MINSK, Belarus -- From a disallowed goal to a penalty kill in the final minutes, Team Canada didnt enjoy a lot of easy moments in beating Norway 3-2. But thats exactly how coach Dave Tippett wanted it, as his team got the regulation victory it needed Tuesday to finish first in Group A at the world hockey championship. "We played well, and I like that we got pushed right to the end," Tippett said. "If it wouldve been a 5-1 or 6-1 game, maybe you get into bad habits, you just kind of float through it. This pushed us as a team, and the harder you get pushed as a team the better you get in a short amount of time. I like the fact that we won the game, obviously, but I like the fact that it was a close game." It was close because Norway took the lead, and then Canada had a would-be goal by Kevin Bieksa waved off for goaltender interference because Jonathan Huberdeau had his stick in the crease. And it remained close even after Joel Ward scored the second of his two goals, the eventual game winner, midway through the third because Norway didnt go away. Canada outshot Norway 42-16 and only beat goaltender Steffen Soberg three times, on Wards two on the power play and Mark Scheifeles at even strength. Meanwhile, James Reimer gave up goals to Anders Bastiansen and Mads Hansen that came about from defensive miscues but still improved to 3-0-1 in the tournament. "This is one of those games where you really just have to grind it out and battle because they protect so well, they collapse so well, and sometimes you just pass the puck around the outside but you cant really get to the good scoring areas," Reimer said. "I think were just happy to grind this one out." Canada, which finished the preliminary round with 18 points and a 6-0-1 record, will face Finland in Group B in the quarter-final round Thursday. Along the way, the Canadians outscored opponents 28-13, and their only blemish was a shootout loss to France. Tippett seemed pleased with his teams progression to this point. "Most of our players didnt play for three weeks and as you get back into game shape, your game starts to elevate," he said. "Every game our players continue to pick up a step." Finishing first in the group assured Canada of avoiding powerhouse Russia until a potential gold-medal game Sunday. The United States, led by Tyler Johnson and Seth Jones, could wind up on Canadas side of the bracket, pending the result of Russia-Belarus on Tuesday night. The chance to pass Sweden for first place almost slipped away Tuesday against Norway at Chizhovka-Arena. Canada fell behind on a power-play goal by Bastiansen and then had to overcome some frustration later in the first. It looked like Bieksa scored a power-play goal at the 15:01 mark, but it was waved off apparently because Huberdeau had his stick in the crease. Tippett said the referee wouldnt come over to explain the decision, which seemed to stem from the IIHF rule that an attacking player cannot have even his stick blade in the crease when the puck goes into the net. "I didnt think my skate was in the crease. I guess it was the stick," Huberdeau said. "I dont know the call, but it was the call and you cant do anything. Its not a big deal." It wouldve been a much bigger deal had it cost Canada the chance to win in regulation. But with seven power plays, including five after Bieksas goal was disallowed, there were plenty of opportunities to keep it from being the reason for a loss. "We were not going to let one call ruin the whole day for us," said Ward, who now has six goals and is tied with teammate Cody Hodgson and Frances Antoine Roussel for second in the tournament behind Russias Viktor Tikhonov. Canada managed to grind away at Norway enough, and Tippett had special praise for the fourth line of Ward, Scheifele and Sean Monahan. "We had lots of opportunities, but (the Norwegians) kept the game very tight," Tippett said. "They did a good job penalty-killing against us, and I was proud of our guys to just keep pushing, not get frustrated and hopefully wed find the chances we needed to win." Once they did, the Canadians could start to look ahead to elimination play. "Get some playoffs going here," Reimer said. "To get going to the quarter-finals here, I think were jelling well as a team. We have some good chemistry. Hopefully things bode well in the playoffs." NOTES -- Alex Burrows missed his second straight game with a charley horse suffered in a knee-on-knee hit Friday against Italy. Tippett said he skated each of the past two days, would practise with the team the next time it was on the ice and would be ready to play in Thursdays quarter-final game. ... Reimer approached Soberg, who made 39 saves on 42 shots, after the game to ask why he wasnt playing in the NHL. Soberg was a 2011 fourth-round pick of the Washington Capitals and refused to come to North America to play for the WHLs Swift Current Broncos, opting instead to continue playing in Norway. The Capitals lost Sobergs rights last summer, making him an NHL free agent.
