Group Info
Anaheim.NOTES: The Sharks have bee
SURREY, B. James Lofton Jersey .C. - B.C. Lions club president Dennis Skulsky ensured a "guaranteed win" against the Roughriders, one of the best teams in the CFL. If the Lions (5-3) lose to the Riders (5-2), B.C. fans will get a free ticket to a future game. The gesture, the first in the Lions 61-year history, is a throwback to a time when team owners guaranteed wins to help boost crowds. In this case, a loss could be an expensive setback, because the Lions anticipate their largest crowd of the season as they open the upper deck at B.C. Place Stadium, due in large part to rabid Rider fans. You can watch live coverage on TSN and TSN GO tonight at 7pm et/4pm pt. Andrew Harris has a guarantee of his own on a team full of them. "I feel great, I feel great — thats a guarantee," said the B.C. running back, who will return from a one-game injury absence when the Lions host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday. But Harris, who sat out last weekends win in Toronto due to a sore ankle, his teammates and coaches welcomed Skulskys move as they held their last full practice Friday prior to Sundays contest — despite the added pressure that the guarantee might put on them. Regardless of whether Skulskys move was just a marketing ploy, Harris has gained added motivation from it. "For me, personally, I attack every week and I guarantee myself a win," said Harris, who leads the league in yards from scrimmage with 781. "Anything less than that is disappointing. So for the president to come out and say that, it definitely puts a little bit more fire into the blood — and (the Roughriders) are even more fired up as well." Harris also hopes Skulskys promise will lead to a better effort at home, where the usually dominant Lions are a modest 2-2. "For us, we havent been that great at home," said Harris. "We need to be better. So whatever kind of tactic it was on his part, its working, and were ready." Saskatchewan fans have also provided a guarantee of sorts by renting a billboard in a high-traffic area near B.C. Place that, bearing a female fan and Roughriders logo, claims "Green is the new orange" in to the clubs respective colours. "Its just kind of disrespectful," said Harris. "I didnt see the billboard personally, but I think having a B.C. Lion billboard in Riderville would be upsetting to them, too." Either way, he added, the billboard, along with Skulskys guarantee, shows the importance that both teams and their fans are placing in the game. With a win, both the Lions and the Riders, who had a bye last weekend, have a chance to gain a share of first place in the West Division. So was Skulskys ploy really necessary to help the Lions cause? Does it have the chance to harm more than help a Lions team who are looking to extend their win streak to four games? Coach Mike Benevides said he and general manager Wally Buono discussed the guarantee with Skulsky beforehand. But Benevides, who was impressed with Skulskys passion as he issued the guarantee during a radio interview, dismissed the idea that the club president has put more pressure on the coaches and players. "Pressure? When youre in pro sports, our job is to win the game," said Benevies. "So there is no extra pressure." Lions quarterback Kevin Glenn said Skulskys gesture was a sign of the confidence that he has in players. "The same way that Saskatchewan has confidence in their team and they posted their (billboard) in somebody elses town," said Glenn. "It goes both ways. Both teams have to come out. Saskatchewan is a very good team, and we know were in for a battle. I think both sides know its going to be a good game, and were going to make sure that its a good game." Glenn will attempt to live up to that promise as he starts amidst seemingly added pressure from the presence of Travis Lulay, who continues to progress from off-season shoulder surgery. Lulay, who will suit up for his third game of the season, is expected to slot in occasionally, as he did in Toronto, depending on how things go for Glenn as Benevides gradually increases the usual No. 1 quarterbacks playing time. Meanwhile, returner Tim Brown, chosen as the CFL special teams player of the week after racking up 249 return yards in Toronto, will draw back into the B.C. lineup after his status was uncertain earlier this week. "These (Roughriders) are a huge challenge on special teams," he said. "You have to have the best guys on the field, and (Brown) is gonna give us a chance (to win)." Benevides has juggled his roster after saying on Monday that Brown had only a "50-50" chance of