me up big." The first goal was strange. Bishop went behind the net to pick up the puck and play it to a teammate. He hit the stick of Slovakia forward Tomas Kopecky and the puck went to Branko Radivojevic, who was left with an open | Forum

TAMPA, Fla. Scottie Pippen Bulls Jersey . -- South Florida co-offensive coordinator T.J. Weist will lead the 25th-ranked Bulls in the Birmingham Bowl following coach Willie Taggarts departure to Oregon.Taggart resigned Wednesday to take over a program that appeared in the national championship game just two seasons ago. He went 24-25 in four years at USF, including 18-7 and two bowl berths the past two seasons.Weist will serve as interim coach the rest of the season, which concludes with a Dec. 29 matchup against South Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl.Meanwhile, athletic director Mark Harlan said a national search for a permanent successor will begin immediately.We will work quickly, but with careful thought and discussion to find our next football coach. ... I want to thank Willie Taggart for the leadership, energy, and excitement he brought to our program over the last four years, Harlan said, adding that the strides the Bulls made under the former Jim Harbaugh assistant both on and off the field speak for themselves.Taggart lost 21 of his first 28 games at USF before going 17-4 over his past 21.We now have the foundation of our football program in place, school president Judy Genshaft said. We have a terrific group of student athletes who are laser-focused on the Birmingham Bowl and next years season.Taggart leaves USF (10-2) with four seasons remaining on a five-year, $9 million contract he received for turning around a program that fell on hard times after climbing as high as a No. 2 ranking in 2007. The deal he received last winter included a provision for a $1.7 million buyout.The Bulls won a school-record 10 games this season -- losing only to Florida State and Temple -- with quarterback Quinton Flowers and running back Marlon Mack leading Taggarts high-paced Gulf Coast offense.The Oct. 21 road loss to Temple cost the team the American Athletic Conference Eastern Division title and an opportunity to play in last weeks AAC championship game.Weist, completing his first season at USF, shared offensive coordinator duties with Darren Hiller.The trajectory of USF athletics is strong. It has elevated the spirit of our campuses as well as our national profile, USF Board of Trustees chair Brian Lamb said. I know that the young men in our football program will continue to be highly successful on the field and in the classroom.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . John Paxson Jersey . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Toni Kukoc Bulls Jersey . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. http://www.officialbullsfanstore.com/...jordan-bulls-jersey/ . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. HELSINKI, Finland -- Slovakia defeated the United States 4-1 and the Czech Republic routed Norway 7-0 in group finales for both teams to reach the quarterfinals at the ice hockey world championship on Tuesday. The U.S. had a chance to clinch the group, but will finish second or third, meeting Russia or Finland in a quarterfinal on Thursday. In Stockholm, the other group leader, Switzerland, defeated Belarus 4-1 to achieve its best group record at the worlds, seven wins and no losses. The Swiss hope to win a medal for the first time since 1953, when they were third among three teams. Julian Walker scored twice, and Roman Josi and Mathias Bieber once each. Switzerland won its group, followed by Canada, Sweden and the Czechs. Slovakias Branko Radivojevic was handed a free score after only 15 seconds when U.S. goaltender Ben Bishop turned the puck over, trying to reach a teammate with a pass. Martin Bartek, 3:44 in, and Rene Vydareny made it 3-0 for last years runner-up with Rastislav Stana making only 20 saves. Danny Kristo replied for the U.S. in the second period, and Marko Dano added a late empty-net goal. "We were hopeful and excited about the opportunity to try to finish first. We weree not able to do that but we will be ready for the next opponent," U. Kris Dunn Bulls Jersey. S. coach Joe Sacco said. "The first two goals were unfortunate, its tough to play catch-up. Slovakia made a good job of bottling up the middle of the ice and they protected the front of the net very well. We had a hard time getting there, and when we did their goalie came up big." The first goal was strange. Bishop went behind the net to pick up the puck and play it to a teammate. He hit the stick of Slovakia forward Tomas Kopecky and the puck went to Branko Radivojevic, who was left with an open net. "The first one bounced right out in the slot from behind the net. The second one I got to but it just squeaked through," Bishop said. "Just unlucky goals. Otherwise I think we played a good game, but the other goalie played well. We could have scored five easily. Its a shame we didnt win." For the Czechs, Tomas Fleischmann showed the way with goals in the second and eight minutes. In a game without great significance, Christian Ehrhoffs second goal was an overtime winner as Germany beat France 3-2. Both teams quarterfinal hopes were dashed by Slovakias earlier victory. ' ' '