It's Thursday

It's Thursday. Here's what's happening today....

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Today is March 3rd, the 62nd day of 2011. There are 303 days left in the year.

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Leafs rally to beat Pens in OT.

Devils hang on, edge Bolts.

Isles end skid with win over Wild.

Hawks move into fourth with win over Flames.

Ryan's penalty shot in OT lifts Ducks past Wings.

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Today's birthdays: Olympic track and field gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is 49; former NFL star Herschel Walker (won Heisman Trophy) is 49; actress Julie Bowen (Modern Family's Claire Dunphy, Ed, Boston Legal) is 41; TV chef Tyler Florence is 40; actor David Faustino (Married... With Children) is 37; actress Jessica Biel (Next, Valentine's Day, the forthcoming The A-Team) is 29.

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Lumberjacks make last visits to Green Bay, Chicago this weekend.

Ice defenseman commits to Minnesota-Duluth.

Des Moines Buccaneers tips for scholarships.

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Today is National Anthem Day. The Star Spangled Banner was adopted by Congress as the national anthem in 1931.

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National Team Development Program Weekly Update

U.S. National Under-18 Team Sweeps Alabama-Huntsville, U17s Fall to Youngstown;
Team USA Prepares for Six USHL Games in Seven Days

U18 TEAM HOSTS BACK-TO-BACK HOME GAMES: The U.S. National Under-18 Team hosts the Waterloo Black Hawks on Friday (March 4) and the Des Moines Buccaneers on Saturday (March 5). Both games are set for 7 p.m. EST at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

U17 TEAM SKATES FOUR TIMES IN NEXT SEVEN DAYS: The U.S. National Under-17 Team looks to rebound from a tough weekend as it gears up to play four times in the next seven days. The action begins tonight (March 2) when Team USA hosts the Waterloo Black Hawks at 7 p.m. EST at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. The U17s then travel to Dubuque (Iowa) to face the Fighting Saints on Saturday (March 5) at 8 p.m. EST at the Mystique Ice Center5. The U.S. returns to Ann Arbor on Sunday (March 6) to face the Fargo Force at 3 p.m. EST before closing out its busy week against the Indiana Ice on Tuesday (March 8) at 7 p.m. EST.

U18s SWEEP ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE: Rocco Grimaldi (Rossmoor, Calif.), J.T. Miller (East Palestine, Ohio) and Henrik Samuelsson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) each recorded three-point nights as the U.S. National Under-18 Team defeated the University of Alabama-Huntsville 8-1 at the Von Braun Center in college exhibition action on Feb. 25. Six players recorded multiple-point nights and 13 players recorded at least one point in the game. John Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa.) made 28 saves to earn the victory.

The following night (Feb. 26), Samuelsson scored two goals, as the U.S. National Under-18 Team held off the University of Alabama-Huntsville, 5-3, to complete the weekend sweep. Matt McNeely (Burnsville, Minn.) was between the pipes for the U.S. in the win.

U17s EDGED BY YOUNGSTOWN IN SHOOTOUT: Austin Wuthrich (Anchorage, Alaska) collected two points (0-2) and Collin Olson (Apple Valley, Minn.) made 38 saves but the U.S. National Under-17 Team fell to the Youngstown Phantoms in United States Hockey League action at the Covelli Centre on Feb. 25. The loss halted an eight-game USHL win streak for the U17s, but the U.S. still earned a point in the standings.

U17s FALL TO PHANTOMS IN REMATCH: Frankie Vatrano (East Longmeadow, Mass.) notched a goal and Jared Rutledge (Chicago, Ill.) made 37 saves, as the U.S. National Under-17 Team fell to the Youngstown Phantoms, 4-1, in USHL action at the Covelli Centre. The two-game skid marks the first time since December that the U17s dropped two in a row.

