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SOCHI, Russia -- Greg Westlake scored the games only goal while Corbin Watson made seven saves for his second straight shutout Tuesday as Canada defeated the Czech Republic 1-0 in sledge hockey at the Sochi Paralympics. Kam Chancellor Jersey . Westlake broke the scoreless tie at 7:33 of the second period, ripping a shot upstairs from in tight for his second goal of the tournament. Canada had a number of chances to extend the lead but was forced to hang on late as the Czechs made one final push in the dying seconds. "Theyre a big team. Theyre physical," said Westlake. "Theyve got a lot of men on their team. "Its a lot of cycling against the Czechs. They have a big goalie so you have to pick your spots. If youre not shooting the puck well its going to be a low-scoring game." Canada has surrendered just one goal on 18 shots through three round-robin victories while outscoring its opponents 15-1. "It was a fun game to play and it was a necessary game to play because we get better and we needed a team to push us going into the medal round," said Westlake. Czech goalie Michal Vapenka stopped 17 shots in defeat as his team was eliminated from the competition. "We had some scoring chances, there was just no finish," said Canadian head coach Mike Mondin. "The kid in net is a good goalie. "Hes a big guy so theyre trying to go high and we shot a lot of them over the net." Canada clinched first place in its pool and will take on the United States in one of Thursdays semifinals. The Americans, who won gold four years ago in Vancouver, dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision to the host Russians earlier Tuesday to finish second in their group. Russia will meet Norway in the other semifinal. Canada won Paralympic gold back in 2006 but had a disappointing fourth-place finish in 2010. Elsewhere on Tuesday, biathlete Mark Arendz battled pouring rain and dense fog to win a bronze medal in the mens 12.5-kilometre standing category. Its the second medal of the Games for the native of Hartsville, P.E.I., who captured silver earlier in the week. He finished in 30 minutes 31 seconds. Russias Azat Karachurin won gold in 29:30.0 while Norways Nils-Erik Ulset captured silver. "To get a medal is awesome and that was the goal," said Arendz. "There were mistakes out there both in shooting and on the course so it was not a perfect race, but any time you are on the podium I have to be happy because this is strong field." Arendzs medal was Canadas seventh so far in the competition (one goal, two silver, four bronze). Host Russia continues to lead with a whopping 34 medals, 23 ahead of second-place Ukraine. Canada and the United States are tied in third. Arendz, who shot 19-of-20, said the poor visibility made the race extra challenging. "It was the same conditions for everyone," he said. "I wasnt perfect in shooting so I know there are still mistakes that need to be cleaned up." In para-alpine skiing, Braydon Luscombe of Duncan, B.C., was the top-placing Canadian, finishing second in the standing division with a time of 52.17 seconds. Josh Dueck of Kimberley, B.C., placed fifth in the sitting category in 59.93 seconds. Standing athlete Kirk Schornstein of Spruce Grove, Alta., was 17th and Mac Marcouxopf Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and guide Robin Femy of Mont-Tremblant, Que., did not finish their run in the visually impaired category. Sit-skiers Caleb Brousseau of Terrace, B.C., Calgarys Kurt Oatway and standing athlete Matt Hallat of Coquitlam, B.C., also did not finish. In the womens slalom, standing skier Calgarys Alexandra Starker was the top-placing Canadian in 1:06.59. Torontos Erin Latimer was eighth. In wheelchair curling, Canada improved to 5-1 and moved into a first-place tie with Russia with an 8-5 victory over China. Michael Bennett Authentic Jersey . Another is a bunch of groundballs. Finally, theres a game that lasts two hours six minutes. Pavano kept up his recent surge with an efficient six-hitter for the Twins in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night. Steven Hauschka Jersey . -- Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin will have minor shoulder surgery soon to address a nagging injury he played with last season.If there was a clear sign that Graham DeLaet was over the flu that kept him bed-ridden for most of the week, it came in the form of a Wednesday night Tweet: "After 4 days of being sick, doing some BBQing and drinking a cold beer. The kid is back!" The second sign was evident at Valhalla Golf Club on Thursday where DeLaet fashioned a solid round of two-under 69. Despite seeing the 18 holes just once before the tournament started, he played like a member. "I felt pretty good this morning for the first time," said DeLaet. "I woke up and felt pretty normal and went through my regular routine. I didnt really know exactly what to expect out there because my preparation wasnt there but I played well." DeLaet started well with a birdie on his first hole but his unfamiliarity with the course bit him on the second. He played what he thought was a perfect tee shot but the line was off and his ball ran through the dogleg into the rough, leading a bogey. He rolled in a 25-footer on the sixth hole for another birdie and added two more on 10 and 11. Two bogeys on 14 and 17, along with a birdie on the 16th rounded out his day. In addition to his health, the competitiveness was also back in DeLaet. That was clear on the final hole when he was expecting better results from his second shot which landed hard and bounced over the green. When he arrived at his ball, he slapped his glove on his thigh, obviously upset that his shot wasnt perfect. "I was a little disappointed to finish like that," he admitted. "I hit two great shots on 118 and had to chip out of a tricky lie but I played really well and Im happy with that. Blue Earl Thomas III Elite Womens Jersey Super Bowl. It was a good start." Thats the DeLaet that has been so successful on the course, the DeLaet who equalled the course record at Royal Montreal two weeks ago and the DeLaet who was hot after missing the cut at the British Open. Hes feisty, determined. This is guy who says he likes to win at everything, even when hes playing cards against his wife. On this day, however, he gave a lot of credit to his other partner, caddie Julien Trudeau whose pre-tournament reconnaissance he relied on several times throughout the day. "I feel like Julien did a really good job," he said. "He was kind of guiding me around on a couple of holes I didnt know the exact line but it was a good day." Overall, DeLaet was on form missing just three fairways and hitting 13 greens on the day. Thats a good sign that his game that was heating up before he fell ill, has remained now that hes better. "It was bad timing," he said of the bug. "I was really starting to find my form the last couple of months. Theres usually two or three times a year when you feel youre playing really well and this was one of them, so bad timing. But it feels like I can kind of pick up where I left off. This is DeLaets sixth major and after making the cut in the British a year ago, hes missed in the next four including all three this year. Hes on a good path towards ending that streak here. A good round on Friday will most certainly make him feel a whole lot better. cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
