John Meissner's Blog

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

It's Wednesday

It's Wednesday. Here's what's happening.

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Today is January 2nd, the 2nd day of 2012. There are 363 days left in the year.

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NHL, Union continue negotiations; to meet Wednesday.

Sanderson's autobiography details highs and lows.

Visit the official league website, http://www.nhl.com/.

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Today's Birthdays: Former TV evangelist Jim Bakker is 73; TV host Jack Hanna is 66; Gabrielle Carteris (Beverly Hills, 90210) is 52; Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire, As Good As It Gets) is 45; Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns, Blue Crush) is 30.

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CCM 'Pick Six' Sweepstakes Highlights Hockey Weekend Across America

Three Winners To Select From Collection of 12 CCM Products

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The sixth annual Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by CCM Hockey, will include the Pick Six Sweepstakes it was announced today by USA Hockey. While Hockey Weekend Across America is set for Feb. 15-17, 2013, fans may begin entering Hockey Weekend Across America's Pick Six Sweepstakes on Jan 1, 2013, at HockeyWeekendAcrossAmerica.com. Three grand prize winners will have the opportunity to select their choice of six of 12 CCM products, including a hockey stick, hockey gloves, helmet/facemask combo, hockey pants, shoulder pads, shin pads, hockey bag, elbow pads, winter jacket, mini-hockey set, sports bag or golf bag.

In addition to the grand prize winners, three "Pick Six" daily prize winners (one per day of Hockey Weekend Across America) will receive a CCM "Strap a Rocket to the Puck" hockey stick and 30 consolation prizes of a USA Hockey custom hat will be awarded (10 per day of Hockey Weekend Across America).

For full information surrounding the weekend, visit HockeyWeekendAcrossAmerica.com. Associations and teams celebrating Hockey Weekend Across America are encouraged to submit their event plans to USA Hockey on this site.

Each of the three days of Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by CCM, has a theme.

"Wear Your Favorite Jersey Day" on Friday, Feb. 15, is the day for fans to show off their hockey pride by wearing their favorite hockey jersey. USA Hockey's Facebook and Twitter pages will accept photos from families, friends, and colleagues in search of the most passionate hockey fans.

On Saturday, Feb. 16, hundreds of rinks nationwide will host "Try Hockey for Free" clinics, allowing thousands of children to experience hockey for the first time. Total Hockey is a sponsor of USA Hockey's Try Hockey for Free Days. Arenas interested in hosting an event and players wishing to take part should visitHockeyWeekendAcrossAmerica.com for more details.

To cap off the weekend, "Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes" day on Sunday, Feb. 17, encourages hockey programs nationwide to develop ways to honor their local hockey heroes. USA Hockey invites all to post pictures and stories on its Facebook and Twitter pages. The day also includes NBC's Hockey Day in America coverage, which includes an NHL doubleheader on NBC and coverage of a third NHL game that evening on NBC Sports Network. Along with its game coverage, NBC will also produce content in and around the games showcasing hockey at all levels in the United States.

Hockey Weekend Across America was created by USA Hockey in 2008 to engage the hockey community in celebrating the sport of hockey at all levels and exposing the sport to new audiences.

U.S. Women’s National U18 Team Defeats Sweden, 8-0, at IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship

Four-goal flurry in the first period powers Team USA victory

HEINOLA, Finland - Fueled by goals from seven different players, the U.S. Women’s National Under-18 Team defeated Sweden, 8-0, today in the team’s final preliminary game of the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation U18 Women’s World Championship. Katherine Schipper (Brooklyn Park, Minnesota) scored twice and added an assist while Team USA goaltender Sidney Peters (Geneva, Ill.) stopped 10 shots in the squad’s third straight shutout victory in the tournament.

“Our puck movement was phenomenal today,” said Jeff Kampersal, head coach of Team USA. “The defense did a good job of regrouping in the neutral zone the forwards hit their spots. It looked really good. I thought our kids did a great job of moving the puck all the way around.”

The first 10 minutes featured action on both ends of the ice before the U.S. scored four goals in the span of 1:25 to take command. Cara Piazza (Darien, Ill.) started Team USA’s goal spree by finishing off a rebound from Danielle Cameranesi’s (Plymouth, Minn.) shot after Cameranesi stole the puck from a Swedish defenseman as she tried to clear the zone.