NTDP ALUMNI UPDATE: Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel (Madison, Wis./2003-05) was named the National Hockey League's First Star for the week ending Feb. 27. Kessel led the NHL in scoring last week with eight points (4-4) in four games as the Maple Leafs earned six of a possible eight points ... Nashville Predators forward Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn./2004-06) scored his first career NHL goal in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday (March 1). Ryan Suter (Madison, Wis./2001-03) made the pass to set Geoffrion up for the score ... David Steckel (West Bend, Wis./1998-2000) was recently traded from the Washington Capitals to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Jason Arnott. Steckel currently leads the NHL in faceoff win percentage (63.7) ... Detroit Red Wings netminder Jimmy Howard (Ogdensburg, N.Y./2001-02) continues to the lead the NHL in wins with 31 ... Ryan Kesler (Livonia, Mich./2000-02) is tied for second with the Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Sharp in scoring, netting 33 goals in 64 games.

For the complete weekly update, click here.

Ten Finalists Named for 2011 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award
Fourteenth Annual Award to Be Presented March 19 in Erie, Pa.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The USA Hockey Foundation today announced the 10 finalists for the 2011 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented by Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. The award, annually bestowed upon the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey, will be presented at a brunch ceremony on March 19 at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, Pa., in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Frozen Four (March 18 & 20).

The 10 finalists are (in alphabetical order): senior forwards Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, Ont./Mercyhurst College), Vicki Bendus (Wasaga Beach, Ont./Mercyhurst College) and Meghan Duggan (Danvers, Mass./Univ. of Wisconsin); sophomore defenseman Laura Fortino (Hamilton, Ont./Cornell Univ.); junior forwards Haley Irwin (Thunder Bay, Ont./Univ. of Minnesota Duluth), Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont./Cornell Univ.) and Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho/Univ. of Wisconsin); sophomore goaltender Noora Räty (Espoo, Finland/Univ. of Minnesota); senior goaltender Molly Schaus (Natick, Mass./Boston College); and senior forward Kelli Stack (Brooklyn Heights, Ohio/Boston College).

The top-10 class for the 14th annual Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented by LECOM, represents all four women’s college conferences - College Hockey America, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

The award selection process began in late February, when NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey coaches were asked to nominate players for the award. Players who were nominated by two or more coaches were then placed on an official ballot, which was sent back to the coaches to vote for the top 10 finalists. The independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, tabulated the ballots.

The three finalists, including the recipient of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by a 13-member selection committee comprised of NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey coaches, representatives of the print and broadcast media, an at-large member and a representative of USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States.

The three finalists for this year’s award will be announced on March 10.

NOTES: Among the 10 finalists are last year's winner Vicki Bendus and top-three finalist Noora Räty. Prior to taking the 2009-10 season off for the 2010 Olympics, Meghan Agosta was a top-three finalist in 2007, 2008 and 2009, and Rebecca Johnston, Hilary Knight and Molly Schaus were all top-10 finalists in 2009 ... Six schools are respresented, including two finalists each from Boston College, Cornell University, Mercyhurst College and the University of Wisconsin ... Among the finalists are seven forwards, two goaltenders and one defenseman, including five seniors, three juniors and two sophomores ... Tickets to the ceremony are still available and may be purchased by calling 719-538-1184 or by submitting a completed ticket form (located at PattyKaz.com). Individual seats are $65, while tables of 10 are available for $600 ... Mike Ruzzi, sports director at WICU-TV (NBC) in Erie, Pa., will serve as the master of ceremonies, while Laura Halldorson, who led the University of Minnesota women's ice hockey team to three NCAA Division I national championships as head coach, will be the keynote speaker. Halldorson was recently announced as the 2011 recipient of the American Hockey Coaches Association's Women's Ice Hockey Founders Award ... The 2011 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Ceremony, presented by LECOM, will be broadcast live at USAHockey.FASTHockey.com ... USA Hockey and the NCAA will team up once again to put on free girls' skills clinics in conjunction with the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award and the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four. Both will take place on March 19, at Mercyhurst Ice Center with an American Development Model session set for 3-4 p.m. EST and a Try Hockey For Free clinic to take place from 4-5 p.m.

ABOUT THE PATTY KAZMAIER MEMORIAL AWARD
An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is annually presented to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey. Selection criteria includes outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration is also given to academic achievement and civic involvement. The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is supported, in part, by a grant from the NHL Foundation.

