Fun-Ecke » Canadiens had surprises for

SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- A pair of quick wins for Canadas Rachel Homan at the Ford World Womens Curling Championship on Monday allowed the host country to both regain their confidence and conserve energy for later in the tournament. Allison Pottinger of the United States shook hands after just six ends when Canada held a commanding 9-3 lead. Homan and her Ottawa Curling Club team downed Denmarks Madeleine Dupont 8-4 earlier in a game than went eight ends. "Its definitely nice to get some rest after playing some shorter games," Homan said. "Its nice to get some extra rest when you can." Canada was tied for second at 4-1 with Swedens Margaretha Sigfridsson behind unbeaten Binia Feltscher of Switzerland at 5-0. The logjam of countries at 3-2 included the U.S., Chinas Liu Sijia, Russias Anna Sidorova and South Koreas Ji-sun Kim. Scotlands Kerry Barr was 2-3 ahead of Denmark, Latvias Evita Regza and Germany Oona Lehmann at 1-4. The Czech Republics Anna Kubeskova was winless in five games. The top four teams at the conclusion of playoffs Thursday advance to the playoffs. Homan felt she had a read on the ice at Harbour Station by Monday night having played on all four sheets and in the morning, afternoon and evening draws. Another reason the abbreviated game against the U.S. on Monday evening was welcomed by Canada is because they are right back on the ice Tuesday morning against Latvia before facing Scotland in the evening. Homan, vice Emma Miskew, second Alison Kreviazuk and lead Lisa Weagle won the bronze medal at last years world curling championship in Riga, Latvia, after starting 2-3 there. Monday was a big bounce for the Canadians after demoralizing loss to the Swiss the previous day, when it was Canada giving up four points in steals and shaking hands after eight ends. Homan felt their communication was missing in that game. The skip misread the ice early against the Americans, but the Canadians were able to solve it via discussion. "Lisa was missing a couple early and she said is it me? I said no, its completely my ice. So she believed in how she was throwing," Homan explained. "If we didnt have that communication, she would have tried to change the way she was throwing and Id give her more ice and shed miss again. "We made sure when we were missing we knew why and were communicating that to each other." Pottinger was born in Brampton, Ont., and learned to curl in Otterburn Park, Que., but the 40-year-old is representing the U.S. for the 11th time at the womens world championship. She won a silver medal playing third for Patti Lank, another transplanted Canadian from Midale, Sask., when the world championship was last held in Saint John, N.B., in 1999. "Everyone is always so nice when were here. A woman today brought me ketchup chips and Smarties," Pottinger said of two items that are difficult to find in the U.S. "Its terrific. I had them between games." Pottinger made a clutch raise against four Canadian stones in the third end to score a point and trail 2-1, but the fourth end was disastrous for the Americans. With Canada laying two, Pottinger ticked on a guard to let Homan add another counter to the rings. The American skip attempted to draw through a port to get to the four-foot rings, but was well short of the house. Homan had half the house for a target and drew in for four points and a 6-1 lead in front of 1,914 at Harbour Station. "We threw it pretty hard, but just out there in the frost it didnt have a chance," Pottinger said. "It never got there." The Americans got two back in the fifth, but called it a day when Homan collected another three in the sixth. "To get the two back was kind of nice, but at that point every end is the 10th end," Pottinger said. "You dont want them to get away from you and its hard to play five 10th ends against that kind of team." "That was so not good that I think its an off game and you forget about it. Chuck it in the bag." Homan and her teammates are all under the age of 28. Like the Brad Jacobs team that won the mens Olympic gold last month, theyre considered the new generation of Canadian curling stars. A year after graduating from the junior ranks, Homans team made the playoffs in their first national womens championship in 2011. They won the Canadian title last year by beating Winnipegs Jennifer Jones, now the reigning Olympic womens gold medallist after her unbeaten run in Sochi. Homan and company were considered a team to beat at Decembers Olympic trials along with Jones. Homan and her teammates either quit their jobs, took a leave or scaled back work hours in the months leading into those trials to prepare. They rented a suite in Winnipeg away from the MTS Centre so they could cook and eat their own meals during the competition. But Homan lost the semifinal 10-4 to Sherry Middaugh. Homans coach Earle Morris now wonders in hindsight if they "over-prepared" for trials. "I think what we did was we probably practised a bit too much," he said. "A couple of the girls quit their jobs, one of the girls took a leave of absence. They really made it a focused priority and maybe we focused too much on the trials. "We really tried to leave no stone unturned. Because it was our first trials, we prepared as best we could based on what we thought would be difference-makers. If we had to do it again, wed probably do it a little differently. Take maybe a more relaxed approach and not emphasize it too much." The best medicine for their trials disappointment was to participate in the Continental Cup in Las Vegas in January. They played with Jones, Jacobs and other top North American teams in a Ryder-Cup style competition against European curling teams. "We all re-connected with the sport," Miskew said. "It was really tough after the trials to feel a love for curling. "We were able to go out and enjoy the sport again. Before that, it was practising without much of a purpose because it feels weird after you put so much time into something. It changed when we went there and it felt better." That experience set the table for the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Montreal, where Homan went 13-0 en route to a second straight Canadian title and a return trip to the world championship. "Continental Cup was perfect," Homan said. "We played mixed, mixed doubles and it was just a lot of fun." "We definitely needed it. We got to press the re-set button and focus again for the Scotties." Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys ." One game is checked off, 15 remain and the next one to get crossed out could come Tuesday night when the defending champion Heat host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference playoff series. Alex Cappa Jersey . Gordon reportedly failed another drug test and is facing a one-year ban. 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Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina levelled on aggregate in the 14th minute when Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez headed back a long ball from David Pizarro and Pasqual smashed home an angled volley.BROSSARD, Que. -- Dale Weise is finding out what its like to be a Montreal Canadien when theyre winning in the springtime. The city groaned when general manager Marc Bergevin sent defenceman Raphael Diaz to Vancouver Canucks for the little-known Weise on Feb. 3, but now the energetic fourth-line right-winger is becoming a folk hero. His breakaway goal in Game 3 of a NHL Eastern Conference semifinal on Tuesday night became his second game-winner of the playoffs as the Canadiens downed the rival Boston Bruins 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Weise had scored in overtime in the first game of an opening round sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning. His first taste of his new-found fame came this week when he was out for a stroll with his fiancee, with seven-month-old son Hunter in a stroller. "This car pulled over right on the sidewalk," Weise said Wednesday. "The guy was in the drivers seat and I was on the right side. "In the middle of the green light hes reached across and hes banging on the window and yelling. My fiancees like what is this guy doing? Shes freaking out, and hes giving me the thumbs up. It was pretty outrageous." Weise will have a chance to grow his legend even more in Game 4 on Thursday night at the Bell Centre, as the Canadiens attempt to put a choke hold on the series. Taking a lead on the favoured Bruins has built a considerable buzz in Montreal, but a series in which Boston has looked overwhelming at times is far from over. The Canadiens blew 2-0 and 3-2 leads before winning in overtime in the series opener. Then they wasted a 3-1 lead by conceding four third-period goal in a 5-3 setback in Game 2 in Boston. At home on Tuesday night, Montreal scored twice in the first period and made it 3-0 on Weises goal before the Bruins struck back with a pair. Lars Eller ended the threat with a final-minute empty-net goal. "This is such a huge rivalry," said Weise. "When they meet in the regular season its looked at like a playoff match-up. Its such a cool thing to be a part of." The Bruins acknowledge they did not have their best game, staring with goalie Tuukka Rask who allowed three goals on 25 shots and who now has let in 10 in three games. Perhaps for the first time in the playoffs, they missed injured defence veterans Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid, as youngster Dougie Hamilton in particular struggled at times. McQuaid is gone for the season, and while Seidenberg is skating, there was no word on when he may return. But the Bruins can never be counted out, as theyve shown repeatedly in recent seasons. "Were a group thats confident, but we have guys now that are frustrated," said Boston coach Claude Julien. "They know they have to be better and they will be better. "Its a 2-1 series. Its not the end of the world here. Weve just got to battlee back.dddddddddddd. Theres no reason to panic. We havent in the past and were not about to panic now." The Canadiens had surprises for Boston, including a tweak of the top two lines that saw Thomas Vanek put on the second unit with Tomas Plekanec and Michael Bournival while the pesky Brendan Gallagher moved up with David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty. Montreal also got a strong 26-save outing from goalie Carey Price and a third straight two-point game from defenceman P.K. Subban, who has 11 points in the last six playoff games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Subban is the first Canadiens defenceman to record a six-game playoff point streak since Larry Robinson in 1985. "He is a game changer," Gallagher said of Subban. "Hes just giving us a lot of energy right now." The Canadiens also used one of their strengths, shot-blocking, to turn away 29 attempts before they could reach Price. "Theyre taking away a lot of scoring chances," said Boston forward Shawn Thornton. "They came out with a lot of energy. "I thought our pace was pretty good, but if you give up a couple of goals, then youre chasing. We have to shore it up and hopefully get back to the way we were used to playing." It has all conspired to make it a pleasant time to be Canadien, especially for a newcomer like Weise. The 25-year-old had a goal and an assist for his first playoff game with more than one point and only the second of his 192-game NHL career. He was one of three pickups ahead of the March 5 NHL trade deadline, along with defenceman Mike Weaver and Vanek, who have been key contributors to the Canadiens playoff run. Weise may not even have had a chance to play had Travis Moen and Alex Galchenyuk not been injured when the playoff started. Now it is hard to see how coach Michel Therrien could take him out. Although he is from Winnipeg, Weise grew up a Montreal fan, mainly because his father worshipped the Canadiens. So he considered the trade a dream come true. In his third season in Vancouver, Weise was ignored by coach John Tortorella, but landed on his feet as a regular fourth liner in Montreal. He was scratched three games in a row late in the season, but has been ball of energy since then. He considered it a wake-up call. And now hes getting the rock star treatment from Canadiens fans, which he said never happened before, even in a hockey market like Vancouver. "I was in a grocery store and I was walking into an elevator and this guy wouldnt let me get on the elevator," a grinning Weise recalled of another recent incident. "He was grabbing my shoulder, he was so excited and pumped up. "Then his buddy beside him said relax, relax and the elevator was closing and he kept saying Im sorry, Im sorry. I love the passionate fans. I think its awesome." Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '