CALGARY -- The Canadian womens hockey team will attempt to reclaim the Four Nations Cup without Hayley Wickenheiser.
Claudio Marchisio Jersey . The five-time Olympian and Canadas captain was among six players head coach Dan Church left off his 21-player roster for the annual international womens tournament starting Tuesday in Lake Placid, N.Y. "Were going to take an opportunity to give her that little bit of a break," Church said Monday from Lake Placid. "Theres no question we know what she can do on the ice and that she can contribute in big games. "A lot of it has to with making sure she has a good recovery week here and is ready for the final push towards the Olympics." Wickenheiser, 35, is Canadas all-time leading scorer and has played in 14 Nations Cups during her career. The Four Nations is important preparation for the 2014 Winter Olympics for Canada, the U.S., Finland and Sweden. Assistant captain Caroline Ouellette and forward Marie-Philip Poulin as well as defencemen Meaghan Mikkelson, Lauriane Rougeau and Laura Fortino also remained in Calgary, where the Canadian team is based this winter. Wickenheiser, Ouellette, a three-time Olympian, Poulin, who is recovering from an ankle injury, and Mikkelson were on the team that won the gold medal in 2010 in Vancouver. Fortino and Rougeau have been on the national womens team for two years. "No one is guaranteed a spot in Sochi," Church said. "Some players are obviously a little more secure in their spots, so there were some decisions around that. We also have to look at the overall training plan. "Some of the veteran players do need a bit of a break and this is really our only opportunity within our schedule to do that." The performances of the players he did choose for the Four Nations will help Church determine who he wants on the Olympic team that will attempt to defend the gold in Sochi, Russia, in February. There are 27 women in Calgary trying out for the squad expected to be named in late December. Three forwards and three defencemen will be released. Poulin scored both goals for Canada in a 2-0 win over the U.S. in the 2010 Olympic final, but hasnt played a game since September because of a high ankle sprain. "We were hoping she would be available for this tournament, but she just needs about another week," Church said. Canada opens the Four Nations against Finland on Tuesday before facing the host Americans the following day and Sweden on Friday. The two teams with the best records after the preliminary round meet in Saturdays final. The U.S. is the both the defending womens world champion and Four Nations champion, having won the latter tournament two years in a row. The Americans edged Canada 3-2 in Ottawa in April to win their fourth world title in five years. Canada and the U.S. have already played two of six exhibition games scheduled for this winter with the Canadians winning 3-2 in Burlington, Vt., and 6-3 in Boisbriand, Que., in October. Goaltenders Shannon Szabados, Charline Labonte and Genevieve Lacasse made the trip to Lake Placid. Jocelyne Larocque, Brigette Lacquette, Courtney Birchard, Catherine Ward, Tessa Bonhomme, and Tara Watchhorn were the defenceman named to the team Monday. The forwards will be Gillian Apps, Meghan Agosta-Marciano, Rebecca Johnston, Jennifer Wakefield, Melodie Daoust, Jayna Hefford, Bailey Bram, Jenelle Kohanchuk, Brianne Jenner, Hayley Irwin, Natalie Spooner and Vicki Bendus. While the point of a spending several months together prior to the Olympic Games is to build a cohesive team, it is never far from the Canadian players minds that theyre competing against each other for spots on the team. "Its something thats always there all year long, but were also a team," Apps said. "We fight hard against each other in practice every single day when we come to the rink to make each other better. "Theres six people in this group that wont be on the final roster and thats tough. It is in the back of peoples minds and thats just kind of the nature of the situation." A CBC online story in October questioned whether Wickenheiser would be Canadas captain at the 2014 Winter Games. Shes worn the C for Canada at every major tournament since 2007. "I dont know who will be the captain in Sochi," Church answered. "Hayley is definitely one of the ones were considering. Shes part of our leadership group that weve established. "It could be reading too much into it in terms if its jeopardy. We want a team with a lot of good quality leaders in it and whether people wear Cs or As theyre going to do a good job." Wickenheiser told The Canadian Press on Monday she was not available for an interview. Church has rotated his letters between different players this winter. "If you think you have leadership completely where it should be and you dont pay any attention to it, thats when things go wrong," Church said. "You always have to work on that aspect of your team. "Especially coming out of Ottawa and the results we had there and what we want to do, we want to build a team that has a lot of leaders in it that can step up at different times." Hefford will be Canadas captain in Lake Placid with Ward and Irwin her assistants, said Church. The absence of Wickenheiser, Ouellette, Mikkelson and Poulin at the Four Nations will force inexperienced players to shoulder more responsibility, he added. "Theres a huge opportunity for the players that are here this week to rise to the occasion," Church said. "There are big expectations on them to carry the load here without having that safety net. Thats a good thing for our younger players to experience." The Four Nations will also be Canadas first look at Finland and Sweden since the world championship. The Finns were the Olympic bronze medallists in 2010, but were beaten by the Russians for bronze in Ottawa. The Swedes, the surprise Olympic silver medallists in 2006, dropped to seventh at the world championship. The four remaining exhibition games against the U.S. women are scheduled for Dec. 12 in Calgary, Dec. 20 in Grand Forks, N.D., Dec. 28 in St. Paul, Minn., and Dec. 30 in Toronto.
