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SOCHI, Russia – Even before the Olympic tournament began, before the under-looked and under-appreciated Fins would stun the ent
SOCHI, Russia – Even before the Olympic tournament began, before the under-looked and under-appreciated Fins would stun the ent
in Weihnachts-Forum von Planet Xmas 06.11.2019 08:42von jokergreen0220 • 1.635 Beiträge
SOCHI, Russia – Even before the Olympic tournament began, before the under-looked and under-appreciated Fins would stun the entire nation of Russia, Olli Jokinen prescribed the formula that would get it done. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free Shipping . “I think we have the best goaltending out of all the other countries,” Jokinen said. “We play a good team game. Plus, we feel that at the end of the day it doesnt matter who puts the Finnish jersey on the team is going to play the same game anyways. For us its not so much about the names on the back, its about the good, solid team game and good goaltending.” That was what it took to bring down Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and the home country at Bolshoy Ice Dome on Wednesday night: spectacular goaltending from Tuukka Rask, a few timely goals and continued adherence to a team game, despite injury losses that seemed too burdensome to overcome. Ever the underdog, Finland has altered the face of these Games in Russia and reminded the hockey world, yet again, why only one country has medaled in three of the four Olympics involving NHL players. “You know that nobody ever believed that we could win, but it doesnt matter,” said captain Teemu Selanne, who had a goal and an assist in the 3-1 upset over Russia. “The experts are wrong many times. We have to believe in our team.” There was no Ovechkin on this team, no Malkin, not even the injured and more recognizable likes of Mikko and Saku Koivu, Valtteri Filppula, or even Aleksander Barkov, the second overall pick in last summers NHL draft. For star power, it came down to Rask, who was terrific with 37 saves, and Selanne, playing in his final Olympics at age 43. “Weve got good team spirit and our style to play,” said Leo Komarov, who played in the NHL with the Maple Leafs last season. The Finns, who won bronze in 1998 and 2010 and silver in 2006, were a determined and youthful bunch on this night, led, however, by the aging Selanne, the unsolvable Rask and 21-year-old Mikael Granlund, who set up Selannes go-ahead goal and eventual game-winner before scoring the third and final marker himself. “I think this is a great business card for Granlund to show how good he can be,” Selanne said of Granlund, who has 28 points in his second season with the Minnesota Wild. In upsetting the Russians and holding Ovechkin and Malkin off the score-board entirely – the pair combined for two goals all tournament – Finland gets an opportunity to play in Fridays semi-final against Sweden with another medal chance close at hand. Mindful of a rest advantage – Russia was playing for the fourth time in five days – Selanne believes a turning point for his country came in their final preliminary round match against Canada during which they lost 2-1 in overtime, hanging around despite an overwhelming talent disparity. “My young teammates, when they realized that they can compete against the best players in the world it felt great,” said Selanne, who played in his first Olympics in 1992. “I dont know how many people saw that, [but] I saw it very [closely]. I was very proud of those guys. I think thats the carryover from that game. Its a good feeling when you realize that you can compete against the best.” Yet again it was a sum of parts defeating what was ultimately an incredibly talented and yet flawed Russian squad, one that buckled under the strain of a countrys worth of pressure. They fell in the quarterfinals for the second straight Olympics. “It sucks,” said Ovechkin, who had just a single goal all tournament, held to three shots by Finland and singled out by his head coach afterward. Rask was there all night to turn aside whatever Ovechkin and the Russians could muster. The 26-year-old got stronger as the game wore on, stopping all 27 shots in the final 40 minutes, including one on Alexander Radulov in the waning moments of victory. “Tuukka?” said Komarov with a grin. “Hes okay.” And ultimately it was Rask, who summed up the under-looked and under-appreciated Finns. “Even though nobody ever picks us to win medals,” he said, “we always seem to find a way to get there and win one.” Cheap NFL Jerseys China . - Kobe Bryant and LeBron James traded hugs, big shots and verbal jabs all night with warmth and humour. NFL Jerseys China . He liked what he saw on Tuesday night. Not only did his team post a comeback 3-2 victory in a shootout over the Montreal Canadiens, but the rival Washington Capitals were beaten 5-1 in Buffalo. https://www.chinajerseysnfl.us/ . Mohamed Diame put West Ham ahead in the 47th minute before goals by substitutes Carlton Cole and Joe Cole condemned Fulham to a fifth straight defeat, keeping the visitors in the bottom three.Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Frank Mason III scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to help No. 9 Kansas beat 24th-ranked Oklahoma State 67-57 on Tuesday. Mason was 9-of-11 from the free throw line, where Kansas (14-2, 3-0 Big 12) spent much of the night. The Jayhawks made 32 of their 46 attempts at the charity stripe and only attempted 43 shots from the field. We have to do a better job defending without fouling, said Cowboys coach Travis Ford. The way the game was played was tough for our basketball team. It was like an uphill battle. Kansas also got 14 points and six rebounds from Kelly Oubre Jr. The Cowboys (12-4, 2-2) got 21 points from LeBryan Nash and 18 from Phil Forte, the Big 12s two leading scorers. The pair totaled 20 of those points on free throws as Oklahoma State went 22-of-25 from the line. Beyond Nash and Forte, Oklahoma State got little production. The 10 other Cowboys that took the floor combined to shoot 7-of-29. In the second half, Forte was in and out of the game with what appeared to be a leg injury. He attempted just two shots after the break, leaving Nash to shoulder the scoring load. Nash scored 19 points in the second half, including 15 of the teams final 20. He cut the Cowboys deficit to four with four free throws in a 30-second span with 12 minutes to play, but Kanssas scored 10 of the next 13 points to restore its comfortable lead. Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap. Jamari Traylors dunk in transition with 42 seconds left extended the Jayhawks lead to its final margin of 10. After a sluggish start, Kansas was awakened by Cliff Alexanders powerful slam over Anthony Allen that resulted in a three-point play. Alexander got a technical foul for taunting, but the Jayhawks made four of their next five shots in a 9-0 run to take a 24-16 lead with 8 1/2 minutes left in the first. Yeah, I knew it was going to be a dog fight from the get-go. We just had to prepare ourselves for it, said Alexander. The Cowboys used a pair of triples to help cut their deficit back down to one but neither team had much success from the field for the remainder of the half. Both the Jayhawks and Cowboys went into the break making just one of their last 11 shots, and Kansas held a 32-28 lead after one. Game Notes Kansas coach Bill Self is now 14-9 all-time against his alma matter ... The Jayhawks started 3-0 in Big 12 play for the ninth straight season ... Kansas is now 13-0 when allowing fewer than 70 points ... Fortes four-game streak of scoring 20-or-more points ended ... Each team is in action next on Saturday with Kansas traveling to Iowa State and Oklahoma State visiting rival Oklahoma. ' ' '
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