Neues » Special Teams Capsule

Campbellville, - Last weekends elimination winners Tellitlikeitis, Mcwicked and Lyonssomewhere head an extremely competitive field of 10 for the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup, Saturday at Mohawk Racetrack. Sean Johnson Jersey . The 31st edition of the worlds richest pacing event, showcasing the finest three-year-olds on the continent, will go postward at 10:14 p.m. and will be shown live on TSN. A half-hour preview of the race will air on TSN GO from 9:30-10:00 pm ET, with the race set for TSN from 10:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. ET. The winner will earn $500,000. Post positions were drawn today at Mohawk, with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Dave Bolland as the guest drawmaster. Last Saturday, three Cup eliminations were held to determine the field for the final. The three winners earned their connections the right to choose a post position before the balance of the field is drawn. Seventeen of the past 30 Cup winners also won their elimination. Trainer Jimmy Takter, more renowned as a trotting conditioner for such stars as Moni Maker, Kadabra and Malabar Man, but who also directed filly pacer See You At Peelers to championship seasons, has two Cup entrants, Lyonssomewhere and Tellitlikeitis, who both won their elims in ultra-impressive fashion, who both will be solidly backed on Saturday night and who were the first two horses to select a post position. The morning line favorite, at 3-1, is Tellitlikeitis (PP3), bred and owned by Lothlorien of Cheltenham, Ontario, who took his elim in a career best 1:48.4, blowing by heavily-favoured Hes Watching to win by two and one-quarter lengths in only his second start of the year. The regally bred son of 2009 Cup winner Well Said out of champion Kikikatie also won his season opener, a Pennsylvania Sires Stake, at Pocono Downs in May. Lothlorien has shared ownership of three previous Cup winners – Well Said (2009), Rocknroll Hanover (2005) and Red River Hanover (2002). Takter has only started two previous Cup entrants, both in 2012, and finished second with Time To Roll. Driver Brett Miller has two previous Cup drives, finishing second in 2010 with We Will See. "He has wicked speed and hell take you to where you want to go in the mile," said Miller. "I definitely wanted to sit in with him this week (in the elim) and it worked out very well that the two horses I wanted to follow were in front of me." Lyonssomewhere (PP4, 4-1), owned by Geoffrey Lyons Mound of Burford, Ontario is undefeated in five starts. The son of 2008 Cup winner and Horse of the Year Somebeachsomewhere took his elim comfortably in 1:50.1 by one and three-quarter lengths in his first stakes appearance. Hell be driven by Corey Callahan, making only his second Cup drive after finishing fourth with Mr Wiggles in 2009. "I like just about everything about him," said Takter, after the race. "Tonight was his first stakes appearance and thats very rare and he responded. He beat some really good horses. Hes handy and hes the real deal. Its a long year and I wanted to have him fresh for this event and not too many starts." Trainer Casie Coleman, who won the 2010 Cup with Sportswriter, sends out the 7-2 second choice Mcwicked (PP2), who recorded the fastest elim, winning by two lengths in 1:48.3. Owned by SSG Stables of North Boston, New York, Mcwicked, a son of 2002 Cup third place finisher Mcardle, is a five time winner in 14 outings with career earnings of $248,457. Driver Dave Miller has yet to win the Cup in 13 tries, but has twice been second, including last year with a 96-1 shot, Twilight Bonfire. "He was absolutely awesome (in his elim)," said Coleman on Tuesday. "It was the fourth time Ive raced him and every time he keeps getting better and better. Ive been extremely impressed with him. He came out the elim great, hes sound, healthy, his blood is perfect. This horse, so far, knock on wood, hes given me no issues. "It looks like theres a lot of speed in the race. My horse can race either way. Id prefer him coming off a helmet but hes very versatile." Hes Watching (PP7, 5-1), co-owned and trained by David Menary of Rockton, Ontario, finished second to Tellitlikeitis in his elim, but last year won all eight starts en route to a Dan Patch Award as the United States Trotting Associations top two-year-old colt pacer. Winner of a Somebeachsomewhere division on May 31 in a career best 1:49.3, the son of American Ideal will be driven by Tim Tetrick, who won the 2013 Cup with Captaintreacherous. "Im happy with (post) seven," said Menary on Tuesday. "It could have been a lot worse. Well make the best of it. He can race any way. I dont think anybody is going to wire this field. (In the elim), our colt did a lot of work, a big second quarter, putting up big fractions, they raced the whole way. I think it was the toughest elim. "Last year, he did all he could do, two world records, six track records, every-sized track, every which way. Hes just a hulk of a little horse." JK Endofanera (PP9, 10-1), trained by Ron Burke for owner-breeder 3 Brothers Stables of New York City, had a five-race win streak broken in his elim when finishing third as the 1-2 choice to Lyonssomewhere, while drifting out in the stretch. The son of Art Major is the fields leading money winner with $457,057, topped by his win last year in the Governors Cup at the Meadowlands. Hell be driven by Brian Sears, who steered Rocknroll Hanover to victory in the 2005 Cup. Last years Breeders Crown champion, Luck Be Withyou (PP8, 