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rt International last month in Australia, converte...

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rt International last month in Australia, converted her second matc

Started by wff0605, 2014/09/01 02:31AM
Latest post: 2014/09/01 02:31AM, Views: 340, Posts: 1
rt International last month in Australia, converted her second matc
#1   2014/09/01 02:31AM
wff0605
GLENDALE, Ariz. Marc... Rojo Argentina Jersey . -- The end of the season hit the Phoenix Coyotes particularly hard. After scratching and clawing their way deeper into the playoffs than they had ever been, the Coyotes were struck by the did-that-just-happen shock of an overtime goal that simultaneously ended Game 5 of the Western Conference finals and their season. On the ice and in the locker room, they were bitter, angry, frustrated; at the officiating, the Los Angeles Kings, themselves. Two days later, the disappointment was still there, only tempered by the sense of accomplishment. A first division title in the NHL, three games from the Stanley Cup finals, a prospective owner in waiting -- its hard to stay mad too long after what was easily the best season in franchise history. "It did sting and it still does a little bit," Coyotes forward Mikkel Boedker said on Thursday as the team held its final meetings and the players cleaned out their lockers. "Looking back, its obviously not the way you want to end, but looking back at the whole season, its a story that should be told all the way around." It was quite a tale. Picked to finish near the bottom of the Western Conference, the Coyotes played with a prove-everybody-wrong intensity all season. They overcame a string of injuries and a ruthless schedule the first half of the season with an 11-game winning streak in February that got them back into the playoff picture. They won the final five games of the regular season to capture their first division title in 33 years as an NHL franchise. They got past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in 25 years and kept going, knocking off two supposedly superior teams to reach the conference finals for the first time. OK, so maybe it didnt end the way they wanted. Watching Dustin Penner score 17:42 into overtime just seconds after Phoenix defenceman Michal Rozsival limped off following a questionable hit was tough to take. Still, finishing three wins from reaching the Stanley Cup finals with a team that has no superstars, its hard for these desert underdogs not to feel good about what they accomplished. "Youre going 100 mph and it stops, so thats the frustrating part," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "But as days go by, I think were going to recognize that this was a pretty special group." It could be the group that sets the franchises foundation firmly in the desert. The Coyotes have had a few surges in popularity, from when the team moved from Winnipeg to when Wayne Gretzky became owner and, later, their coach. But in recent years, support in Phoenix has waned, in part because fans were reluctant to support a team they werent sure was going to stick around. The Coyotes jumpstarted the fan base with their late-season push and the Phoenix area became infused with hockey fever as the team reached deeper into the playoffs, filling Jobing.com Arena with a "Whiteout" for every home game. And with that enthusiasm has come the possibility of some long-awaited stability: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced before Game 5 of Phoenixs second-round series with Nashville that the league had reached a preliminary agreement to sell the team to a group headed by former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison. The deal has a few hurdles yet to cross and there have been disappointments in the past, but theres a feeling that this one will go through. And should it work out, the Coyotes would finally break free of the shackles of being run by the league the past three years, giving them resources to keep their best players and bring in a batch of new ones. "From Ive been told, this is the most positive everyones been about everything," Coyotes captain Shane Doan said. "The run we had obviously has helped and I really hope it gets done quickly." Once the ownership issue is solved, Doan will be the teams top priority. The only remaining player from the Winnipeg days, hes been the face of the franchise and the heart of the locker room. He ended an agonizingly long wait with his first hat trick in 16 seasons this year and showed he is still a force on the ice at 35, pinballing opponents throughout the playoffs. "Certainly, Shane is priority No. 1 once we get our ownership situation take care of," Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said. "We want to keep Shane. Hes not going anywhere, if I have anything to do with it." Doan isnt the only player the Coyotes want to keep. Ray Whitney, who led