It's Thursday

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

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Today is April 28th, the 118th day of 2011. There are 247 days left in the year.

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Bruins beat Habs in OT to take game seven.

Lightning complete comeback by beating Pens.

Here's the First Round playoff schedule.

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Today is the first day of the Gathering of the Nations Pow Wow. (Linky Link)

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USHL Clark Cup Playoffs – First Round

Eastern Conference

Indiana Ice (#3) vs. Waterloo Black Hawks (#6)

Indiana wins series 2-0.

Team USA (#4) vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks (#5)

Muskegon wins series 2-0.

Western Conference

Sioux Falls Stampede (#3) vs. Sioux City Musketeers (#6)

Sioux Falls wins series 2-1.

Fargo Force (#4) vs. Lincoln Stars (#5)

Fargo wins series 2-0.

USHL Clark Cup Playoffs – Second Round

Eastern Conference

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (#1) vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks (#5)
Cedar Rapids wins series 3-1.

Green Bay Gamblers (#2) vs. Indiana Ice (#3)
Green Bay wins series 3-0.

Western Conference

Dubuque Fighting Saints (#1) vs. Fargo Force (#4)
Dubuque wins series 3-0.

Omaha Lancers (#2) vs. Sioux Falls Stampede (#3)
Sioux Falls wins series 3-0.

USHL Clark Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference Final
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (#1) vs. Green Bay Gamblers (#2)
Game 1: Friday, April 29th, 7:05 PM – Green Bay @ Cedar Rapids
Game 2: Saturday, April 30th, 7:05 PM – Green Bay @ Cedar Rapids
Game 3: Friday, May 6th, 7:05 PM – Cedar Rapids @ Green Bay
Game 4: Sunday, May 8th, 3:05 PM – Cedar Rapids @ Green Bay**
Game 5: Tuesday, May 10th, 7:05 PM – Green Bay @ Cedar Rapids **
** if necessary
(all times reflect local start time)

USHL Clark Cup Playoffs – Western Conference Final
Dubuque Fighting Saints (#1) vs. Sioux Falls Stampede (#3)
Game 1: Friday, April 29th, 7:00 PM – Sioux Falls @ Dubuque
Game 2: Saturday, April 30th, 7:00 PM – Sioux Falls @ Dubuque
Game 3: Friday, May 6th, 7:05 PM – Dubuque @ Sioux Falls
Game 4: Sunday, May 8th, 6:05 PM – Dubuque @ Sioux Falls**
Game 5: Tuesday, May 10th, 7:00 PM – Sioux Falls @ Dubuque **
** if necessary
(all times reflect local start time)

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Today is Take Our Sons and Daughters To Work Day. (Linky Link)


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DiFilippo Named USA Hockey's 2011-12 Brian Fishman Intern


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey announced that Alex DiFilippo (East Tawas, Mich.) has been named the recipient of the 2011-12 Brian Fishman Internship. DiFilippo will work in the communications department at USA Hockey's national office in Colorado Springs, Colo., beginning in June.

"Being selected for this internship is a dream come true, and I'd like to thank USA Hockey and the Fishman family for giving me this amazing opportunity to grow professionally and personally," DiFilippo said. "Hockey is my passion, and it's a privilege to work in Brian's honor as I chase my dream of working within the game."

The Brian Fishman Internship is awarded annually to an outstanding college graduate pursuing a career in athletic communications. It was established in 1999 in honor of the late Brian Fishman, who served as the manager of communications and marketing for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. He died unexpectedly on Jan. 7, 1999, at age 28.

DiFilippo's responsibilities will include assisting with various communication projects, event promotions and publishing initiatives, including working with USA Hockey Magazine.

DiFilippo, a 2010 graduate of Michigan State University, currently works for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. As a communications intern, his duties include composing game recaps, assisting with marketing initiatives, writing press releases and maintaining the league's website.

DiFilippo has also completed internships with MajorLeagueBaseball.com and the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Michigan native has also freelanced for the Lansing State Journal, Michigan Hockey and Patch.com.

While at Michigan State, DiFilippo was a sports reporter for the daily student-run campus publication, The State News. As the beat reporter for the hockey and men's soccer teams for two years, DiFilippo wrote game and feature stories, produced video content, maintained a sports blog and participated in podcasts.