12-1), was third to Tellitlikeitis in his elim, after finishing second to JK Endofanera in a Somebeachsomewhere division the week before in his seasonal debut. Trained by 72-year-old Bill Cass, with his first Cup entrant, for owner John Craig of North York, the son of Western Ideal will be driven by Ron Pierce, who has won two Cups, with Total Truth in 2006 and Well Said in 2009. Lets Drink On It (PP5, 6-1), trained by Joe Seekman, is a seven-time winner in 16 starts and was third to Mcwicked in his elim. A son of Art Official, the only horse to defeat Somebeachsomewhere, hell be piloted by 21-year-old Tyler Smith, who would become the youngest driver to win the Pepsi North America Cup. Sometimes Said (PP10, 20-1), another son of 2009 Cup winner Well Said, finished second to Mcwicked last Saturday, the ninth time in 14 outings hes been the runner-up. Trained by Jim Campbell for owner Fashion Farms and driven by his Hall of Fame brother and record six-time Cup winner John Campbell, Sometimes Said was also second to Luck Be Withyou in last years Breeders Crown. Campbell last won the Cup in 1999 with The Panderosa. Beat The Drum (PP1, 20-1), a son of 2007 Cup winner Tell All, finished second as a 27-1 shot to Lyonssomewhere in his elim for trainer Staffan Lind. Yannick Gingras drives the three-time winner in 17 starts, the most outings by any Cup entrant this year. Completing the field is Ideal Cowboy (PP6, 15-1), who finished fourth to Mcwicked in his elim but drew into the final. A driver has not yet been confirmed for the son of American Ideal, who is trained by Paul Fraley of Anndrovette fame. Matt Miazga Jersey . -- Having already fallen behind because of the NFL lockout, Blaine Gabbert couldnt afford a lengthy holdout. Matt Besler Jersey . Rooneys latest piece of football genius lost in the furore which now stalks David Moyes, and the man who gave the Manchester United striker his start as a 16-year old at Goodison Park back in 2002. http://www.soccerusateamonline.com/Sean-Johnson-America-Jersey/ . -- The Orlando Magic finally are showing the patience in critical moments that coach Jacque Vaughn has been waiting for all season.TORONTO – October was a productive month for Phil Kessel. The 26-year-old signed an eight-year extension worth $64 million on the eve of the regular season before posting a bountiful nine goals and 18 points in 14 games. But just as the weather has chilled outside, so too has the Leafs best player. Now tied for 31st in league scoring, Kessel went pointless for the ninth time in the past 11 games in an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the Blue Jackets on Monday night. He has just one even-strength point in November and a scant three points all month (Mason Raymond leads the team with six points, trailed by the now press box-bound Trevor Smith with five). In fact, he has gone 11 straight games without registering even a single assist – he led the team in each of the past two seasons – his last helper coming on Oct. 29. Considering the teams ongoing struggles to produce offence at even-strength – shut out for the second time all year, they have just 10 goals in the past 10 games and sit 20th overall – this lingering dip in production from their top player is no small thing. Kessel may be a streaky goal scorer (most are), but with age and experience in Toronto, has evolved into an incredibly reliable and certainly elite point producer. After stalling at the outset of last season – he failed to score in the first 10 games – he never went more than two games without registering a point. A year before that, he never went consecutive games without a point until January. So what gives? It would be easy to point to the extended absence of Tyler Bozak – who returned Monday after missing 12 games – as the reason for such woes, but that would fail to ignore Kessels history of producing offence without him. In the two games that directly followed Bozak going down with injury in Columbus, Kessel posted three goals and six points alongside Nazem Kadri in wins over Pittsburgh and Edmonton. Of course, the Leafs would lose Dave Bolland to injury four nights later in Vancouver, jumbling their situation at centre further and thereby impacting Kessel. James van Riemsdyk was forced to the uncomfortable middle for four games, replaced on the top line by the incoming and still inexperienced Peter Holland thereafter. Kessel and Bozak certainly have a defined chemistry with one another – the top reason the latter was signed for five years in the summer – and perhaps Kessels slump simply manifested in the absence of a consistent set-up man – though he tends to generate offence himself in many regards, even with Bozak in the lineup. (Though hes played the majority of his games in Toronto with Bozak, Kessel has actually lined up with eight other centres as a Leaf: Kris Versteeg, Matthew Lombardi, Tim Connolly, Mikhail Grabovski, Joe Colborne, Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk and Peter Holland.) "Is he back?" Kessel shouted repeatedly with glee when he saw Bozak being interviewed prior to Mondays game. Save for the absence of Bozak, an injury (or the flu bug, which nearly kept him out of a game last week) would help to explain the recent slowdown and Randy Carlyle didnt exactly refute the suggestion that Kessel may be hurt, noting last week that "all our players have bumps and bruises". It may just be a simple and increasingly rare slump, one that becomes magnified as the team struggles to produce offence. Kessel remains the Leafs leader in goals, points, and