as an assistant coach for the squad in 2007 and 2009. He is assisted by Scott Balboni, head men's ice hockey coach at Penn State University, andhttp://twitter.com/#!/search/#WUG Dan Phelps, head men's ice hockey coach at Adrian College ... USA Hockey coverage of the U.S. Men's and Women's National University Teams throughout the 2011 Winter World University Games can be found on the tournament homepage; on the Team USA - World University Games blog; on USA Hockey's Facebook page; and by following #WUG on Twitter ... The Winter World University Games is a biannual multi-sport event organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The international competition is staged in both the summer and the winter, similar to the Olympic Games. For more information, click here.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

BLR 1 2 3 6
USA 1 2 0 3

First Period - Scoring: 1, BLR, Kolasau (unassisted), 5:54; 2, USA, Macari (Collar), 7:38. Penalties: USA, Pilmore (tripping), 3:52; BLR, Susla (roughing), 7:57; USA, Krannich (roughing), 7:57; USA, Telfer (slashing), 10:22; USA, Dionne (tripping); BLR, Shinkevitch (double-minor, roughing), 15:22; USA, Collar (roughing), 15:22.

Second Period - Scoring: 3, BLR, Azimau (Susla, Shvedau); 4, BLR, Razvadouski (Demkov), 9:13; 5, USA, Dionne (unassisted), 10:17; 6, USA, O'Brien (unassisted), 11:36 (pp). Penalties: USA, Contratto (tripping), 3:25; BLR, Razvadouski (high-sticking), 7:03; BLR, Shumski (double-minor, roughing), 10:43; BLR, Demkov (roughing), 10:43; BLR, Razvadouski (roughing), 10:43; USA, Telfer (roughing), 10:43; USA, Collar (roughing), 10:43; USA, Macari (roughing) 10:43; BLR, Shinkevitch (cross-checking), 11:36; BLR, Kharamana (double-minor, roughing), 12:22; USA, Steinour (roughing), 12:22; BLR, Demkov (cross-checking), 16:38; USA, Kranker (double-minor, high-sticking), 18:46; USA, Lassik (slashing), 19:21.

Third Period - Scoring: 7, BLR, Paulovich (Demkov, Razvadouski), 0:53 (pp); 8, BLR, Miadzel (Kachan), 18:48 (en); 9, BLR, Paulovich (unassisted), 19:23. Penalties: USA, Collar (slashing), 2:56; BLR, Khuzeyeu (checking to head and neck area, misconduct), 19:42.

Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total
BLR 8 10 14 32
USA 5 10 10 25

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
BLR, Goryachevskikh, 31:36 5-4 8-6 -- 13-10
BLR, Bialinski, 28:24 -- 2-2 10-10 12-12
USA, Pyne, 59:50 8-7 10-8 14-12 32-27

Power Play: BLR 1-7; USA 1-7
Penalties: BLR 10-36; USA 13-28
Referee: Linus Ohlund
Linesmen: Andrew Hubbard, Timucin Ozbukucu
Attendance: 456

2011 Winter World University Games
Men's Team USA Schedule
Jan. 27-Feb. 6 • Cemal Gürsel Sport Complex • Erzurum, Turkey

Date Opponent Time (Local/EST)/Result
Fri., Jan 28 Kazakhstan L, 0-5
Sun., Jan. 30 Slovakia W, 7-3
Tue., Feb. 1 Spain W, 4-1
Thu., Feb. 3 Belarus (Quarterfinals) L, 3-6
Fri., Feb. 4 Japan 3 p.m./8 a.m.
Sat., Feb. 5 Seventh-Place Game 4 p.m./9 a.m.
Fifth-Place Game 8 p.m./1 p.m.

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February is Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month.

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Lumberjacks complete trade, send Albers to Omaha.

Stampede shutdown by Lancers.

Green Bay Gamblers preview.

Woodstock grad finds his voice with Saints.

Lumberjacks make first trip to Green Bay.

Top five drafted defensemen in USHL.

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Today is the start of international snow sculpting month.

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Faibish: Cats set to prowl during free agency.

Local product Hughes re-signs with Riders.

Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.

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

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Today is Bubble Gum Day. (Linky Link)

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Maybe I'll just sleep here tonight.