Eighteen seconds later, Grace Zarzecki (Chicago, Ill.) buried a backhand shot for the second U.S. goal of the game. Less than a minute later Megan Wolfe (Eagan, Minn.) scored to make it 3-0. Jennifer Ryan (Victor, N.Y.) capped off the offensive burst 16 seconds after Wolfe’s goal with a blast from the point that knocked Swedish goaltender Maria Omberg’s water bottle off the net.

Schipper’s wrist shot found the top right corner of the net 59 seconds into the second period to give the U.S. a 5-0 advantage. Taylar Cianfarano (Oswego N.Y) then picked up her second point of the game with a spectacular effort from the right side of the ice in which she faked a pass across the goal crease, drawing Omberg out of position, then buried the puck just inside the right post.

Schipper notched her second goal of the game at 2:15 of the third period by capitalizing on a rebound from Amy Menke’s (Shakopee, Minn.) shot. It was the second time the two players combined for a goal on their line’s first shift of a period, having also done so in the second period.

Soon after, Sweden nearly spoiled the U.S. shutout with a breakaway chance, but Peters came up with the save. Cameranesi capped off scoring for Team USA with a power-play tally midway through the period.

With its three preliminary round victories, the U.S. receives a bye into Friday’s (Jan. 3) semifinal round and will learn tomorrow who its next opponent will be.

NOTES: Taylar Cianfarano, who was 11-for-14 in the face-off circle and recorded two points (1-1—2), was named the U.S. Player of the Game … Team USA is the only squad in the tournament that has yet to concede a goal … Final stats from today’s game can be viewed here.

Game Summary

Scoring by Period	1	2	3	F
SWE	0	0	0	0
USA	4	2	2	8

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Piazza (Cameranesi), 10:26; 2, USA, Zarzecki (Wellhausen), 10:44; 3, USA, Wolfe (Cianfarano), 11:35; 4, USA, Ryan (Dunne, Schipper), 11:51. Penalties: USA, Rolfes (interference), 3:55.

Second Period – Scoring: 5, USA, Schipper (Menke), 0:59; 6, USA, Cianfarano (Willard). Penalties: SWE, Johansson (interference), 2:42.

Third Period – Scoring: 7, USA, Schipper (Menke), 2:15; 8, USA, Cameranesi (Dunne, Ryan), 7:41 (pp). Penalties: SWE, Hall (tripping), 6:47; SWE, Palm (body checking), 8:49; USA, Laing (tripping), 14:23; USA, Piazza (hooking), 19:33.

Shots on Goal	1	2	3	Total
SWE	3	5	2	10
USA	19	20	18	57

Goaltenders (SV-SH)	1	2	3	Total
SWE, Omberg, 30:44	15-19	13-15	-	28-34
SWE, Murase, 29:16	-	5-5	16-18	21-23
USA, Shaw, 60:00	3-3	5-5	2-2	10-10

Power play: SWE 0-3; USA, 1-3
Penalties: SWE, 3-6; USA, 3-6

2013 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship
December 29, 2012 - January 5, 2013 - Heinola & Vierumäki, Finland

Date	Opponent	Location	Time (Local/EST)
Sat., Dec. 29	Russia*	Arena Vierumäki	W, 7-0
Sun., Dec. 30	Czech Republic*	Arena Heinola	W, 10-0
Tues., Jan. 1	Sweden*	Arena Heinola	W, 8-0
Fri., Jan. 4	Semifinals	TBD	TBD
Sat., Jan. 5	Gold Medal/Bronze Medal Games	TBD	TBD

* denotes preliminary round competition

Minnesota Retakes No. 1 Ranking
in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine
2012-13 Men's College Hockey Poll - #12(first-place votes in parentheses)

Rank	School	Last Week's Ranking	2012-13 Record	Weeks in Top 15
1	University of Minnesota, 501 (25)	4	13-3-3	13
2	University of Notre Dame, 458 (9)	3	14-4-0	13
3	Boston College, 454	1	12-3-1	13
4	University of New Hampshire, 399	2	12-3-2	10
5	Quinnipiac University, 359	9	14-3-2	4
6	Miami University, 337	5	12-4-4	13
7	University of North Dakota, 303	8	10-5-3	13
8	Dartmouth College, 290	10	8-3-2	7
9	Boston University, 250	6	10-6-0	13
10	Western Michigan University, 177	7	11-5-2	13
11	University of Denver, 161	15	10-6-3	13
12	Cornell University, 145	11	7-4-2	13
13	Union College, 87	12	9-4-4	13
14	Minnesota State University, 59	NR	12-6-2	1
15	University of Nebraska-Omaha, 40	13	11-8-1	6

Others receiving votes: St. Cloud State University, 33; Yale University, 12; Robert Morris University, 9; Niagara University, 6.