ABOUT PATTY KAZMAIER
The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defenseman at Princeton University from 1981-86. An accomplished athlete who helped lead the Tigers to the Ivy League Championship in three consecutive seasons (1981-84), Patty Kazmaier-Sandt died on Feb. 15, 1990, at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease.

2011 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-10 Finalists

Meghan Agosta
Mercyhurst College • Forward • Senior • Ruthven, Ont.
Tied for the lead in the nation with 79 points ... Leads the nation with 46 assists, 13 power-play goals and four shorthanded goals, while ranking third with 33 goals and eight game-winning goals … Team captain ... Nine-time CHA Player of the Week ... Three-time CHA Player of the Month ... Leads the CHA in all offensive categories … Notched at least a point in 31 of 33 games played ... Has 28 multi-point games, including 17 with three or more points and 10 multi-goal games … Became the NCAA all-time leading point-getter with a four-point effort on Feb. 4, surpassing Julie Chu, who recorded 285 points in her career. Now stands at 296 career points ... Became the NCAA all-time leading scorer on Feb. 25, with two goals in a win over Robert Morris University to score 152 career goals. Surpasses Nicole Corriero, who amassed 150 goals in her career ... Tied NCAA goals leader Nicole Corriero with her 150th career goal on Feb. 12 ... Made numerous appearances at local elementary schools and spent time talking with youth hockey teams around Canada and Erie, Pa. ... Volunteered with the Leamington Police Department, assisting officers in community service and drug and alcohol prevention ... Helped organize and participated in Skate with the Lakers, a holiday community engagement event that let members of the Erie community meet and skate with the team …Raised funds and helped facilitate the team's Skate for the Cure Breast Cancer Awareness series.

Vicki Bendus
Mercyhurst College • Forward • Senior • Wasaga Beach, Ont.
Ranks fifth in the nation with 1.85 points per game and third with 1.19 assists per game … Assistant captain … Has five power-play goals and 17 multi-point games … Ranks third in the CHA with 24 points, ninth with seven goals, second with 17 assists, and tied for second with 10 power-play points (3-7) … Helped organize and participated in Skate with the Lakers, a holiday community engagement event that let members of the Erie community meet and skate with the team … Raised funds and helped facilitate the team's Skate for the Cure Breast Cancer Awareness series … Volunteered time with Hockey Canada and several community programs teaching children how to skate … Honored with the NCAA Elite 88 Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 88 championships … CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-American.

Meghan Duggan
University of Wisconsin • Forward • Senior • Danvers, Mass.
Tied for the lead in the nation with 79 points ... Ranks second nationally with 44 assists, 2.19 points per game, 1.22 assists per game and 11 power-play goals ... Ranks second in the nation in goals (35) and short-handed goals (3), and fifth with 0.94 goals per game … Leads the WCHA with 61 points, 34 assists and 20 power-play points (9-11), and ranks second with 27 goals … Has five game-winning goals … Holds a +65 rating in 36 games … Recorded 57 points during a UW program-best 25-game point streak (Oct. 22-Feb. 4) … Ranks seventh in NCAA history and leads UW with 230 career points … Became seventh player all-time and first UW player to reach both 100 goals and 100 assists ... Became 13th player all-time and second UW player to reach 200 career points … Has 25 multi-point games, including eight multi-goal games … Team captain ... Two-time WCHA Offensive Player of the Week … Volunteered at UW Kids Clinic … Volunteered at Ronald McDonald House and Children's Hospital … Volunteered with Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin.

Laura Fortino
Cornell University • Defenseman • Sophomore • Hamilton, Ont.
Leads NCAA defensemen with 36 points (8-28) and ranks 26th overall in the nation with 1.24 points per game ... Part of top defensive pairing for nation's top scoring defense (31 goals in 31 games) … Key member of the top penalty-killing unit in the nation that has allowed just six goals all season (94.1 percent) … Quarterbacks power-play unit ranked second in the nation (25.7 percent) … Leads ECAC Hockey defensemen with 28 points (7-21), good for fifth overall, while leading the league with 21 assists and 14 power-play points (4-10) … Has nine multi-point games … Ranks second among all defensemen in the nation with a +41 rating … Named to preseason All-ECAC Hockey team … Big Sister to area girls … Organized Salvation Army Adopt-A-Family program … Helped pack meals for Feed My Starving Children.