even-strength points. Five Points 1. Shelled It was may have been their worst loss all season. The Leafs were spanked 6-0 on home ice by a Blue Jackets squad that was missing two of its best players – Brandon Dubinsky and Marian Gaborik – and had just played on the other side of the country over the weekend (a 6-2 loss in Vancouver on Saturday). "It was a very frustrating game for our hockey club," said a puzzled Randy Carlyle afterward. "It just seemed like we lacked the necessary pace that was required to compete in the game and thats mind-boggling." So boggling for Carlyle was the lack of energy following a complete day-off on Sunday. The Leafs allowed a season-high six goals, were shut out for just the second time all season and mustered a mere 18 shots on Sergei Bobrovsky. They also allowed two power play goals for the third time all season, failing to score on a single earned man-advantage. "Maybe a little bit of a wake-up call for us," said Tyler Bozak. "Were getting a little too comfortable." "We talk about outworking teams and tonight, we got outworked," Dion Phaneuf concluded.. Zack Steffen Jersey. 2. Reimers evening Two nights after he stopped 49 of 50 shots in a 2-1 shootout victory over Washington did James Reimer yield six goals on 21 shots, hooked late in the third frame against the Blue Jackets. "What can he do?" said a frustrated Carl Gunnarsson of Reimer. "We had a really [expletive] game and hung him out to dry." Defensive breakdowns and odd-man rushes marked the evening, the Leafs netminder often left with little to no chance of success opposite a club that scored four goals combined in the previous three games. "I think that was on par with the rest of our group," Carlyle said of the goaltending from Reimer. "It was a team effort and it was nowhere near what we needed and obviously goaltendings part of that." The league leader in save percentage entering the night, Reimer dipped to a .934 mark, now 6-3-0 on the year. "I dont really have much to say," said Reimer, following his first loss at home this season. "It just wasnt my night tonight. Youll have nights like that where the puck just eludes you. As hard as you work and as much you try and bear down, it just doesnt work out sometimes. Its obviously disappointing when it happens and frustrating, but its just the way she goes." 3. Lacking offence Never a team that shot the puck often – they average 26 per game, third fewest in the league – the Leafs are finding their early luck drying up in recent weeks. Monday marked the eighth time in the past 10 games that they scored two or fewer, their shooting percentage in that span just seven per cent. "I thought we had a lot of zone time tonight," said Bozak. "We were just trying to be too cute and make the extra pass when we did have a chance to shoot." A frequent complaint of the head coach, Carlyle has harped often on the need for his team to shoot the puck with more frequency. The 18 shots on goal against Columbus were the second fewest his team has managed all season (14 vs. Minnesota on Oct. 15). "Were very selective on when we want to shoot the puck," he said after the shootout victory over the Capitals on Saturday. "I would say we have some thick heads." The Leafs have scored just 10 even-strength goals in the past 10 games and sit 20th overall in that regard this season. Of the 63 goals theyve scored thus far, 18 have come with the man-advantage. 4. Lupul hurt Save for the injured Dave Bolland, the Leafs lineup on Monday was about as full as it has been all season. But just as one returned (Tyler Bozak) did another go down. Joffrey Lupul left late in the middle period with a pulled groin. "I dont know what that means," said Carlyle of the injury. "He just said he pulled his groin." 5. Bozaks Return Bozak said the most frustrating aspect of a hamstring injury that kept him out of the lineup for 12 games was the uncertain healing time for it. "Theres no real timetable for it, I guess," he said. "You kind of heal when you do." Bozak was injured on Oct. 25 in Columbus, returning to the lineup against those very same Blue Jackets on Monday night. There was an expectation – even voiced by Randy Carlyle – that the 27-year-old would play against the Capitals two nights earlier, but he remained out, finally activated off long-term injured reserve on Monday. "I wanted to play last game," he said, "[but] the doctors said I shouldnt play and I couldnt play." "Its been tough sitting out," Bozak continued. The hard part is bagging at practice every day pretty much. Youd rather be playing the games then bag-skating after practice, but [the extra couple days] does help. It should be in good shape when I get out there now." Stat-Pack 1 – Even-strength points for Phil Kessel in November. 9 – Number of games without a point for Kessel in the past 11 games. 2 – Number of times the Leafs have been shut out this season. 10 – Even-strength goals for the Leafs in the past 10 games. .934 – Save percentage for James Reimer this season. 74% – Success rate for the Leaf penalty kill in the past 10 games. 6 – Points for Mason Raymond in November, first on the team. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-1Season: 24.3% PK: 2-4Season: 81.5% Quote of the Night "What can he do? Cant blame him for anything. We had a really [expletive] game and hung him out to dry." - Carl Gunnarsson, questioned on James Reimers performance following the 6-0 loss. Up Next The Leafs travel to Pittsburgh for a Wednesday night affair with Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. ' ' '