It's Saturday

It's Saturday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is May 7th, the 127th day of 2011. There are 238 days left in the year.

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Wings stave off elimination on Helm's goal.

Bruins make amends, finish sweep of Flyers.

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This is National Good Car Keeping Month.

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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 – Green Bay 3 @ Cedar Rapids 2
Game 2: Saturday, April 30th – Green Bay 1 @ Cedar Rapids 2
Game 3: Friday, May 6th – Cedar Rapids 1 @ Green Bay 4
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– Sioux Falls 2 @ Dubuque 5
Game 2: Saturday, April 30th – Sioux Falls 1 @ Dubuque 2
Game 3: Friday, May 6th – Dubuque 2 @ Sioux Falls 3
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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This is National Hamburger Month.


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U.S. Men's National Team Falls to Canada, 4-3,
in Shootout at 2011 IIHF World Men's Championship

Ty Conklin Makes 48 Saves for Team USA

KOSICE, Slovakia – Ty Conklin (Anchorage, Alaska/St. Louis Blues/University of New Hampshire) made 48 saves, however, the U.S. Men's National team fell to Canada, 4-3, in a shootout here today in the first qualification-round game for both teams at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Men's Championship.

The U.S. picked up a point in the standings and now owns a 2-0-1-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record.

"Our goaltending was tremendous and gave us a chance to win the hockey game," said Scott Gordon, head coach of Team USA. "Obviously it's disappointing not to win. We've got to re-focus and be ready for a tough opponent in France tomorrow."

After a scoreless first period, Mike Komisarek (Islip Terrace, N.Y./Toronto Maple Leafs/University of Michigan) put Team USA on the board 4:13 into the second period. Conklin cleared the puck to Craig Smith (Madison, Wis./University of Wisconsin), who skated through the neutral zone and connected with Derek Stepan (Hastings, Minn./New York Rangers/University of Wisconsin) at the blue line near the left side boards. Stepan then sent a long cross-ice pass to Komisarek just inside the blue line on the half wall, who fired a shot through traffic that trickled between Reimer's legs.

Canada tied the game just over three minutes later, when Brent Burns released a shot as he was falling to the ice that beat a diving Conklin.

The U.S. responded with 6:13 left in the middle frame to regain a one-goal lead. Yan Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./CSKA Moscow/University of Notre Dame) caused a turnover in the U.S. zone and quickly pushed the puck to Blake Wheeler (Robbinsdale, Minn./Atlanta Thrashers/University of Minnesota), who hit Jack Johnson (Ann Arbor, Mich./Los Angeles Kings/University of Michigan) just seconds after coming out of the penalty box. Johnson flew into the offensive zone on a breakaway, moved the puck from his forehand and backhanded a shot through the legs of Reimer.

John Tavares knotted the score for Canada at the 3:27 mark of the third period. After his initial shot hit the right post behind Conklin, Tavares knocked the puck out of the air and into the net. Canada took a 3-2 lead less than two minutes later thanks to a four-on-three power-play goal by Jason Spezza.

Team USA scored a power-play goal of its own 1:17 past the midway point that eventually sent the game to overtime. Wheeler and Stepan connected for a give-and-go play down low that ended with Wheeler sending a feed from the right goal line to Stepan in the slot, who banked the puck off Reimer and into the back of the net.

Following a scoreless five-minute four-on-four overtime period, the game went to game-winning shots. Johnson and Wheeler could not find a way past Reimer, while Jordan Eberle and Rick Nash each scored to lift Canada to the 4-3 victory.

The U.S. Men's National Team will next face France tomorrow (May 7), at 2:15 p.m. EDT in its second qualification-round game. Scoring updates will be available on Twitter by following #2011WMC. For Team USA coverage from Slovakia throughout the IIHF World Men's Championship, including game blogs and postgame video, visit the U.S. Men's National Team blog. The game will air tape-delayed on Versus at 11 p.m. EDT, following National Hockey League playoff action.

NOTES: Team USA went 1-for-3 on the power play, while Canada was 1-for-6 with the man advantage ... Ty Conklin 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 television coverage of the first six U.S. games at the 2011 IIHF World Men's Championship, in addition to the semifinal round and gold-medal game. For more information, visit USAHockey.com.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

CAN 0- 1- 2- 0- 1- 4
USA 0- 2- 1- 0- 0- 3

First Period - Scoring: None. Penalties: USA, Komisarek (roughing), 1:12; CAN, Skinner (tripping), 3:16; USA, Kreider (holding), 17:07.

Second Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Komisarek (Smith, Stepan), 4:13; 2, CAN, Burns (Pietrangelo), 7:20; 3, USA, Johnson (Wheeler, Stastny), 13:47. Penalties: USA, Fowler (slashing), 5:20; CAN, Phaneuf (holding), 7:57; USA, Johnson (cross-checking), 11:38.

Third Period - Scoring: 4, CAN, Tavares (Stewart, Gragnani), 3:27; 5, CAN, Spezza (Tavares, Burns), 5:22 (pp); 6, USA, Stepan (Wheeler), 11:17 (pp). Penalties: USA, Porter (boarding), 1:23; USA, Komisarek (interference), 4:42; CAN, Kane (high-sticking), 4:42; USA, Shattenkirk (hooking), 5:10; CAN, Clutterbuck (slashing), 10:43.

Overtime - Scoring: None. Penalties: None.

Game-Winning Shots: 1, USA, Johnson (no goal); 2, CAN, Eberle (goal); 3, USA, Wheeler (no goal); 4, CAN, Nash (goal).

Shots by Period 1 2 3 OT GWS Total
CAN 14 16 17 4 1 52
USA 4 7 8 1 0 20

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
CAN, Reimer, 65:00 4-4 7-5 8-7 1-1 0-0 20-17
USA, Conklin, 65:00 14-14 16-15 17-15 4-4 1-0 52-48

Power Play: CAN 1-6; USA 1-3
Penalties: CAN 4-8; USA 7-14
Referees: Sami Partanen, Daniel Piechaczek
Linesmen: Jiri Gebauer, Jussi Terho

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 W, 5-1
Mon., May 2 Norway Kosice W, 4-2
Wed., May 4 Sweden Kosice L, 2-6
Fri., May 6 Canada^ Kosice L, 3-4 (OT/GWS)
Sat., May 7 France^ Kosice 8:15 p.m./2:15 p.m.
Mon., May 9 Switzerland^ Kosice 4:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.
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
^Qualification Round

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Today is National Train Day. (Linky Link)

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Riders getting set for training camp.

Upcoming Rider free agent camps.

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 two years ago.

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May is National Mental Health Month.

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BALTIMORE --  James Shields put together another solid performance and rookie Brandon Guyer came up big in a 6-2 Tampa Bay win over Baltimore Friday night at Camden Yards, with 20,694 watching.

In winning, the Rays moved to 18-14 on the season, and won for the sixth consecutive time on the road.

Despite foul weather, Shields conserved pitches, went deep into the game, and, ultimately, came away with his third win of the season. The Rays are now 6-1 in games started by the veteran right-hander this season.

Read the rest here.

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May is also National Moving Month.

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SAN FRANCISCO -- With the game tied and one out in bottom of the ninth inning, as the sold-out AT&T Park crowd chanted his name, Freddy Sanchez realized he had missed the Giants' fans as much as they missed them.

On a 1-1 count, he didn't miss Felipe Paulino's fastball.

Sanchez muscled a walk-off single to score pinch-hitter Cody Ross as the Giants came back for a dramatic 4-3 win against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night. Ross led off the inning with a double to right field to help the Giants (16-16) begin the National League West three-game series with an appropriate homecoming ending after a 10-game road trip.

Read the rest here.


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Today in Elvis History:

1960 - The Elvis Presley compilation album "50 Million Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong - Elvis Gold Records, Vol. 2" hit #31 in the U.S.

1966 - Elvis Presley's single "Frankie and Johnny" hit #25 in the U.S.

1996 - Evan Chandler filed a $60 million breach of contract suit against Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley. The charge was that they had violated a confidentiality clause in the 1994 out-of-court settlement by discussing the case with Diane Sawyer on "PrimeTime Live."

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This is National Smile Month.

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Today in Beatles History:

1992 - In London, Christies auction house sold a leather jacket worn by John Lennon for $43,500.

2006 - In London, a judge ruled that Apple Computer Inc. was entitled to use their apple logo in their iTunes store. Apple Corp Ltd., the guardian of the Beatles' commercial interestest, had filed a suit to stop the computer company from using the logo in their music store.

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Today is Free Comic Book Day.

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Today in Sports History:

1925 - The Philadelphia Phillies had their 8th game in a row postponed.

1945 - Baseball owner Branch Rickey announced the organization of the United States Negro Baseball League. There were 6 teams.

1951 - Russia was admitted to participate in the 1952 Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee.

1956 - Bill White (New York Giants) hit a home run on his first at bat.

1957 - Indian's pitcher Herb Score was hit in the face by a line drive by Gil McDougald.

1959 - At Los Angeles Coliseum, 93,103 people watched the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees.

1977 - Rookie Janet Guthrie set the fastest time on opening day of practice for the Indianapolis 500. Her time was 185.607.

1982 - A United States Federal jury ruled that the NFL violated antitrust laws by preventing the Oakland Raiders from moving to Los Angeles.

1983 - August Hoffman performed a record 29,051 consecutive sit-ups.

1994 - The Denver Nuggets became the first NBA #8 seed to beat a #1 seed. The Nuggets beat Seattle.

1995 - The Minnesota Twins and the Cleveland Indians played 17 innings in 6 hours and 36 minutes. The Twins won 10-9.

2006 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) hit his 713th home run which brought him one home run away from tying Babe Ruth on the career list.

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Happy National Scrapbooking Day to you. (Linky Link)

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Coming Up: 

Tonight --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:10pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series -- Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway 7:30pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies 9:05pm EDT

Sunday --

MLB -- Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles 1:35pm EDT

MLB -- San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies 4:05pm EDT

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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, be sure to tell your friends about this blog. See you tomorrow.