Prior to the tip-off with Pittsburgh, the Blue Devil coaching staff was hopeful that their young team would be able to rise to the occasion despite Christmas break looming. However, a very game Panther team and a performance Mike Krzyzewski deemed “disappointing” was too much to overcome.
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It is not often the Minnesota Wild are visited by the New York Rangers. In fact the last time the team had a visit from the Rangers, it was before the lockout. At that point in time the Wild were an overachieving team with a minimal payroll and was minimal on talent, while the Rangers were an underachieving team with a huge payroll. How times have changed, an above average payroll and above average talent while the Rangers again have an expensive roster (although just marginally more expensive than the Wild’s) but are again underachieving. A team that boasts high octane offensive weapons like Jaromir Jagr, Chris Drury, Brendan Shanahan, Scott Gomez and Martin Straka currently are one of the league’s lowest scoring teams. The Wild are a team that seems to be finding more offense, and hopefully the Minnesota Wild can use that improving offense to sustain that level of frustration for the Rangers tonight.
Minnesota had great jump in its skates from the drop of the puck. The Rangers seemed to be a bit surprised by the Wild’s tremendous quickness. Minnesota’s top line of Marian Gaborik, Pavol Demitra, and Aaron Voros would try to get a quick goal by charging the net, but Henrik Lundqvist would stop the first few shots and with the net rather open Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi made a big save with his skate. Yet, it was obvious the Rangers game plan was to constantly shadow Marian Gaborik, as they did a good job at denying the speedy Slovak the space he needs to reach top gear. The Rangers at times would demonstrate tremendous puck control, moving the puck causing Wild defenders to chase them around their zone. On the power play former Portland Winterhawk Brandon Dubinsky would take a short pass from Jaromir Jagr and fire it across to Michal Rozsival who would wind up and fire a slapper from the point that would inadvertently deflect off of Kim Johnsson and by Josh Harding to put the Rangers up 1-0. The Rangers were able to get some more shots, including a nice power move by Dubinsky but Harding was able to keep the puck out of the Wild net. Minnesota would keep trying, and its persistence would pay off as the first line would establish a good forecheck, forcing Jaromir Jagr to make an ill-advised pass that Aaron Voros would steal and give a beautiful between the legs pass to Demitra who would skate towards the Rangers net before making a laser-like cross-ice pass to a crashing Marian Gaborik who buried the biscuit to tie the game, 1-1. The goal would give the Wild some much needed momentum and add a level of frustration to New York who left the ice outshooting Minnesota 10 to 2.
Steelback Breweries
The Grand Prix of Toronto Champ Car race is looking for a new title sponsor.
The Grand Prix Association of Toronto, which runs the event, has confirmed that Steelback Breweries will not return as the race sponsor in 2008.
The Milan president Silvio Berlusconi claims the Club World Cup champions can improve their poor form in Serie A once their Brazilian teenager Pato is eligible to play from January.
As far as foreign football coaches go, Ernst Happel must surely be able to claim the high ground. In 1978 he took a Netherlands side deprived of their talisman, Johan Cruyff, to second place in the World Cup. But in international football that is as good as it gets. Only four of the undisputed major powers of football have never had a foreign national coach: Brazil, Italy, Germany and Argentina. They are also the four most successful World Cup nations, winners five times, four times, three times and twice respectively.
CHRISTINA Wheeler has won a wildcard into the Australian Open, beating Olivia Rogowska in straight sets in the women’s wildcard play-off final at Melbourne Park.
Victorian Wheeler ended the 16-year-old’s dream week with a 6-0 6-4 win to take the spot on offer for the tournament winner in the main draw.
Wheeler took control early, cruising through the first set and taking a 4-0 lead in the second set before Rogowska’s nerves settled and she got into her stride.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Top-ranked Ohio State suspended backup cornerback Eugene Clifford for violating team rules and said Thursday that Clifford will not play in the Allstate BCS Championship Game against LSU.
WCMH-TV and The Columbus Dispatch reported Wednesday that Buckeyes cornerback Donald Washington also was suspended for the title game, but an Ohio State spokesperson said Thursday that is not the case. Athletic director Gene Smith declined Thursday to confirm the suspensions, but said there was “work to be done.”
In a Dec. 15 story about the Denver-Penn State men’s basketball game, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Penn State had held Princeton and Denver to its second- and third-lowest points-against totals in school history. Princeton and Denver were held to the fewest points allowed by Penn State since Dec. 22, 1989, when the Nittany Lions beat Southwest Texas State, 62-37.
Coming off their worst shooting effort of the season, the Florida Gators (11-1) had no trouble finding the bottom of the net in their return to the O-Dome against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers (5-6). The Gators opened up the game by hitting nine of their first ten shots and racing out to an 18-0 lead.
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Third Round Proper
Ties in the above round are now all finalised as attached following confirmation that the Chasetown v Cardiff City tie will be played at Chasetown with a 1pm kick-off.
Please note the earlier kick-off times for the Wolverhampton Wanderers v Cambridge United and Walsall v Millwall ties both at 2pm.
The two BBC MOTD highlight ties are Ipswich Town v Portsmouth and Chasetown v Cardiff City.