sprig

Thanks for the finish ( or is that finnish?). My dsl went down the tubes and is barely functional now. Another call to the ISP. They are having major problems lately. Nice win, good game Zach, Brady, and Drew.

Montoya makes a good save, and Sweden takes an INT penalty. Penalty killed by Sweden. 5 minutes remain. Time out Sweden.

Parise and Wisniewki on a short handed 2 on 1, pass doesn't connect. Parise wraps around, and Werner scores on the rebound. 4-3 USA Parise and Wisniewski both get assists. Penalty killed.

Period 3 starts. Wisniewski gets high sticked in the face 6 seconds in. Looks like a 4 minute on Sweden. PP coming up. Good chances by Kesler, but Ackerland makes the saves. Little else happens and the 4 minute ends. USA needs to step it up. High sticking on Richmond. Swede PP. Sweden ties it. 3-3 Sweden then changes goalies, Lindstrom in? Eaves gets a penalty, another Sweden PP. Goalies change again, maybe an equipment problem?

US team is that talented. This is much the same lineup that won the under 18's two years ago. Eaves coached that team also; no doubt Eaves is a good coach, evidenced by Wisco's success so far this year. That's it for period 2. 3-2 USA Shots that period: Sweden 11-8 BTW, the dman assisting on Sterling's goal was Suter, not Stuart. (Stuart did have assists on Sterlings two previous goals in the tourney)

Sweden gets it back. 3-2 USA Under five minutes left in the second.

Yes, it's Brett, and dman Stuart is the US captain, father Stuart is the team doctor, I believe.

Defensive standoff after the Swede goal. US gets a 3 on 1 and Sterling scores, Moore and Suter (edit) with assists. 3-1 This is a Canadian referee, wonder if that has something to do with the two assists on each goal.

Swedes putting on some pressure. Montoya makes a big save.

Video of the USA goals from the first two games show lots of empty seats.

Montoya with a giveaway; Swedes score. 2-1 Back to 5 on 5.

Period underway. PP over, penalty now on Kesler. BTW, Kesler, who went off bleeding after taking a Slovakian stick yesterday, had his upper eye lid cut off. It was sewed back on and he's playing today Parise undressed the Swede dman one on one, but shoots over the crossbar. Penalty is killed. 2-0 Matching penalties, Stafford the US penalty. 4 on 4.

Parise and Murray have been all over the Swedes every shift. Swedes are having trouble handling them. Nice to see Stafford get his first point also. I think the broadcaster is having troulble with the Finn announcements. Box score now shows the goals as follows: Werner- Wisniewski, Parise Carle- Dowell, Stafford Two assists on each goal, rare in European scoring.

Scrum in front of the Sweden net, pileup in front ends up in net. 2-0 US Carle gets the goal, assists to Dowell and Stafford US kills a Suter penalty, now Sweden gets another penalty with less than a minute left in the period. 2-0 after one; about a minute of carryover PP remains. Shots USA 21-10.

Parise and Murray all over the Swedes early, draw a penalty. PPG, Werner tips in a Wisniewski point shot, Parise also with an assist. 1-0 USA

US/Sweden starts in 20 minutes. Yesterday, Russia barely got by Austria 3-1. US/Russia tomorrow at 8AM. Russia has today off, so they will be a bit fresher than the US.

http://wcha.ocsn.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/122903aaa.html

Video of the 5 USA goals vs. Slovakia: http://www.usahockey.com/servlets/FileServ...%20Slovakia.wmv

Center Ice picks up the Canadian TSN broadcasts. Don't believe any US networks/sports channels will telecast any of the games, including the medal round. Fortunately, I get CTV via cable, so can watch some of the Canadian games, hopefully a US/Canada matchup in the medal round.

I think the Sioux will have a good weekend at SCSU. However, Mankato doesn't provide much of a challenge, having just lost to the likes of Vermont and Dartmouth. Wisco should handle them.

They continue to call it the Annual Subway Holiday Classic, which makes it sound like it will continue. Not sure when it would be held next year with the WJC in town. Sounds like a good call-in question for this weeks coach's show.

8-2 Sioux win. Much better offensively than last night, Blais was much happier with the effort.

Stafford is on the fourth line, has 8 SOG's, and sounds to have had some good scoring chances in both games. Hasn't yet hit the twine, however.

Canadian games are on CTV; don't believe any USA games are scheduled to be televised unless they play Canada in the medal round, then only on CTV. Would guess the US will have to win this tourney to have much chance of seeing anyone (other than Canadian TV) pick up next year's under 20 tourney in Grand Forks (and TRF).

http://www.usahockey.com/servlets/FileServ...s%20Austria.wmv Video of three goals from the win over Austria. Parise's 5 on 3 goal is the first, and I believe the third is a Parise 5 on 4 goal. The second goal scorer is the Eaves shortie, but watch the Austrian defensman turn his back to to Eaves and get beat up the middle (on a very marginal stick/shoulder fake). Would have to watch small kids hockey to see something that bad. Austria is just not good. Seems that not that many years ago the US was in this position, winning the B pool, then getting blitzed the following year in the A pool. Sweden is up next, at 8AM Tuesday morning. Opponents keep getting tougher.