January 1st

US & CANADA WIN, CLOSE PRELIMINARY ROUND WITH WINS

Canada and the United States closed out their respective preliminary round groups with victories at the World Juniors. Neither team was really challenged in their New Year’s Eve games as Canada cruised against Denmark 4-1, while the U.S. downed Finland, 5-3.

Before the puck was dropped, the entire medal round and relegation round were already set, making the outcome of both contests only academic. The U.S. and Finland game was a potential semi-final round preview as the Americans will face the winner of the Canada-Finland quarterfinal.

All teams have January 1st off as many will switch venues. The relegation round will be held in Liberec, while all medal round games will be played in Pardubice, Czech Republic.

Final Group A Ranking:


1. Sweden, 12 points

2. Canada, 9 points

3. Czech Republic, 6 points

4. Slovakia, 3 points

5. Denmark, 0 points
 
Final Group B Ranking:


1. USA, 12 points

2. Russia, 9 points

3. Finland, 5 points

4. Kazakhstan, 3 points

5. Switzerland, 1 point
 
Quarterfinal Games:


Canada – Finland, 4pm (local time) Tuesday

Russia – Czech Republic, 8pm (local time) Tuesday


OVECHKIN, JAGR, NABOKOV NHL'S THREE STARS OF THE WEEK

Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin, New York Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr and San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov have been named the NHL's Three Stars for the week ending December 30.

FIRST STAR – ALEXANDER OVECHKIN, F, WASHINGTON CAPITALS
 
Ovechkin tied for first among NHL scorers with seven points (5-2--7) as the Capitals won two of three games. On Dec. 26 he notched one assist in a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. On Dec. 27 he notched one goal in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished the week by recording four goals and one assist in an 8-6 win over the Ottawa Senators. Ovechkin leads the Capitals and is 10th in overall NHL scoring with 48 points (30-18--48) in 39 games. His 30 goals place him second in the League behind Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk (32).
 
SECOND STAR – JAROMIR JAGR, F, NEW YORK RANGERS
 
Jagr tied for first among NHL scorers with seven points (4-3--7) in three games. On Dec. 26 he recorded two goals in a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. He notched one goal and three assists in a 6-1 victory over Toronto Maple Leafs Dec. 29 and recorded one goal in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Montreal Canadiens Dec. 30. For the season Jagr is second on the Rangers with 34 points (11-23--34) in 39 games.
 
THIRD STAR – EVGENI NABOKOV, G, SAN JOSE SHARKS
 
Nabokov posted a record of 3-0-0, a 1.34 goals-against average and .949 save percentage and one shutout as San Jose (21-12-5, 47 points) recorded three road victories. On Dec. 26 he recorded 34 saves in a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. On Dec. 28 he made 26 saves in recording his fifth shutout of the season, a 1-0 win over the St Louis Blues. He finished the week recording 21 saves in a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. Nabokov has appeared in all 38 Sharks games, posting a 21-12-5 record with a 1.99 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and five shutouts. 


CANADA WINS SPENGLER CUP

Canada skated to a 2-1 win over Russian club Salavat Yulaev Ufa on Monday in the final of the Spengler Cup hockey tournament in Davos, Switzerland.

Kirby Law and Ryan Keller scored in the second period for Canada, which won the competition for the first time in four years after posting a perfect 4-0 record in the round robin.

Alexander Perezhogin scored the lone goal for the Russians against veteran Canadian goalie Curtis Joseph.

Canada has appeared in seven of the last eight championship games, winning the Spengler Cup in 2002 and 2003.

Canada's Spengler Cup roster consisted mainly of Canadian-born players currently playing in Europe and NHL prospects.

The Spengler Cup, held annually since 1923, is the oldest professional international hockey tournament in the world.


Be sure to log onto WWW.THESTITCH.US, and I hope you have a Happy New Year.