NOTES: DiFilippo will become the 13th Brian Fishman Intern. Previous Brian Fishman Interns include (most recent listed first): Caryn Switaj (Farmington Hills, Mich./Boston College), Matt Caracappa (Randolph, N.J./Penn State University), Carly Peters (Bloomington, Minn./Syracuse University), Chris Peters (Chicago, Ill./Iowa State University), Craig Stancher (Calumet, Mich./Michigan Tech University), Alex Clark (Glenview, Ill./Colgate University), Christy Jeffries (White Lake, Mich./Boston University), Caitlin Lazaro (Effingham, N.H./University of New Hampshire), Seth Cole (Blue Hill, Maine/St. Michael's College), Yariv Amir (Plainsboro, N.J./Colgate University), Cassy Maxton (Vandalia, Ohio/Miami University) and Jennifer Dame (St. Louis Park, Minn./St. Cloud State University).

U.S. Men's National Team Edges Austria, 3-2,
in Tune-Up Prior to 2011 IIHF World Men's Championship

Stapleton Notches Game-Winner in Third Period

INNSBRUCK, Austria – Clay Wilson (Sturgeon Lake, Minn./Florida Panthers/Michigan Tech University) recorded a goal and an assist, and Tim Stapleton (Forest Park, Ill./Atlanta Thrashers/University of Minnesota Duluth) notched the game-winner at 7:27 of the third period, as the U.S. Men's National Team scored three unanswered goals to defeat Austria, 3-2, in a pre-tournament game prior to the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Men's Championship. The tournament will run from April 29 - May 15, in Kosice and Bratislava, Slovakia.

"We had a slow start, but played much better as the game went on," said Scott Gordon, head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team. "I was pleased with our speed and special teams play. It was a good preparation game and we look forward to the start of the championship."

Austria took a 1-0 lead 8:35 into the first period after putting a rebound past U.S. goaltender Ty Conklin (Anchorage, Alaska/St. Louis Blues/University of New Hampshire). Just over four minutes later, Austria extended its lead to 2-0 when Thomas Raffl scored from the high slot.

Team USA killed off a penalty to begin the second period before Wilson put the U.S. on the board at the 13:04 mark. While on the power play, Kevin Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, N.Y./St. Louis Blues/Boston Univ.) fed Wilson at the top of the offensive zone, where he fired a one-timer that beat Austrian goatlender Jurgen Penker high to the glove side.

Just under four minutes into the third period, Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass./Boston College) tied the game when he stole the puck from an Austrian defender and sent a shot from the front of the net low to the stick side.

Then, less than four minutes later, Stapleton gave the U.S. the lead. With Penker screened, Wilson fired a shot that was blocked in front, where Stapleton poked in the loose puck for the eventual game-winner.

Austria had three power plays in the final 8:09 of regulation, but Team USA and goalie Al Montoya (Glenview, Ill./New York Islanders/Univ. of Michigan), who replaced Conklin near the midway point of the game, held on for the 3-2 win.

Conklin and Montoya combined for 24 saves in the U.S. victory, while Penker stopped 25 shots in the loss for Austria.

The U.S. Men's National Team will face Austria again on Saturday (April 30), at 10:15 a.m. EDT, in its opening game of the 2011 IIHF World Men's Championship. The game will be broadcast live on Versus and scoring updates will be available on Twitter by following #2011WMC.

NOTES: Team USA went 1-for-5 on the power play, while Austria was 0-for-6 with the man advantage ... Clay Wilson was named the U.S. Player of the Game ... The 2011 U.S. Men's National Team roster can be found here and the media guide can be downloaded here ... The U.S. Men's National Team's fourth-place finish at the 2009 IIHF World Men's Championship was Team USA's best finish at the tournament since capturing the bronze medal in 2004 ... The 2011 U.S. Men’s National Team is under the direction of the U.S. Men’s National Team Advisory Group, including NHL general managers Brian Burke (Toronto), Paul Holmgren (Philadelphia), Dean Lombardi (Los Angeles), David Poile (Nashville), Ray Shero (Pittsburgh) and Dale Tallon (Florida); Atlanta Thrashers president Don Waddell; and Jim Johannson, USA Hockey's assistant executive director for hockey operations. Paul Fenton, assistant general manager of the Nashville Predators and general manager of the American Hockey League's Milwaukee Admirals, is serving as associate general manager of the 2011 U.S. Men's National Team ... Scott Gordon is head coach for the second consecutive year after leading the 2010 U.S. Men's National Team, while Greg Cronin, Phil Housley and Barry Smith are serving as assistants ... USA Hockey's international council, chaired by Tony Rossi, vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. national teams ... Versus will provide live television coverage of all Team USA games at the 2011 IIHF World Men's Championship. For more information, visit USAHockey.com.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA 0 - 1 - 2 - 3
AUS 2 - 0 - 0 - 2

First Period - Scoring: 1, AUS, Latusa (Welser, Trattnig), 8:35; 2, AUS, Raffl (Unterluggauer, Raffl), 12:48. Penalties: USA, Stapleton (high-sticking), 2:52; AUS, Werenka (hooking), 15:35; USA, Komisarek (cross-checking), 17:20.

