Unser Chat » ing our own backs. I think Americans refer to it

PORTLAND, Ore. -- For more than four months, the Portland Winterhawks were invincible on home ice. The Edmonton Oil Kings ended the Winterhawks 25-game home winning streak Friday and closed to within one game of winning their second Western Hockey League championship in three years. Griffin Reinhart and Henrik Samuelsson scored second-period goals as the Oil Kings defeated Portland 3-2 in Game 5 of the WHL finals to take a 3-2 series lead. "Gutsy effort by our guys coming into this building and grinding out a solid road game," said Edmonton coach Derek Laxdal. "I thought our guys were really composed in a huge game." Edgars Kulda scored a first-period power-play goal for Edmonton, and goaltender Tristan Jarry made 37 saves and stood tall during a late Portland charge. "The mindset coming into the series was that wed have to win one on the road," said Reinhart. "Weve been comfortable in close games all year." Paul Bittner and Mathew Dumba scored for Portland, which hadnt lost at home since Jan. 4. Corbin Boes stopped 27 shots in defeat. "I thought we did a lot of good things tonight," said Winterhawks head coach Mike Johnston. "If we repeat that game well be OK in Game 6." Bittner broke a scoreless streak of nearly 132 minutes for the Winterhawks with his fourth goal of the series with 4:32 left in the first period to put Portland up 1-0. Kulda responded with 1:33 left in the first on the Oil Kings fourth power play of the period. The Oil Kings took their first road lead of the series on Reinharts goal 2:11 into the second period, then made it 3-1 on Samuelssons fourth goal of the series at 7:39. That score held until Dumba scored with 1:45 left in regulation to pull Portland within one, but the Winterhawks could not find an equalizer down the stretch. "(Edmonton) is good when they have the lead," Johnston said. "They really trapped it up in the third period, but we had seven or eight chances where we shot it over the net, we cut it too fine." Edmonton finished 1 for 5 on the power play, while Portland went scoreless on four chances. The Winterhawks, who had the top power play in the WHL in the regular season, are stuck in an 0-for-15 slump with the man advantage since Game 1. "Were not getting the bounces we want, but if we keep playing the same way we can win 3-2 next time," Bittner said. Edmonton, which beat the Winterhawks in seven games in the 2012 WHL finals, has won three straight games after dropping the first two of the series in Portland. The Winterhawks won last years championship in six games over Edmonton. The Oil Kings can wrap up the series with a win in Sundays Game 6. If Portland wins, the Winterhawks will host Game 7 Monday. "Weve been good at home," said Reinhart. "Were going to put distractions aside and play our best game." Carl Banks Giants Jersey . Viewers in the Jets region can watch the game on TSN Jets at 6:30pm ct/7:30pm et. The game is also avialable on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg at 7pm ct. Custom New York Giants Jerseys . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. http://www.authenticnygiantspro.com/Carl-banks-giants-jersey/ . - Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte sees the commitment to the handoff and cant help but come away impressed. Odell Beckham Jr Womens Jersey . Solomon Elimimian did not make the trip with the team after suffering what appeared to be a right leg injury in the teams regular season finale against the Calgary Stampeders. Lawrence Taylor Giants Jersey .B. -- Canadas Rachel Homan opened the Ford Womens World Curling Championship with a 7-5 win over Russia on Saturday.As we approach Sundays FIFA Under-20 Womens World Cup Final at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, its time to shake off that inertia Canadians possess for slapping our own backs. I think Americans refer to it as “grandstanding”. Already more than a quarter of a million spectators from Moncton to Edmonton have taken in the tournament first hand. There they have witnessed matches upholding the true spirit of the beautiful game: Free-flowing football with an absence of simulation and malicious intentions. Weve seen more goals and high scoring matches than anyone could have dared to imagine. Surely even Kim Jong-un must have got to his feet at the final whistle to salute Nigerias six-star performance in Moncton Wednesday. Proceedings kicked off with a star-studded banquet in Montreal Aug. 3 where guests included the FIFA President. Whilst here, for good measure, Sepp Blatter threw his support behind the Canadian Soccer Associations government-endorsed bid to host the 2026 World Cup Finals. You know, the one where Cristiano Ronaldo announces his Real Madrid exit in favour of Montreal? CSA President and chair of the National Organizing Committee Victor Montagliani, and everyone he is tasked to oversee, are now rightfully reaping the rewards of their labour seeds sown across the country since preparations for Canada 2014 began back in earnest, in March, 2011. That came right after Canada was awarded the rights to host Canada 2015 by FIFA. "The soccer has been fantastic and we expect the best match to be played on Sunday with Germany facing Nigeria in the FIFA U20 Womens World Cup Canada 2014,” Montagliani told TSN.ca by email yesterday. The tournament itself, one could say, is the official launch of the FIFA Womens World Cup Finals in Canada 2015. Or as Montagliani stated; "The competition is a great launching pad for next years FIFA Womens World Cup: for FIFA, the National Organising Committee, the stadia and training grounds, and the host cities.” The outstanding outpouring of country-wide support for our U-20s at Canada 2014 - where we eventually became unstuck by the Germans [who doesnt?] in the quarter-final - has not been lost on the Chairman. "The way our country got behind the Canadian team was fantastic. The best crowds were always those when Canada played, including the 22,421 in Edmonton for the quarter-final phase,” Montagliani added..dddddddddddd "Playing four international matches in a global competition like this provides our young players with important experience and growth opportunities. This particular U-20 group may graduate five or more players to the womens national team, so for them to get that experience before next years FIFA Womens World Cup is paramount for our national program." Those five or more U-20 players Montagliani references who will graduate to next summers Womens World Cup Finals stand in direct contrast to what tends to occur with the Mens World Cup Finals. Coincidentally if we look at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Finals Canada hosted in 2007, hardly any players went on three years late to appear at South Africa 2010. The male incubation period leaps from a single year to seven. On average at Brazil 2014 only two or three players from each nation who competed here in 2007, and who qualified for this summers World Cup Finals would have made it onto the squads. Chile who made it to the2007 semi-finals were the exception. Six players from 2007 were at Brazil 2014. Such is the task at hand for our ladies next summer, the considered opinion is that only a pair of German players who will appear in Sundays Final will return for Canada 2015. Thats for matters on the pitch. Montreal, where Sundays final will be staged, are well aware of the added values for Canada 2015 which are directly associated for playing host to the U-20s. "The FIFA U-20 Womens World Cup has provided us with the building blocks towards a bigger and better FIFA Womens World Cup Canada 2015,” Francis Millien, who chairs the Local Organizing Committee, told TSN.ca via email this afternoon. "In using Olympic Stadium for both competitions in 2014 and 2015, we can iron out our logistical pathway and reconfirm that logistics, transport and stadia operations meet the requirements for the FIFA Womens World Cup Canada 2015,” Millien added. Having already hosted eight matches, Olympic Stadium plays host to Sunday evenings final between Germany and Nigeria. Before the show piece event comes an intriguing encounter in the bronze medal playoff match between France and North Korea. Sure to be a sizeable and raucous crowd at Olympic Stadium. No word yet though on the weekend travel plans for Kim Jong-un. Noel Butler can be reached via: Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter ' ' '