NOTES: Minnesota reclaims the No. 1 ranking to begin the new year after Boston College held the position for two straight weeks ... BC shared the preseason No. 1 rank with the University of Minnesota ... The Western Collegiate Hockey Association leads all conferences with five ranked programs this week. ECAC Hockey has four ranked teams, while the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and the Hockey East Association each have three ranked squads ... A total of 19 teams received votes.

ABOUT THE POLL: The 18th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the five NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.

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WE'RE ALL ON A DIET - This is Diet Resolution Week.

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Now that the 2012 football season is complete, Oregon State's coaches will turn 100 percent of their attention on recruiting and rounding out the 2013 signing class. The Beavers have seen a flurry of activity in the past week, including the signing of two junior college defensive tackles and the commitment by a four-star cornerback.

Read the rest here.

Visit the Oregon State Athletics department official web site.

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Performer Psy officially retired Gangnam Style with his New Year's Eve show. [Gangnam Style is now living in retirement in Florida, sharing a condo with the Macarena.]

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Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New year

It's Tuesday. Here's what's happening.

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Today is January 1st, the 1st day of 2012. There are 364 days left in the year.

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League, Union meet Monday to discuss CBA proposal.

Americans advance, Canadians clinch bye in WJC.

Visit the official league website, http://www.nhl.com/.

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The last gladiator competition was held in Rome on this date in 0404.

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U.S. National Junior Team Defeats Slovakia, 9-3,
in 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship

Team USA to Play Czech Republic in Quarterfinals on Jan. 2

UFA, Russia – John Gaudreau (Carneys Point, N.J./Boston College) and Vince Trocheck (Pittsburgh, Pa./Saginaw Spirit) tallied two goals apiece as the U.S. National Junior Team defeated Slovakia, 9-3, here tonight at Ufa Arena in the final preliminary round game of the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. The victory gives Team USA a 2-0-0-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L) in the tournament and a berth into the quarterfinal round as the No. 3 seed in Group B.

"A lot of guys that haven't been scoring found the net tonight, like John Gaudreau and Vince Trocheck," said Phil Housley, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "Our power play was sharp tonight as was our penalty kill. Still, we need to improve our discipline and stay out of the penalty box as we look ahead to the quarterfinals."
It took the U.S. four minutes to begin the scoring. After John Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Kitchener Rangers) made consecutive saves, the puck bounced to Ryan Hartman (Somewhere/Plymouth Whalers), who skated the puck into the neutral zone. Hartman's pass up ice sprung Cole Bardreau (Fairpoint, N.Y./Cornell Univ.) for a breakaway goal. Slovakia tied the game just 14 seconds later on a breakaway of its own.

Over the next nine minutes, Team USA rattled off four straight goals. Jake McCabe (Eau Claire, Wis./Univ. of Wisconsin) cut to the net, accepted a a pass from Jimmy Vesey (North Reading, Mass./Harvard Univ.) and backhanded the puck high to the short side at 5:10. Gaudreau then notched his first goal of the tournament at the 9:00 mark, tucking a rebound around the out-stretched pad of Adam Nagy. Slovakia inserted backup goalie Patrick Romancik, yet the U.S. continued its run. Mike Reilly (Chanhassen, Minn./Univ. of Minnesota) fed Vesey for a shot in front, then followed the play to tip in the rebound. Jacob Trouba (Rochester, Mich./Univ. of Michigan) tapped in a power-play goal on a rush at 13:50 to put the U.S. up 5-1.
Slovakia broke the U.S. goal spree with a power-play goal at 18:35 to make it 5-2 after the first period.

The U.S. scored the only three goals of the second period to stretch its lead to 8-2. Gaudreau deked through the Slovakian defense for a power-play goal at 4:55. Trocheck tallied the next two goals at 6:16 and 10:00.

The teams traded goals in the third period. Slovakia scored at 9:21, while Alex Galchenyuk (Milwaukee, Wis./Sarnia Sting) added Team USA's fourth power-play goal of the day with 3:44 remaining.
Gibson stopped 26 shots for the U.S., while Nagy turned aside six-of-nine shots and Romancik had a 25-save performance for Slovakia.