Second Period - Scoring: 3, USA, Wilson (Shattenkirk, Miele), 13:04 (pp). Penalties: USA, Stuart (checking to head and neck area), 3:24; USA, Stuart (10-minute misconduct), 3:24; AUS, Unterluggauer (tripping), 10:22; AUS, Hundertpfund (hooking), 12:13; AUS, Lakos (hooking), 17:34.

Third Period - Scoring: 4, USA, Kreider (unassisted), 3:58; 5, USA, Stapleton (Wilson, Porter), 7:27. Penalties: AUS, Philippe (interference), 8:37; USA, Fayne (interference), 11:51; USA, Fayne (tripping), 11:51; USA, Stuart (interference), 18:04.

Shots by Period
1 2 3 Total
USA 6 10 12 28
AUS 11 7 8 26

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
USA, Conklin, 29:37 11-9 3-3 -- 14-12
USA, Montoya, 30:23 -- 4-4 8-8 12-12
AUS, Penker , 60:00 6-6 10-9 12-10 28-25

Power Play: USA 1-5; AUS 0-6
Penalties: USA 7-22; AUS 5-10

Team USA 2011 IIHF World Men's Championship Schedule
April 29 - May 15 • Kosice & Bratislava, Slovakia

Date Opponent Location
Time (Local/EDT)/
Results

Wed., April 27 Austria* Innsbruck W, 3-2
Sat., April 30 Austria Kosice 4:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.
Mon., May 2 Norway Kosice 4:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.
Wed., May 4 Sweden Kosice 8:15 p.m./2:15 p.m.
Thurs., May 5-Mon., May 9 Qualification Round Kosice/Bratislava TBD
Thurs., May 5-Sun., May 8 Relegation Round Kosice/Bratislava TBD
Wed., May 11-Thurs., May 12 Quarterfinals Bratislava TBD
Fri., May 13 Semifinals Bratislava TBD
Sun., May 15 Bronze-Medal Game Bratislava 4:00 p.m./10:00 a.m.
Gold-Medal Game Bratislava 8:30 p.m./2:30 p.m.

Arenas: Orange Arena (Bratislava); Steel Arena (Kosice)
*Pre-tournament game at Tiroler Wasserkraft Arena in Innsbruck, Austria

Jack Johnson Added to 2011 U.S. Men's National Team

Defenseman Joins 22 Players Previously Announced

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey today announced that defenseman Jack Johnson (Ann Arbor, Mich./Los Angeles Kings/University of Michigan) has been added to the 2011 U.S. Men's National Team that will compete at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Men's Championship, April 29 - May 15, in Kosice and Bratislava, Slovakia.

Johnson currently plays for the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings and will be making his ninth Team USA apperance. Most recently, he was a member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team that earned the silver medal at the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. He has also competed for two U.S. Men's National Teams (2007, 2009), two U.S. National Junior Teams (2006, 2007) and two U.S. Men's National Under-18 Teams (2004, 2005).

Johnson spent two seasons (2003-05) with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program.

The first 16 players for the U.S. Men's National team were announced on April 13, three players were added on April 15 and an additional three players were announced on April 26. Overall, 16 players have U.S. national team experience, having competed in a combined six IIHF World Men's Championships (2004-06, 2008-10), 10 IIHF World Junior Championships (2001-07, 2009-11) and seven IIHF World Men's U18 Championships (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009).

For Team USA's roster, click here.

The U.S. will open tournament play against Austria on Saturday (April 30) at 10:15 a.m. EDT at Steel Arena in Kosice, Slovakia. The game will be broadcast live on Versus and scoring updates will be available on Twitter by following #2011WMC.