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Draymond Green USA Jersey .ca. Hi Kerry, Love reading your column and loved watching your analysis on the TSN broadcasts!And were now in Round 2! Bruins! Canadiens! We know all about the great games of the past from the players, the broadcasters and the writers.Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Andrew Luck threw a pair of touchdown passes in only one half of action, leading the AFC South champion Indianapolis Colts to a 27-10 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at LP Field. Luck finished 10-of-16 for 160 yards and set the Colts single-season passing yardage record with 4,761 yards, surpassing Peyton Mannings previous mark of 4,700 in 2010. Matt Hasselbeck also threw a touchdown pass in the second half for the Colts (11-5), who will open the playoffs at home next weekend. Indianapolis bounced back from a dreadful performance at Dallas last week and completed a sweep of the AFC South for a second straight year. The Colts, who managed only 229 yards in last Sundays 42-7 loss, totaled 378 on Sunday en route to their 13th straight divisional win. Charlie Whitehurst threw a scoring pass in defeat for Tennessee (2-14), which closed the year with 10 straight losses in Ken Whisenhunts first season as head coach. The Titans managed just 192 total yards and nine first downs on Sunday, finishing their worst season since moving from Houston in 1997. The two wins were the franchises fewest since a 2-14 record in 1994. After a series of punts to start the game, the Colts started their second offensive series from the Tennessee 44 and needed just six plays to find the end zone. Luck was sacked and fumbled on the second play, but Hugh Thornton recovered for the Colts and Dan Herron converted 3rd-and-11 with a 26-yard reception out of the backfield to set up Lucks 7-yard scoring toss to Coby Fleener. Luck added a 1-yard TD pass to Jack Doyle early in the second quarter immediately after he set the record on an 80-yard connection with Reggie Wayne, who made a brilliant adjustment to the ball on the right sideline and was caught from behind just before the end zone. Wayne iinjured his groin and didnt return.dddddddddddd The Titans responded with their first sustained drive of the game after Leon Washingtons 52-yard kickoff return. Whitehurst capped the 47-yard march with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Wright. Josh Cribbs followed with a 76-yard kickoff return to put the Colts at the Tennessee 27, but it led only to a 23-yard Adam Vinatieri field goal to make it 17-7 with 2:55 left in the first half. Vinatieri was wide left with a 46-yard kick midway through the third quarter, his first miss of the season, and the Titans pulled within a touchdown on the next series when Ryan Succop booted a 31-yard field goal. Tennessee reached the Indianapolis 3-yard line after a 52-yard run by Shonn Greene on 4th-and-1, but the Titans were lucky to secure three points after recovering a pair of Whitehurst fumbles. The Colts answered with a 26-yard Vinatieri field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter to extend the margin to 20-10 and Indianapolis cornerback Vontae Davis ripped the ball away from Tennessees Bishop Sankey two plays later. The Colts, though, were stopped on 4th-and-1 to turn it back over on downs. Hasselbeck threw an 8-yard TD pass to Fleener late in the fourth quarter to account for the final margin. Fleener finished with five catches for 56 yards. Game Notes Tennessee managed 142 yards on the ground, including 94 from Greene on 11 carries ... Whitehurst completed just 12-of-28 passes for 72 yards and was sacked four times ...Vinatieri had converted each of his 29 field goal tries this season and 35 in a row dating back to last year before the miss in the third quarter ... Tennessees Brett Kern tied a franchise record with a 79- yard punt in the second quarter. Jim Norton set the mark with the Houston Oilers in 1964.
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