Haley Irwin
Univ. of Minnesota Duluth • Forward • Junior • Thunder Bay, Ont.
Ranks fourth in the NCAA with 2.04 points per game with 42 in 23 games, second with 1.26 assists per game and thirteenth with 0.78 goals per game … Ranks sixth in the nation with two short-handed goals and 15th with four game-winning goals … Ranks seventh in the WCHA with 1.95 points per game with 37 in 19 games, eighth with 0.79 goals per game, eighth with 1.16 assists per game, second with three shorthanded points (2-1), first with two shorthanded goals and fifth with three game-winning tallies … Owns a plus-37 rating … Has had 14 multipoint games, including eight that have included three or more points … Twice named the WCHA's Offensive Player of the Week … Volunteered with P.R.O. in Thunder Bay, Ont., to help raise money for underprivileged kids in after school activities … Showed dogs for the Thunder Bay Humane Society to help raise money and to raise awareness for adoption … Participated in the Shooting Stars Foundation floor hockey tournament to help raise money for children's charities in Saskatchewan and helped plan an activity day involving a wide range of sports for schools in the Thunder Bay area … Also volunteers at the Union Gospel Mission in Duluth, Minn., by helping serve meals.

Rebecca Johnston
Cornell University • Forward • Junior • Sudbury, Ont.
Ranks 16th in the nation with 1.59 points per game, ninth with 0.86 goals per game and 26th with 0.72 assists per game … Ranks sixth nationally with two shorthanded goals (2) and ninth with five game-winning goals … Has 13 multi-point games and has scored in 23 of 31 games … Ranks second in ECAC Hockey with 17 goals, while sitting fourth with 29 points ... Third in ECAC Hockey with a +40 rating … Named to ECAC Hockey Preseason All-League team … Big Sister to area girls … Organized Salvation Army Adopt-A-Family program … Helped pack meals for Feed My Starving Children.


Hilary Knight
University of Wisconsin • Forward • Junior • Sun Valley, Idaho
Leads the nation with 46 goals and ranks fifth in NCAA single-season history … Leads the nation with 1.28 goals per game, while ranking third with 75 points, 2.08 points per game and eight game-winning goals … Leads the WCHA with 29 goals and ranks third with 50 points … Has eight power-play goals and two short-handed goals … Holds a +53 rating in 36 games … Currently on an 22-game point streak (Dec. 10-Feb. 26) … Has 23 multi-point games, including 15 multi-goal games … Became first UW player to reach 100 career goals … WCHA Preseason Player of the Year … Three-time WCHA Offensive Player of the Week ... Assistant captain … Volunteered with UW Kids Clinic … Visited local school Thoreau Elementary.

Noora Räty
University of Minnesota • Goaltender • Sophomore • Espoo, Finland
Ranks third in the nation with a .946 save percentage, sixth with a 1.59 goals-against average and seventh with a .781 winning percentage (24-6-2) in 32 games … Leads the nation and broke a school record with nine shutouts … Also combined with Jenny Lura for two additional shutouts and had five games with only one goal allowed … Broke her own school record for saves in a season, now at 857 … Finished the regular season with a conference GAA of 1.70, ranking second in the WCHA … Her 1515:01 minutes played were the second most in conference action … Opened the season with four consecutive shutouts … Named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week three times … Set a career-high 46 saves when she helped the Gophers to a 2-2 tie against No. 1 Wisconsin … Has volunteered with the HopeKids organization and Skate with the Gophers … Earned a 4.0 GPA during the fall semester.

Molly Schaus
Boston College • Goaltender • Senior • Natick, Mass.
Fourth in the NCAA with a 1.42 goals-against average, fifth with a .941 save percentage, sixth with a .793 winning percentage (21-4-4 record) and 11th with four shutouts … Team captain ... Ranks second in Hockey East with a 1.39 GAA, third with a .941 save percentage and second with a .725 winning percentage … Named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week once … Has recorded 15 games with 20 or more saves and four games with 30 or more saves … Received Bertagna Goaltending Award for the third time in her career in 33rd Annual Women's Beanpot after BC's 3-1 victory … Participates in Newton Special Athletes, skating with children with special needs … Annual participant in the Massachusetts Hospital School sled hockey game and visits with disabled students at the school … Participates in Food for Families, collecting and distributing food to low-income families in Boston … Member of the Boston College Athlete Pen Pal Program.