playing because of the nuances of the leagues Canadian and import player ratio. The coach said that, contrary to his earlier comment, Browns place in the lineup is "100 per cent guaranteed." A. J. Hawk Jersey . Now, the hottest team on the ATP are pointing their sights on qualifying for the eight-team season finals in London next November. Pospisil has now established the year-end World Tour Finals as the benchmark for a breakthrough season, with Pospisil and Sock provisionally standing ninth. Bryan Bulaga Jersey . The Canadians led for much of the game before Argentina forced overtime in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. Canada weathered the storm after squandering a lead with a series of made shots. "Its a fantastic win for our country with 11 first-time Canadian national team members," said head coach Roy Rana.SAN JOSE, Calif. - Cory Schneider and the New Jersey Devils found a way to get rid of the bad taste from a lopsided loss at Anaheim before heading into a lengthy break.Schneider made 34 saves and Mike Cammalleri scored a tiebreaking, power-play goal late in the second period to help the New Jersey Devils beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2 on Monday night in their final game before the All-Star break.We can feel good about ourselves, Schneider said. We just have to capture this and realize this is what we have to do night in and night out. We have a lot of time here to rest up. Hopefully we can play like this afterward.Steve Bernier, Jordin Tootoo, Travis Zajac and Jacob Josefson also scored for the Devils, who bookended wins over Los Angeles and San Jose around a 5-1 loss to the Ducks before taking an eight-day break for the All-Star game.You go in feeling good but you cant feel too good, said general manager and interim co-coach Lou Lamoriello. You just have to realize what you did to have success and take that from the game and just pick it up when you get back. Unfortunately were going into a break right now. I wish we werent.Joe Pavelski and Matt Nieto scored for the Sharks, who have lost five of six home games and have already surpassed last years total of regulation home losses with their eighth this season. Alex Stalock made 29 saves as he set a career high in goals allowed in a game.There wasnt a lot of good in that game, coach Todd McLellan said. Our power play was probably the best part of our game and we gave up a short-handed goal. That tells you all you need to know about the game.Making matters worse for the Sharks was the fact they lost two key players to upper-body injuries. Defenceman Justin Braun left after blocking a shot in the second period and forward Tommy Wingels was hurt after being slashed in the third.. Matt Flynn Jersey. McLellan said both will be out for a while.The Sharks tied the game early in the second when Nieto scored on a one-timer off a feed from Tyler Kennedy. Brent Burns set up the goal with a good rush from the defensive zone.But Burns gave it back when he committed his third minor penalty of the game later in the period when he was called for hitting Tom Sestito in the head.The Devils made Burns pay when Cammalleris shot on the power play beat Stalock to give New Jersey the lead for good.Zajac scored an insurance goal in the third and Josefson added a short-handed goal.Once we score we have to keep the momentum going our way, Nieto said. We have to have that killer instinct. Every game counts and we have to find ways to win in our building.Schneider helped New Jersey kill three penalties while protecting a one-goal lead, including 12 seconds of a two-man advantage early in the third.If they get one on any of those power plays its a different game, Schneider said. I thought our killers did a fantastic job, especially there at the end getting a short-handed goal was really the nail in the coffin. We bent a few times but we didnt break.After allowing an early goal to Pavelski following a turnover by Scott Gomez, the Devils controlled the play. They struck twice in a span of 35 seconds late in the period to take a 2-1 lead. Tootoo tied it when he beat Stalock on his third attempt from in close.Gomez then made up for his earlier error by forcing a turnover from Brenden Dillon to set up Berniers goal that made it 2-1. New Jersey outshot San Jose 17-8 in the period one game after being held to 15 shots overall by Anaheim.NOTES: The Sharks have been outscored 16-8 in the first period of their last 13 home games. ... New Jersey Fs Jaromir Jagr and Tuomo Ruutu missed their third straight game with the flu. ' ' '
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