the team in scoring at 40, will become a free agent, along with Daymond Langkow, Taylor Pyatt, Adrian Aucoin and Rozsival. Goalie Mike Smith, who became an undeniable No. 1 goalie in his first season in the desert, also has one year left on his contract and could start negotiating with the team this summer. Adding Jamison as an owner would give the Coyotes the resources to keep the players they want and finally go after big-name free agents without having to convince them the team is staying in Phoenix. So with financial and organizational stability, a solid core of returning players and the confidence that comes from going deep in the playoffs, theres more optimism for the franchise than perhaps at any time since it moved to the desert in 1996. "We put ourselves in this position, got to where we got because we deserved to be there," Smith said. "We raised the bar now to come back next year in better shape and to be a team that fights for the division title again and hopefully get another run to the Stanley Cup." The foundation has been set. Now its time to build on it. wholesale nfl jerseys . This is never more true than when it comes to rookies, getting their first chance to shine in the NHL. No matter how highly-touted, there comes a time when new NHLers need to show what they can do when they play with the big boys. M... Depay Netherland Jersey .On the strength of a Wayne Rooney penalty, United earned their draw and surpassed their rivals as the most crowned team in the league. The title was Sir Alex Fergusons 12th as manager of the Red Devils and capped an incredible run to the top that started with his first in 1992-93, the first year of the Premier League.Impressively finishing with 80 points, United overcame a strong start by Chelsea to capture the title by nine over the Blues and Manchester City who both finished level with 71 points. .Y. -- After playing 12 consecutive one-goal games against the Rochester Americans this season, the Toronto Marlies finally won in convincing fashion to move onto the next round of the American Hockey League playoffs. [url=http://www.salejerseyswholesale.com/Mlb-jerseys.html]MLB Jerseys China . Goalkeeper Joe Hart also played a part in Citys crucial win at Etihad Stadium by saving a penalty from Frank Lampard in the 52nd minute, denying the England midfielder his 200th goal for Chelsea. PARIS -- Second-seeded Marion Bartoli powered past Petra Martic of Croatia 7-5, 6-1 to reach the Open GDF Suez quarterfinals on Thursday. Roberta Vinci of Italy and Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium also moved into the quarters along with Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic and German pair Mona Barthel and Angelique Kerber. Bartoli hit a forehand return winner to clinch victory. The Frenchwoman won seven consecutive games to lead 4-0 in the second set despite seven double faults. "My serve cost me in the first set," Bartoli said. "Either I was making double faults or I was serving too softly. "Shes a girl who returns very well and who hits the ball hard. She troubled me right away. Fortunately, I managed to break her otherwise I could have lost that first set." Martic saved 16 break points but her form dropped in the final set. "The rallies exhausted her a bit," Bartoli said. "I felt great physically therefore I got the upper hand in the second set." Vinci beat American qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. The seventh-seeded Italian broke twice in the final set, clinching victory when Mattek-Sands sent a backhand into the net. Mattek-Sands struggled with her serve in the first set, making four double-faults and landing only 45 per cent of her first serves. Blank Chelsea Jersey. But the American jumped out to 5-0 in the next set to level the match when Vinci sent a forehand wide. Mattek-Sands finished the match despite a lower back injury. She was in pain at 3-2 in the decider, sobbing during the changeover and calling a therapist to massage her left hip and thigh. Wickmayer ousted American teenager Christina McHale 6-2, 7-5. McHale saved three match points at 5-4, but Wickmayer converted her fourth match point when the youngest player in the top 50 sent a backhand wide. Barthel defeated Pauline Parmentier 6-3, 6-0, hitting 26 winners to 6 for the French wild card. The German qualifier, who won the Hobart International last month in Australia, converted her second match point with a backhand crosscourt winner. Zakopalova advanced to her first quarterfinal since the Korea Open in September, cruising past Tsvetana Pironkova 6-0, 6-3. Kerber, a U.S. Open semifinalist, edged out Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. In Fridays quarters, Kerber plays top-seeded Maria Sharapova, Wickmayer faces Barthel, Zakopalova meets sixth-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany and Vinci takes on Bartoli. ' ' '


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