NOTES: Eight players on the roster are alumni of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, including Mike Brown (2001-03), Cam Fowler (2007-09), Jack Johnson (2003-05), Mike Komisarek (1999-2000), Al Montoya (2001-02), Kevin Shattenkirk (2005-07), Jack Skille (2003-05) and Mark Stuart (2000-02) ... Twenty-one members of Team USA played U.S. college hockey, including two current college players ... The average age of the 23 players is 24.3 ... The NHL's Atlanta Thrashers and St. Louis Blues each have three players on the roster, while the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers have two ... The U.S. Men's National Team's fourth-place finish at the 2009 IIHF World Men's Championship was Team USA's best finish at the tournament since capturing the bronze medal in 2004 ... The 2011 U.S. Men’s National Team is under the direction of the U.S. Men’s National Team Advisory Group, including NHL general managers Brian Burke (Toronto), Paul Holmgren (Philadelphia), Dean Lombardi (Los Angeles), David Poile (Nashville), Ray Shero (Pittsburgh) and Dale Tallon (Florida); Atlanta Thrashers president Don Waddell; and Jim Johannson, USA Hockey's assistant executive director for hockey operations. Paul Fenton, assistant general manager of the Nashville Predators and general manager of the American Hockey League's Milwaukee Admirals, will serve as associate general manager of the 2011 U.S. Men's National Team ... Scott Gordon will serve as head coach for the second consecutive year after leading the 2010 U.S. Men's National Team, while Greg Cronin, Phil Housley and Barry Smith will serve as assistants ... USA Hockey's international council, chaired by Tony Rossi, vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. national teams ... Versus will provide live television coverage of all Team USA games at the 2011 IIHF World Men's Championship. For more information, visit USAHockey.com.


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Today is Workers Memorial Day.

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Glenn a fan of football in Atlantic Canada.

QB among Lions roster signings.

2011 CFL Schedule is here.

Donate to the Tony Proudfoot Fund.

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

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Jimmy finds an egg.

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Today is Poem In Your Pocket Day. 

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MINNEAPOLIS -- It was like a winter wonderland Wednesday at Target Field, complete with snow, Santa Claus and Christmas carols.

Baseball is not typically played in snow globe-like conditions and "Let It Snow" usually is not played over the loudspeaker. But none of that stopped the Rays from heating up at the plate and taking the series opener, 8-2, from the Twins.

Read the rest here.

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Constantius II visited Rome for the first time on this date in 0357.

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PITTSBURGH -- The Giants couldn't unleash their primary offensive force on Wednesday night. After all, they didn't put runners on base often enough to use Darren Ford at the opportune time.

Basepath mastery such as Ford's isn't as effective a run-scoring tool as hitting consistently. Hitting occasionally generates the type of performance the Giants delivered in a 2-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Read the rest here.

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Today in Elvis History:

1956 - Elvis Presley's recording of "Heartbreak Hotel" hit #1 on the Billboard pop singles chart.

1956 - In Las Vegas, Elvis Presley performed a Saturday matinee for teenagers at The New Frontier Hotel.

1958 - The Elvis Presley compilation album "Elvis' Golden Records" hit #3 in the U.S.

1994 - Lisa Marie Presley announced that her marriage to musician Danny Keough was over.

1998 - The Reader's Digest compilation album "Elvis! His Greatest Hits" was certified platinum by the RIAA.

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Virginia Governor John Harvey was accused of treason and removed from office on this date in 1635. 

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Today in Beatles History:

1975 - John Lennon appeared on "The Tonight Show."

1975 - Ringo Starr performed "No No Song" on "The Smothers Brothers Show."

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The first volume of Isaac Newton's "Principia Mathamatic" was published on this date in 1686.

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Today in Sports History:

1930 - The first organized night baseball game was played in Independence, Kansas.

1961 - The NFL chose Canton, Ohio, as the site for the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

1967 - Muhammad Ali refused induction into the U.S. Army and was stripped of his boxing title. He cited religious grounds for his refusal.

1971 - Hank Aaron hit his 600th career home run.

1985 - Billy Martin was named the manager of the New York Yankees for the fourth time.

1987 - It was announced that the NBA expansion teams would be in Charlotte and Miami in 1988.

1988 - The Baltimore Orioles lost for the 21st consecutive time. It was the longest streak to start a season in major league baseball.

1993 - Dale Hunter (Washington Capitals) executed a blindside check on Pierre Turgeon (New York Islanders). On May 4 Hunter was given a 21 game suspension.

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First night air flight was performed by Claude Grahame-White in England on this date in 1910.

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Coming Up: 

Tonight --

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates 12:35pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Minnesota Twins 1:10pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins 8:10pm EDT

Friday --

NHL Playoff Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Washington Capitals 7:00pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Washington Nationals 7:05pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels 7:10pm EDT

Nascar Nationwide Series -- Bubba Burger 250 at Richmond International Raceway 7:30pm EDT

Saturday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels 1:10pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Washington Nationals 4:05pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway 7:30pm EDT

Sunday --

NHL Playoff Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Washington Capitals Time TBD

MLB -- San Francisco Giants at Washington Nationals 1:35pm EDT

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels 1:40pm EDT

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