Team USA begins play in the medal round in the quarterfinals on Wednesday (Jan. 2) in Ufa, Russia. NHL Network (DirectTV 215, Dish 403) broadcasting live and NHL.com streaming live.

NOTES: Cole Bardreau was named the Player of the Game for Team USA ... Seventeen different USA players notched a point. Six players had multiple points: John Gaudreau (2-1--3), Vince Trocheck (2-1--3), Jim Vesey (0-3--3), Alex Galchenyuk (1-1--2), Jake McCabe (1-1--2), J.T. Miller (0-2--2) ... For the most thorough coverage of Team USA at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship, click here ... NHL Network is broadcasting all Team USA games live and re-airing them in prime time each night. NHL.com is also streaming all games live ... Phil Housley (South St. Paul, Minn.), head boy's ice hockey coach at Stillwater (Minn.) High School, is the head coach of the 2013 U.S. National Junior Team. He is assisted by Mark Osiecki (Columbus, Ohio), head men's ice hockey coach at Ohio State University, Grant Potulny (Minneapolis, Minn.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Minnesota and David Lassonde (Denver, Colo.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Denver ... Jim Johannson (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the fourth consecutive year. Tim Taylor (Guilford, Conn.) is the director of player personnel ... Use the hashtag #USAWJC to join the conversation on Twitter.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

Team	1	2	3	Total
SVK	2	0	1	3
USA	5	3	1	9

First Period – Scoring: 1, USA, Bardreau (Hartman, Gibson), 4:05; 2, SVK, Matis (Kolena), 4:19; 3, USA, McCabe (Vesey, Miller), 5:10; 4, USA, Gaudreau (Gostisbehere, Vesey), 9:00; 5, USA, Reilly (Vesey, Miller), 11:46; 6, USA, Trouba (Kuraly, Galchenyuk), 13:50 (pp); 7, SVK, Mraz (Ceresnak, Nechala), 18:35 (pp). Penalties: SVK, Dano (tripping), 13:22; USA, Gostisbehere (slashing - maj.), 16:50; USA Gostisbehere (game misconduct), 16:50.

Second Period – Scoring: 8, USA, Gaudreau (McCabe, Trocheck), 4:55 (pp); 9, USA, Trocheck (Gaudreau), 6:16; 10, USA, Trocheck (Biggs, Lucia), 10:00. Penalties: SVK, Matis (holding), 3:08; SVK, Dano (roughing), 5:21; USA, Reilly (hooking), 7:18; USA, Barber (tripping), 7:33; SVK, Bires (tripping), 11:14; USA, Miller (slashing), 12:49; USA, Biggs (holding), 13:06.

Third Period – Scoring: 11, SVK, Matis (Kolena, Uhrik), 9:21; 12, USA, Galchenyuk (Murphy, Kuraly), 16:16 (pp). Penalties: SVK, Bagin (kneeing), 0:59; SVK, Kolena (charging), 4:53; SVK, Dano (slashing), 11:09; USA, Trouba (tripping), 14:56; SVK, Matis (checking to the head), 15:50; SVK, Matis (10-minute misconduct), 15:50; SVK, Dano (slashing), 16:13; USA, Jones (cross-checking), 17:14.

Shots by Period	1	2	3	Total
SVK	13	8	8	29
USA	18	12	10	40

Goaltender (SV/SH)	1	2	3	Total
SVK, Nagy, 9:00	6/9	--	--	6/9
SVK, Romancik, 51:00	7/9	9/12	9/10	25/31
USA, Gibson, 60:00	11/13	8/8	7/8	26/29

