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TORONTO -- Patrick Kane looks at 2010 Vancouver Olympic final loss to Canada as the United States being one goal away from gold. Scarpe Under Armour Basket . Jonathan Quick looks at the 2014 Sochi Olympic semifinal loss as the U.S. being one goal away from playing for gold.This generation of U.S. players has always been one goal away and unable to finish the job. With Kane, Quick, Zach Parise, Ryan Suter and captain Joe Pavelski among those back for another crack, the realization is setting in that this World Cup of Hockey is the Americans best and perhaps last chance to win an international championship.Coach John Tortorella has told his team, Its time.Were probably in the prime and peak of our careers right now where we feel that its time to make something happen, Kane said. You can think about that pressure, you can do whatever you want with it, but it comes down to this tournament for us and this tournament only.The Americans open tournament play in Toronto on Saturday against Team Europe, and the showdown against Canada is Tuesday. With only three games in round-robin play, theres urgency for every team to start strong and no breathing room.Kane pointed out that previous American generations won at the 1960 and 1980 Olympics and 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Kane, Quick, Parise, Suter, Pavelski, David Backes and Ryan Kesler have been around for six years and through two Olympics and its not just time, its about time.Weve been there and weve had our chances and its time to break through, Pavelski said. Weve been close, but were looking for a little bit more out of each other and to really find that right ingredient and that big play at the right moment.Look no further than Kane, who won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP last season for the Chicago Blackhawks and led the league in scoring with 106 points. Hes the brightest of the U.S. stars and will have to do better than the zero goals and four points he produced in Sochi. Winger Max Pacioretty called Kane the best player in the game and the World Cup the perfect situation for him.Id go as far as to say our team has a good chance because Patrick Kane is in his prime, Pacioretty said. This tournament sets up perfectly for him. ... A guy like that can change a game in one shift so I think for the rest of the team our identity is be hard to play against, make life difficult for them, but Kaner, let him do his thing.Some things to watch as the United States faces Europe:LINE SHUFFLETortorella has Kane with left winger James van Riemsdyk and center Derek Stepan, and Pavelski centering Parise and Blake Wheeler, but wont hesitate to shake things up. Already Pacioretty has been bounced around the lineup, and everyone is on a short leash.We cant wait and its not about feeling our way through, Tortorella said.LAST CHANCEEurope coach Ralph Krueger isnt professing its time for a team that has never played together before, but he does know the clock is running out on players like 39-year-old Zdeno Chara, 38-year-old Mark Streit, 37-year-old Marian Hossa and 35-year-old Dennis Seidenberg.For a lot of them it might be the last time on this big a stage to have an opportunity to do something special, and we can feel the hunger for that, Krueger said.QUICK VS. HALAKQuick starts in goal for the U.S. against Europes Jaroslav Halak, who was impressive in the exhibition finale against Sweden. Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik and Europes top offensive players could be a tougher test for Quick than anyone thinks.EARLY JITTERSThe teams are full of veteran players who are familiar with elite tournaments, but the first game of the entire World Cup could see some early butterflies. A first-period mistake could have a long-term impact, especially because goal differential is a tiebreaker.BRUTE STRENGTHIf theres anything U.S. has more than other teams in the tournament its size and strength. Europe cant match that and will have to use finesse and playmaking to counteract the Americans power.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno ;Curry 3 Under Armour . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. Under Armour Curry One Italia . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. http:///...-bianche-marina.html . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. STORRS, Conn. -- Geno Auriemma mightve felt like he had developed multiple personalities this season, and his Connecticut Huskies hadnt even played their home opener yet.The Huskies kept their massive winning streak alive but looked mortal in a two-point win at Florida State on Monday. So as the Huskies raised their latest championship banner high to the rafters of Gampel Pavilion on Thursday, Auriemma and likely the entire state of Connecticut were curious about this latest edition of UConn basketball.After losing perhaps the greatest -- if not the most decorated -- big three that womens college basketball has ever seen in Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck, UConn paid homage to championship No. 11 with perhaps more questions than it has banners entering a showdown with No. 2 Baylor.Im really struggling with what the expectations should be for this team, Auriemma wondered aloud. It has kind of been a real headache-inducing kind of thing for me because I cant figure out what should the expectations be. Should the expectations be, This is Connecticut basketball. Of course you should be in the Final Four and play in the national championship game. And right after I think that, I think, You got to be out of your mind, why would you expect that from this particular group? And then right after I say, Why are you disrespecting these guys?