Kelli Stack
Boston College • Forward • Senior • Brooklyn Heights, Ohio
Ranks eighth in the NCAA with 53 points and third with 33 goals … Team captain ... Ranks first in the country with four shorthanded goals, fifth with seven game-winning goals and fifth with eight power-play goals … Leads Hockey East with 33 points, 22 goals, 12 power-play points (7-5), four shorthanded points (4-0) and five game-winning goals … Named Hockey East Player of the Month twice … Named Hockey East Player of the Week three times … Has tallied 18 multi-point games … Became the all-time leading scorer at Boston College this year, with 95 goals ... Holds the Hockey East career records in points (133) and goals (68) ... Holds the Hockey East active career record in assists (65) ... Participates in Newton Special Athletes, skating with children with special needs … Annual participant in the Massachusetts Hospital School sled hockey game and visits with disabled students at the school … Participates in Food for Families, collecting and distributing food to low-income families in Boston … Member of the Boston College Athlete Pen Pal Program.

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Permission has been granted in Hawaii to build the world's largest telescope. (So keep your curtains closed.)

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Sophomore Watson expects breakout 2011.

Ticats build Canadian depth; sign four.

Matthieu Proulx announces his retirement.

2011 CFL Schedule is here.

Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.

Visit the leagues' official website, http://www.cfl.ca/.

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Where's the fire?






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In a little over a day, Charlie Sheen went from zero to over a million Twitter followers.


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Today in Elvis History:

1956 - Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" debuted at #68 in the U.S.

1960 - Elvis Presley arrived in the United States after his time in the Army in Germany. Nancy Sinatra was his official greeter as he stepped off the plane.

1964 - Elvis Presley recorded the version of "Roustabout" that was written by Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott. It was not used in the film "Roustabout."

1980 - A napkin signed by Elvis Presley was bought for 500 pounds at a Sotheby's auction in London.

1981 - The documentary movie "This is Elvis" premiered in Memphis, TN.

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World War 1's last surviving male, Claude Choules, is celebrating his 110th birthday today (Thursday). British-born Choules lives in an Australian nursing home.

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Today in Beatles History:

1971 - The South African Broadcasting Corporation lifted its ban on the music of the Beatles.

1980 - Four dollar bills signed by the Beatles sold for 220 pounds at a Sotheby's auction in London.
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A new study says Canadians are significantly less obese than Americans -- but researchers don't know why. The study says 34% of Americans are obese versus 24% of Canadians.

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Today in Sports History:

1875 - The first recorded hockey game was played in Montreal.

1920 - The Quebec Bulldogs beat the Montreal Canadiens 16-3.

1959 - The San Francisco Giants had their new stadium officially named Candlestick Park.

1968 - Jean Beliveau (Montreal Canadiens) became the first NHL player to score 1,000 career points.

1974 - George Foreman knocked out Ken Norton.

1982 - Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) scored his 77th, 78th and 79th goals of the season.

1992 - Mike Bossy's #2 became the second number retired by the New York Islanders.

1998 - Larry Doby became the first black player in the American League to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

2001 - John Ruiz became the first Hispanic heavyweight champion. He beat Evander Holyfield for the WBA heavyweight title.

2002 - The Dallas Stars set an NHL record with their 48th straight win when leading after two periods. The streak started on November 11, 2000.

2006 - In Tokyo, Japan, the opener of the World Baseball Classic took place.

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India's space agency says it has discovered an enormous volcanic cave under the surface of the moon. Thanks in large part to its stable climate, the cave could provide suitable housing for humans who want to further explore the moon.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins 7:00pm EST

Friday --

Nothin' Doin'

Saturday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens 7:00pm EST

Sunday --

Nothin' Doin'

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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow.