I was going to slide outside and get my hand in from miao1234's blog
ANGELHOLM, SWEDEN – Team Canada head coach Brent Sutter blasted his players following an uninspired 3-0 loss to Sweden in an exhibition game Sunday night. Packers Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Grey Jersey . "Theyre a team that plays hard, they skate, they play with emotion and skill and we had guys who didnt tonight and it just shows that skills overrated unless you have a work ethic and a compete level that you have to have out there. We lost a lot of one-on-one battles. Outside of one guy, we lost a lot of face-offs ... We didnt have the puck, especially in the first period. We were just very passive and on our heels and basically we let them dictate the game and they did and we never seemed to get any momentum or control of it back," said Sutter. "I think its a good lesson for us." Bob McKenzie takes a closer look at why Canada struggled against Sweden. It was an assessment shared by his players. "Theyre a big challenge, obviously, they showed it tonight," said defenceman Derrick Pouliot, "luckily for us its still exhibition [season] so we got some time to improve and well see them down the road for sure." Canada will need to play a lot better if theyre going to beat the Swedes in the tournament, which starts on Boxing Day. The host nation is returning half of their players from last years silver-medal squad and Carolinas Elias Lindholm and Nashvilles Filip Forsberg, who were not in the lineup Sunday, will be on the ice by the time the round robin begins. Canada and Sweden are in different pools in the opening round and can only meet in the playoffs. "We didnt work, starting from myself," said left winger Jonathan Drouin, who sat out the first pre-tournament game on Friday. "I think the key guys have to produce offence and we didnt. We have to work harder against a skilled team like that." "Its not a lot of things that really went wrong," said defenceman Aaron Ekblad. "We just have to work harder as a team. That team outworked us and thats about all you can say about it." DROUIN RUSTY IN RETURN Drouin will be a key factor in whether Canada ends a four-year gold drought. Sunday marked the 18-year-olds first game since sustaining a concussion on Dec. 6 while playing with the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL. Head injuries can be tough to come back from at first and rust was evident. "I thought he was average at best," Sutter stated bluntly. "He didnt play very good at all, but its his first game. It was a feel-out process for him tonight. I guess Im not surprised the way it was. He hasnt played in a while and obviously were playing a top, top team." "Obviously, a little slow start," Drouin acknowledged. "Its been three weeks so first game is going to be a little harder. It was getting better and better as the game went on." Canada wraps-up its pre-tournament schedule with a game against Switzerland on Monday. Drouin believes that one more game should be enough for him to be ready for the tournament opener on Thursday against Germany. "Im sure Ill be fine, like I said, it just took some time and as the game went on I felt better and better," said Drouin, who was picked third overall in last Junes NHL draft by Tampa Bay. "Theres one more game and Im sure Ill be better." DUMBA EJECTED; SUSPENSION LOOMING? A lack of discipline also haunted Canada on Sunday as defenceman Mathew Dumba, named an alternate captain by Sutter on Thursday, was ejected in the second period for kneeing Erik Karlsson. The Swedes scored with one second left in the major penalty. Two of Swedens three goals came on the man advantage. Its possible that Dumba, loaned to Hockey Canada by the Minnesota Wild for the world juniors, may face a suspension for the hit. Canadian defenceman Griffin Reinhart will already miss the first three games of the tournament as he serves out a suspension picked up at last years event. And Sutter made it perfectly clear that going into the championships first game with fewer than six blueliners is not acceptable. "No, its not OK to go into the tournament with five D," he said. "I think youre grasping right now, reaching, thinking its a possible suspension. I couldnt even answer that. He got ejected from the game, but whether theres a suspension label to it? I couldnt tell you." Dumba was cut by Team Canada the last two years and has spoken about how much it means to him to be on the squad this time around. Bob McKenzie breaks down the Dumba situation and how a suspension would put Sutter in a tricky situation LONE BRIGHT SPOT The one player that escaped Sutters wrath was Jake Paterson. The Saginaw goalie kept the game scoreless in the first period as Canada was outshot 16-5. Jamie McLennan takes a closer look at Patersons performance "He played great," said Sutter. "He played outstanding. From the first shot that was taken on him, he was really, really solid for us. He kept it close for us, especially in the first period, but we never responded in the way we wanted to and you have to score goals to win games. We just never generated enough offensively. He gave us chance and I thought he played extremely well." Paterson is competing with Zach Fucale for the starting job. Fucale stopped 31 of 33 shots in Fridays 4-2 win against Finland. "Obviously Im looking, hopefully, to be the starter, but I have no idea what the coaches are thinking right now so I just got to be ready if they call upon me," said Paterson, who stopped 31 of 34 shots against Sweden. Sutter hasnt announced who will start on Monday against the Swiss. http://www.packersstore.us.com/Black-53-Nick-Perry-Womens-Jersey/ . Centre Samuel Bennett of the Ontario Hockey Leagues Kingston Frontenacs leads the pack among North American skaters, with 26 goals and 66 points this season. Packers Eddie Lacy Lights Out Jersey . LOUIS -- The St.CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The Cincinnati Reds used a well-rounded effort to end their losing streak on Saturday. Jay Bruce homered and drove in three runs and the Reds snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-5 win over the Phillies. Todd Frazier also homered and the Reds played strong defence, throwing out two runners at the plate to end innings and overcome homers by Marlon Byrd, Carlos Ruiz and Jimmy Rollins to send the Phillies to their seventh loss in eight games. "Talk about a complete game," first-year manager Bryan Price said. "Those two perfectly executed relay throws were a big deal. We had a lot of good things, defensively and offensively." Centre fielder Billy Hamilton, second baseman Brandon Phillips and catcher Devin Mesoraco teamed up to throw out Byrd at the plate to end the sixth inning and Ruiz to end the seventh. "Those are fun plays," Mesoraco said. "Those are always my most fun plays. You certainly dont want to give up the doubles to get into that position." Alfredo Simon (8-3) allowed seven hits and three runs with three strikeouts in six innings. Jonathon Broxton pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth for his eighth save. The Reds wasted no time snapping their 17-inning scoreless streak, scoring in the first inning. Hamilton drew a leadoff walk, stole second on the first pitch to Skip Schumaker and hustled to third on Schumakers groundout to Rollins at shortstop, setting up Bruces sacrifice fly. "As a team, you need the small things," Bruce said. "Those are what lead to the bigger things." The Phillies answered with Byrds two-run homer in the second, his ninth of the season. Frazier led off the bottom of the second with his team-leading 13th homer of the season, giving him home runs in three of his past four games. Frazier sparked Cincinnatis fourth-inning go-ahead rally with a single to right field and stolen base. Zack Cozart drove him in with a sinking line drive to right-centre field that Ben Revere got a glove on with a diving try before the ball trickled away. Cozart went to third on Ramon Santiagos single and scored on Hamiltons sacrifice fly. The Phillies threatened in the fifth, getting runners to second and third with one out, prompting manager Ryne Sandberg to pinch-hit John Maybberry Jr. Packers Aaron Rodgers White Jersey. for starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez. Hernandez (2-4), is 0-3 in seven starts since his most recent win on May 4, allowed four hits and four runs with three walks and two strikeouts in four innings. He also hit a batter. Bruce followed Brandon Phillips fifth-inning leadoff walk with his fourth homer of the season and first since April 20 against the Cubs in Chicago. The homer was his first in Cincinnati since April 3 and the 100th of his career at Great American Ball Park. "Thats one of those things I knew was coming," Bruce said. "You just have to keep on keeping on. Ive been trying to keep the same approach. It felt good to put a good swing on a pitch I should have driven." Ruiz led off the sixth with his second homer of the season, and Rollins hit a two-run shot in the seventh, his eighth homer of the season and second in two days. Byrd was thrown out on a double on Domonic Browns double to right-centre field. He collided with Mesoraco, prompting umpire crew chief Tom Hallion to ask for a review to make sure Major League Baseballs new rules governing plays at the plate werent violated. "I cant give you an educated response because I dont know what the rule is," Byrd said. "I was waiting for a lane. I was going to slide outside and get my hand in" When the replay confirmed the initial ruling, Sandberg came out of the dugout to argue, which is automatic grounds for ejection. The umpires tried to wave him back into the dugout, and Hallion ejected Sandberg when he persisted. "My argument was the catcher blocked the plate before he had the ball," Sandberg said. "Byrd almost twisted his ankle with indecision. It has gone against us three times with different scenarios. Everyone wants to know what the rule is." Notes: Reds 1B Joey Votto will begin an injury rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Sunday. Votto hasnt played since going on the disabled list on May 21, retroactive to May 16, with a quadriceps strain in his left knee, the same knee on which he had two surgeries in 2012. ... Bruces walk in the third inning was his first in 16 games since he was walked three times by Milwaukee on May 1. ... Sandbergs ejection was the first of his managerial career. ... Rollins needs six hits to pass Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt and become Philadelphias career hits leader. ' ' '
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