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Here's the NFL Wild Card Round schedule:

At Seattle Seahawks 41, New Orleans Saints 36

New York Jets 17 at Indianapolis Colts 16

Baltimore Ravens 30 at Kansas City Chiefs 7

Green Bay Packers 21 at Philadelphia Eagles 16

Here's the NFL Divisional Round Schedule:

At Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Baltimore Ravens 24

Green Bay Packers 48 at Atlanta Falcons 21

At Chicago Bears 35, Seattle Seahawks 24

New York Jets 28 at New England Patriots 21

Here's the NFL Championship Round Schedule:

Green Bay Packers 21 at Chicago Bears 14

At Pittsburgh Steelers 24, New York Jets 19

Super Bowl XLV:

Sunday, February 6th 6:30pm Pittsburgh Steelers vs Green Bay Packers at Cowboys Stadium

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Today in Elvis History:

1956 - Elvis Presley appeared on "Stage Show" for the second time. He perfomred Authur Gunter's "Baby Let's Play House" and Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti."

1976 - Elvis Presley recorded the song "Moody Blue".

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Today is Gice Kids A Smile Day. (Linky Link)

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Today in Beatles History:

1968 - The Beatles recorded "Across the Universe" at Abbey Road. Paul McCartney invited some fans to contribute harmonies which was the only time the Beatles used fans on a record.

1969 - The day after the other three Beatles appointed Allen Klein as business manager, Paul McCartney hired the law firm of Eastman & Eastman as Apple's general legal counsel. The father of his girlfriend Linda Eastman ran the law firm.

1970 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono gave a Michael X a bag of their cut hair in return for a pair of genuine Muhammad Ali boxing shorts.

1972 - South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond suggested to U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell in a memo that John Lennon be deported.

1974 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono temporarily seperated.

2002 - It was announced that Paul McCartney would tour the United States for the first time in almost 10 years.

2005 - Paul McCartney posted a message on Heather Mills McCartney's official Web site. He was responding to several reports that stated Heather made decisions for him, told him to dye his hair and that she didn't get along with his kids.

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Today is Liberace Day.

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Today in Sports History:

1924 - The first Olympic Winter Games opened in Chamonix, France.

1932 - The first Winter Olympics opened in the United States at Lake Placid, NY. The games were opened by New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1952 - Jackie Robinson was named Director of Communication for NBC. He was the first black executive of a major radio-TV network.

1969 - John Madden was named the head coach of the NFL's Oakland Raiders.

1970 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono gave a Michael X a bag of their cut hair in return for a pair of genuine Muhammad Ali boxing shorts.

1973 - The New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres played an entire game with no penalties called.

1993 - The Boston Celtics retired Larry Bird's #33.

1997 - A civil jury in California found O.J. Simpson liable in the death of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Goldman's parents were awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages.

1997 - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) scored his 600th National Hockey League (NHL) goal during his 719th game. Lemieux reached the milestone second fastest in history. Gretzky had reached the plateau during his 718th game.

2001 - Jimmy Buffet was ordered by NBA referee Joe Forte to give up his courtside seat due to the use of profanity. After a several-minute delay, the game between the Miami Heat and the visiting New York Knicks continued.

2002 - Minnesota's Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal by the Minnesota Twins of an injunction that would force the Twins to fulfill their lease at the Metrodome.

2003 - Jaromir Jagr (Washington Capitals) scored his 500th career goal. He also got his 11th career hat trick in the game.

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Today is World Cancer Day.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals 7:30pm EST

Saturday --

SEJHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Eels 3:30pm EST

MJHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Eels 8:00pm EST

Sunday --

SEJHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Eels 10:30am EST

MJHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Eels 10:30am EST

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs St. Louis Blues 3:00pm EST

Monday -

Nothin' Doin'

Tuesday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres 7:30pm EST

Wednesday --

Nothin' Doin'

Thursday --

Nothin' Doin'

Friday --

Nothin' Doin'

Saturday --

SEJHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Florida Eels 5:15pm EST

MJHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Junior Blades 6:00pm EST

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Carolina Hurricanes 7:30pm EST

Sunday --

SEJHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Florida Eels 10:30am EST

MJHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Florida Junior Blades 12:15pm EST

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That's all for today. See you again tomorrow.