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http://www.italysoccerauthority.com/giacomo-bonaventura-italy-jersey/ . Richard Jefferson scored 17 points and Diante Garrett had a career-high 15 points as the Jazz had seven players with 10 points or more in Utahs largest margin of victory this season.SAN DIEGO -- For one day at least, the moderate-payroll San Diego Padres are in first place in the NL West, ahead of the big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers. Seth Smith hit a towering drive for a tying homer leading off the eighth and Chris Denorfia singled home two runs to give the Padres a 3-1 victory against the rival Dodgers in baseballs North American opener Sunday night. Smiths first hit with the Padres came on a 2-0 pitch from Brian Wilson, who started the eighth after Hyun-Jin Ryu threw seven scoreless innings. It sailed an estimated 360 feet into the right-field seats. It was his seventh career pinch-hit homer. He was acquired in an off-season trade with Oakland for reliever Luke Gregerson. Wilson (0-1) walked pinch-hitter Yasmani Grandal, who advanced when the veteran reliever couldnt handle Everth Cabreras bunt for an error. Grandal stole third and Cabrera took second on indifference before Denorfia hit a bouncer up the middle to bring them both in. "Theyre all just one game, but when youre facing a team like the Dodgers, full of great players, Brian Wilson, a guy who knows how to get it done in those situations, its not easy to do what our hitters did," said Huston Street, who pitched a perfect ninth for the save. "To come back and get three right there in that situation, especially after leaving guys on base early, thats what this team is going to have to do to win. Were going to have to battle all year long." The Dodgers set a record with an opening-day payroll of $234 million. The Padres are 23rd at just under $90 million. Street said he has no problem with the discrepancy. "Theyve got a lot of talent and their talent has earned those salaries," Street said. "Theyre not just given. At the same time, a lot of guys in this locker room are young guys. They havent hit that free agency mark. They havent hit those big salary years. We could be sitting on a higher payroll team. You dont worry about it too much just because baseball is such a game of execution." Dale Thayer (1-0) pitched a perfect eighth for the win. Smith was acquired to provide a left-handed bat off the bench. He went deep on a cutter. "You get in the box and its an at-bat," he said. "As a professional ballplayer you hope that you can kind of flush the fact that its yoour first at-bat with your team or its in a big spot or whatever, and just do what youve been practicing for the last six weeks.
Salvatore Sirigu Jersey. " Wilson said it was tough to deal with because Ryu "pitched such a marvelous game. Its a hard one to swallow." He said he threw a pitch "that was a little bit uncharacteristic of me. Right then and there, the tire deflated." The defending NL West champion Dodgers had started the regular season with a two-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Sydney. Ryu got the start after reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw was scratched due to a swollen back muscle and then placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his seven-year career. In a scheduling quirk, the left-hander started consecutive regular-season games. He made his season debut a week earlier, when the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks in their second game in Australia. Ryu retired 16 in a row from the second inning until one out in the seventh. He then walked rookie Tommy Medica, who was then erased in a 3-6-3 double play. Ryu allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked three. The Dodgers grabbed the lead on a nice piece of hitting by Carl Crawford with two out in the fifth. Crawford went the other way with an 0-2 pitch from Andrew Cashner, hitting it over third baseman Chase Headley to bring in Dee Gordon from second. Gordon had reached on a walk and advanced when Cashner fielded Ryus bunt and forced A.J. Ellis at third. Cashner allowed four hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked two. NOTES: The Padres renamed the broadcast portion of the press box the Jerry Coleman Broadcast Center in memory of the Hall of Fame broadcaster who died on Jan. 5 at 89. His widow, Maggie, and daughter, Chelsea, threw out the ceremonial first pitches. ... Sunday nights attendance of 45,567 set the Petco Park single-game record. ... Padres manager Bud Black said LF Carlos Quentins time on the disabled list will go beyond April 10, when hed be eligible to be activated. He was placed on the DL on Saturday, retroactive to March 25, with a bone bruise in his left knee. Quentin was hurt diving for a ball in a spring training game. ... Monday is an off day. Tuesdays scheduled starters are Zack Greinke for Los Angeles and Ian Kennedy for San Diego.
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