Power Play: SVK 1-8; USA, 4-9
Penalties: SVK 10-28; USA, 8-37

2013 IIHF World Junior Championship ScheduleDec. 26, 2012-Jan. 5, 2013 • Ufa, Russia • Ufa Arena

Date	Matchup	Time (Local/EST)/Result	Broadcast/Streaming
Thurs., Dec. 20	USA vs. Sweden*	W, 3-2 OT	NHL Network
Sat., Dec. 22	Finland vs. USA*	L, 1-5	NHL Network
Thurs., Dec. 27	USA vs. Germany	W, 8-0	NHL Network/NHL.com
Fri., Dec. 28	USA vs. Russia	L, 1-2	NHL Network/NHL.com
Sun., Dec. 30	USA vs. Canada	L, 1-2	NHL Network/NHL.com
Mon., Dec. 31	USA vs. Slovakia	W, 9-3	NHL Network/NHL.com
Wed., Jan. 2	Quarterfinal #1 Quarterfinal #2	5:00 p.m./6:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m./8:00 a.m.	NHL Network/NHL.com NHL Network/NHL.com
Thurs., Jan. 3	Semifinal #1 Semifinal #2	5:00 p.m./6:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m./8:00 a.m.	NHL Network/NHL.com NHL Network/NHL.com
Sat., Jan. 5	Bronze Medal Game Gold Medal Game	5:00 p.m./6:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m./8:00 a.m.	NHL Network/NHL.com NHL Network/NHL.com

*pre-tournament game in Helsinki, Finland

U.S. National Under-17 Team Defeats Canada Quebec, 5-1, at
2013 World Under-17 Challenge

Wilkie Tallies One Goal and Collects Two Assists in Win

VICTORIAVILLE, Quebec – Chris Wilkie (Omaha, Neb.) tallied one goal and collected two assists, as the U.S. National Under-17 Team defeated Canada's Team Quebec, 5-1, at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge here tonight at the Colisee Desjardins. With the win, Team USA's record improves to 2-1-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L).

"It was our fourth game in four nights, but that's why we condition and train the way we do," said Danton Cole, head coach of the U.S. National Under-17 Team. "We finished our checks, moved the puck well up ice and played solid defensively."

Team USA scored first when Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y.) found Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.) with a behind-the-back pass at 2:15 of the opening frame. Eichel tipped the puck into the net from the top of the crease. Wilkie also assisted on the power-play tally. The U.S. outshot Quebec, 14-4, in the first period.

The U.S. doubled its lead at 11:55 of the second stanza when Ryan MacInnis (St. Louis, Mo.) wristed the puck into the net from the slot. Wilkie and Brandon Fortunato (North Hills, N.Y.) collected assists on the goal. Austin Poganski (St. Cloud, Minn.) made a move around the Quebec defenders and toward the net, backhanding the third U.S. goal past Julio Billia. Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) had the lone helper.

Ryan Bliss (Bedford, N.H.) snuck a shot through a screen in front to give the U.S. a three-goal cushion. The goal, scored at 11:45 of the final frame, was assisted on by Joshua Wesley (Raleigh, N.C.) and Anders Bjork (Mequon, Wis.). On a delayed penalty call, Wilkie scored to put Team USA on top, 5-1, at 13:22. Milano registered an assist on the play. The U.S. allowed just two shots on goal in the period and skated away with the win.

Chris Birdsall (Glen Rock, N.J.) made 17 saves in the victory for Team USA, while Billia made 42 stops in the loss for Quebec.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team next faces Slovakia on Jan. 2, 2013, in Drummondville, Quebec at Centre Marcel Dionne. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. EST. A complete schedule can be found below.

NOTES: Ryan MacInnis was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... For Team USA's full roster, click here ... Team USA outshot Quebec, 47-18 ... The U.S. finished 1-for-6 on the power play, while Quebec went 0-for-4 with the man advantage ... The 2013 World Under-17 Challenge includes two pools of five teams. Pool A consists of teams from Finland, Canada's Team Pacific, Russia, Sweden and Canada's Team West. Pool B consists of teams from Canada's Team Atlantic, Canada's Team Ontario, Canada's Team Quebec, Slovakia and the United States ... The U.S. enters the tournament having captured first place three times (2001-02, 2010) and second place in 1999, 2008, 2011, 2012 ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with #WU17 ... For additional coverage, visit USA Hockey's National Team Development ProgramFacebook page ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team trains with The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary new software program released on October 1, 2010, that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visitUSAHockeyIntelliGym.com.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA	1 -	2 -	2 -	5
QUE	0 -	1 -	0 -	1

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Eichel (Milano, Wilkie), 2:15, (pp). Penalties: QUE, Leblanc (tripping), 0:47; QUE, Perron (slashing), 3:40; USA, Belpedio (interference), 6:22; USA, Larkin (goaltender-interference), 9:36; USA, Bjork (cross-checking), 12:00; QUE, Delisle-Houde (tripping), 15:51.

Second Period - Scoring: 2, USA, MacInnis (Wilkie, Fortunato), 11:55; 3, USA, Poganski (Larkin), 14:37; 4, QUE, Aube-Kubel (Perron), 15:40. Penalties: QUE, Ayotte (delay-of-game), 9:47; QUE, Deslauriers (slashing), 16:48.