[Then I think] are you going to be like everybody else and expect these guys to not miss a beat? So every day for me has been up and down, up and down, up and down.Auriemma sounds as if hes got as many voices in his head as the tortured Gollum. But college basketballs Lord of the Rings might have his latest freshman gem in Crystal Dangerfield.The 5-foot-5 Dangerfield might have been the smallest player on the court, but no one played bigger as the freshman scored 9 of her 19 points in the second half to lead UConn to a 72-61 victory over Baylor.The third-ranked Huskies (2-0) extended their winning streak to 77 by breaking open a 54-54 tie with 7:27 remaining with a 16-2 run. The surge didnt just finish the Lady Bears (2-1), but it seemed to silence -- for now -- some of the questions about whether this Huskies team can carry on their elite tradition.And Dangerfield did her best to calm some of Auriemmas doubts. The espnW HoopGurlz third-rated recruit in the country buried 8 of 14 shots, including 3 of 5 from behind the arc. She shot her jumper with confidence and spoke afterward the way she shot the ball.She reminded reporters that she has played in big games for USA Basketball, won Tennessee state championships in high school and plenty of other big games in a prolific high school career that included a scoring record of 2,186 points at Blackman High School.A game like that didnt faze me, Dangerfield said after beating Baylor. Big stage. Big game. I love games like this.When UConn struggled in the first half and headed into the loocker room at intermission looking vulnerable with a 32-29 lead, Dangerfield was one of the bright spots for the Huskies with 10 points. Scarpa da basket Uomo Nike React Hyperdunk 2017 Flyknit Rosse/Bianche. Baylor, which returned four starters from a 36-2 squad the season before, began to flex its muscle in the paint with a 9-2 run to open the third quarter as Kalani Brown and Beatrice Mompremier set an aggressive tone early out of the break. Baylor, which was led by senior guard Alexis Jones game-high 23 points, led 38-34 and the Gampel Gang grew quiet wondering if the Huskies were in trouble.But Kia Nurse scored on a layup and Dangerfield drilled a jumper to tie the score at 38. A couple of minutes later, Dangerfield assisted Katie Lou Samuelson on a 3-pointer and Gabby Williams on a layup. Then she knocked down a 3 of her own and assisted on two more UConn baskets to give the Huskies a five-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.Baylor was within four midway through the fourth, but Dangerfield responded with two steals as UConn picked up its defense. Dangerfield added a layup and then pretty much sealed the game with a jumper with 1:10 remaining to push the Huskies up 10.With Baylor touting what some believe is the best recruiting class in the country with three top-40 recruits, including espnW HoopGurlz No. 1 recruit Lauren Cox and No. 8 prospect Natalie Chou, Dangerfield was the best freshman on the floor Thursday.I dont want to say shes as good as any point guard that we have ever had, Auriemma said. That is saying too much too soon. But I think any other freshman in the country right now -- she is as good a guard as there is in the country coming in.Jefferson remains the measuring stick.The last time we saw Moriah, she was the best guard in the country, he said. Crystal coming in, out of high school, was a little further ahead than Moriah coming out of high school. ... Will she be further ahead three years from now? I just hope she catches up.On the night UConn unfurled its latest banner -- so new it still has creases in it -- Auriemma unwrapped what could be his next great talent. Perhaps Dangerfield is the recruiting prize that comes from the first class to ever win four straight national championships, led by a legendary trio that went 1-2-3 in the WNBA draft.Who knows if Dangerfield will reach the same heights as so many other stars in this storied program.One thing seems certain: The freshman doesnt lack any confidence in her game. What did she show Auriemma on Thursday?I wont disappear in big games, Dangerfield said. I just want to attack and be in those situations. I am not going to shy away from it. I feel like I have the experience to do it, so Ill be there.I know there are a lot of people that dont believe in us this year. We want to send a message every night we step on the floor. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
- Created: Oct 11 '17
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