Third Period - Scoring: 5, USA, Bliss (Wesley, Bjork), 11:45; 6, USA, Wilkie (Milano), 13:22. Penalties: QUE, Carrier (kneeing), 8:10; USA, MacLeod (holding), 14:55.

Shots by Period	1	2	3	Total
USA	14	14	19	47
QUE	4	12	2	18

Goaltenders (SH/SV)	1	2	3	Total
USA, Birdsall, 60:00	4/4	12/11	2/2	18/17
QUE, Billia, 60:00	14/13	14/12	19/17	47/42

Power Play: USA 1-6; QUE 0-4
Penalties: USA 4-8; QUE 6-12

Team USA 2013 World Under-17 Challenge ScheduleDec. 28, 2012 - Jan. 4, 2013 • Drummondville and Victoriaville, Quebec

Date	Opponent	Location	Time/Result	Live Streaming
Fri., Dec. 28	Canada Pacific*	Centre Marcel Dionne	W, 6-2
Sat., Dec 29	Canada Ontario	Colisee Desjardins	W, 6-5 (SO)
Sun., Dec. 30	Canada Atlantic	Colisee Desjardins	W, 6-3
Mon., Dec. 31	Canada Quebec	Colisee Desjardins	W, 5-1
Weds., Jan. 2	Slovakia	Centre Marcel Dionne	1:30 p.m.	FASTHockey
Thurs., Jan. 3	Semifinal	Centre Marcel Dionne	7:30 p.m.	FASTHockey
Thurs., Jan. 3	Semifinal	Colisee Desjardins	7:30 p.m.	FASTHockey
Fri., Jan. 4	Third-Place Game	Centre Marcel Dionne	3:00 p.m.	FASTHockey
Fri., Jan. 4	Championship Game	Colisee Desjardins	7:30 p.m.	FASTHockey

*Pre-tournament game

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The Papal Chancery adopted January 1st as the beginning of the New Year (instead of March 25th) on this date in 1622.

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Wenatchee, WA. - The Wenatchee Wild scored three times in the first period and once more in the third Monday night, closing out the 2012 portion of their schedule with a 4-2 win over the Kenai River Brown Bears, in front of 2,877 enthusiastic fans at the Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee, Washington on a night when Head Coach Bliss Littler would net his 600^th career coaching win.

Jacob Barber (Dardenne Prairie, Missouri) opened the scoring for Wenatchee 1:35 into the contest, flipping home a shorthanded goal at the end of a two-on-none breakaway for his 8^th goal of the season, assisted by Jono Davis (La Verne, California). After Kenai River's Brad Duwe scored on the power play, assisted by Matt Seidel at 2:55 tied the game 1-1, the Wild would strike twice. Nicholas Kuchera's (Eagan, Minnesota) 4^th of the year, assisted by Blake Roubos (Niagara Falls, Ontario) would give Wenatchee a 2-1 lead at 3:45. Barber would score again, his 9^th of the season, unassisted at 5:33 would make it 3-1 Wild. The Brown Bears would sneak one home at 6:08, as Matthew Meier scored on a breakaway, assisted by Dylan Meier, cutting the Wenatchee lead to 3-2. In the three first periods in this series, the two teams combined for 14 goals.

In the second period, neither team generated much offense and no goals, with the Wild retaining their 3-2 advantage.

Max McHugh (Edgewood, Washington) scored his 11^th of the campaign on a deflection at the 3:38 mark of the third period.Noah Nelson (Oconomowoc, Wisconsin) drew the lone assist on the goal that restored the two-goal lead for Wenatchee at 4-2. The Meier brothers clicked again for Kenai River at 7:57, as the puck came bouncing out of the left wing corner to the right side of the net, where Dylan Meier scored from Matthew Meier, cutting the Wild lead to 4-3. Wenatchee held on from there for their 23^rd win of the season, 4-2.

The Wild and Brown Bears each had 24 shots on goal, Wenatchee went 0-for-5 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill. Robert Nichols (Dallas, Texas) made 22 saves for the Wild and Gustaf Johansson made 20 saves for the Brown Bears.

"They (Kenai River) came out with a pretty good game plan" said Wenatchee Head Coach Bliss Littler. "They tried to slow things down, slow our fore check down for sure. There were a lot of mental mistakes by both teams, in the end Robbie Nichols made one more save than their kid did." On getting his 600^th career win, Littler had said "That's nice. It means you've done it for a long time. Obviously, I've always thought whoever gets off the bus with the best players usually wins. I've been fortunate to have a lot of good players over the years." Littler also had praise for Associate Head Coach Tom Rudrud, saying "Tom's been there for a lot of them. He's given some solid help." Littler also praised ownership at each coaching stop he's made, saying "They've given their staffs the tools to win."

The Wild is back in action next weekend on January 4^th, 5^th and 6th against West Division rivals, the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. Game time for the first two games at Town Toyota Center is 7:05pm, with the third game slated for a 5:05pm start. Season tickets and individual game tickets are on sale now. Call 509.888.PUCK (7825).

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On this date in 1772, the first traveler's checks were issued in London.

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Late Saturday night at the Alamodome, the postgame press conference following Oregon State’s stunning 31-27 loss to Texas offered a glimpse at the future of Beaver football. Seated at the podium to face the music — and the media — after the loss were junior quarterback Cody Vaz, sophomore safety Ryan Murphy and redshirt freshman Storm Woods.

Read the rest here.

Visit the Oregon State Athletics department official web site.

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London's oldest daily paper "The Daily Universal Register" (later renamed "The Times" in 1788) was first published on this date in 1785.

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Top 10 Plays of 2012.

Argonauts extend Eppele through 2014.

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

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On this date in 1797, Albany became the capital of New York state, replacing New York City.

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Tampa, FL. —Tampa Bay's finish in the NFC South standings in the standings finalizes the team's list of 2013 opponents, with a trip to Detroit and a home game against Philly added to the mix.

Read the rest here.

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Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi became the first person to discover an asteroid on this date in 1801. He named it Ceres.

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Time to open presents Daddy.

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as watching football bowl games, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History

1956 - The Carl Perkins song "Blue Suede Shoes" was released. Elvis Presley recorded the song on January 30, 1956.

1959 - Elvis Presley's BMW was destroyed on Germany's Autobahn by his father. German newspapers reported inaccurately that Elvis had died in the accident.

1966 - Elvis Presley's soundtrack "Harum Scarum" hit #8 on the U.S. charts.

1992 - The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization took over exclusive U.S. and Canadian administration for the Elvis Presley music catalogs through a deal with the Presley estate, Gary Horey, Julian and Jean Aberbach.

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On this date in 1863, U.S. President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all slaves in the rebel states were free.

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Today in Beatles History:

1962 - The Beatles auditioned for Decca Records in London. The company opted for Brian Polle & the Tremeloes because the group was based in the south of England.

1991 - Paul McCartney performed on MTV. The album "Unplugged - Official Bootleg" documented his performance.

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On this date in 1892, Brooklyn and New York merged to form the single city of New York.

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Today in Sports History:

1902 - The first Tournament of Roses (later the Rose Bowl) collegiate football game was played in Pasadena, CA.

1926 - The Rose Bowl was carried coast to coast on network radio for the first time.

1933 - The first Orange Bowl was played. Miami defeated Manhattan 7-0.

1935 - The first Sugar Bowl was played. Tulane defeated Temple 20-14.

1935 - The first Sun Bowl was played. Hardin Simmons and New Mexico State tied 14-14.

1937 - The First Cotton Bowl football game was played in Dallas, TX. Texas Christian University (T.C.U.) beat Marquette, 16-6.

1954 - The Rose Bowl and the Cotton Bowl were shown in color for the first time.

1961 - Briggs Stadium was renamed Tigers Stadium.

1968 - Evil Knievel, daredevil, lost control of his motorcycle midway through a jump of 141 feet over the ornamental fountains in front of Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

1969 - Los Angeles Kings owner Jack Kent Cooke fined each of his players $100 for "not" arguing with the referee.

1992 - The ESPN Radio Network was officially launched.

2007 - In Denver, CO, Darrent Williams (Denver Broncos) was killed in a drive-by shooting outside a nightclub.

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On this date in 1930, "The Cuckoo Hour" was heard for the first time on the NBC-Blue Network, which later became ABC Radio.

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

Nothin' Doin'

Wednesday --

Nothin' Doin'

Thursday --

Nothin' Doin'

Friday --

Junior Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Boston Showcase

Saturday --

Junior Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Boston Showcase

Sunday --

Junior Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Boston Showcase

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

John Meissner's Blog

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