Jersey[/url] . Sopoaga hit the upright with his first shot at go

Tonight at 7:05pm et a referee will drop the puck to kick off the 2013-14 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The first round is always the toughest brand of hockey and the most difficult for the Officials to work effectively. Finishing on top of a division does not always guarantee advancement beyond the first playoff round as we have seen through several upsets in recent years. This years matchups will guarantee that some legitimate Cup contenders will be eliminated with a one and done series appearance. The margin for victory between all the teams is very slim and mistakes made by players and officials are magnified at this time of year. Simply put, mistakes can be the difference between a team and an official from going on in the playoffs or going home! Last night I joined James Duthie for a brief segment in the playoff preview show shot in Studio 9 at TSN where I will be monitoring games and officials calls on a nightly basis throughout the first round. James asked me what I will be looking for from the Officials the moment the playoffs begin. My response was for strict adherence to the letter of the law. The rules do not change during the playoffs and neither should the expected standard of enforcement! The referees have often been accused of putting their whistles away during the playoffs. Far too many times we have seen the score and time of a game factored into the refs judgment as to what constitutes an obvious penalty. I cited a game between the NY Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens from the final weekend of the regular season as an example of what we should hope from the referees throughout this postseason. In that game, referee Gord Dwyer awarded a penalty shot to Brian Gionta in overtime when the Habs captain was tripped from behind at the Rangers blue line by Raphael Diaz. Gionta was chasing a loose puck at the time he was fouled and therefore did not have possession and control of the puck. This aspect of the play could have offered the referee an out to take an easier path and simply assess a minor penalty for tripping. Instead, referee Dwyer made the correct judgment as stipulated in rule 24.8 (iii) that Brian Gionta would have obtained possession and control of the puck and was denied a reasonable chance to score. The game ended when Brian Gionta scored on the ensuing penalty shot awarded by the referee. Kudos to referee Dwyer for making this perceived tough call (video link). In reality the more difficult position a referee will place himself in is if he attempts to manage the game by letting an obvious infraction go uncalled. This often sets a chain of events in motion that is difficult for the ref to recover from. The subsequent infraction committed by the other team is usually worse than the previous one he let go. By applying a sense of fairness, the official feels helpless to call that next penalty and the standard becomes lost. The best deterrent for a player to avoid committing an infraction is the fear that he will be placing his team at a disadvantage by incurring a penalty. When that fear factor no longer exists as a result of the refs whistle being put away the game can deteriorate and the integrity of the outcome placed in jeopardy. Anarchy can result until an automatic penalty is called such as puck over the glass or too many men on the ice and a semblance of order is restored! This negative influence on a game can be avoided it the referees call the obvious infractions that are committed regardless of the score or time in a game. Whenever the officials make the tough but correct call they must receive the support of the Officiating Department heads. Management needs to demonstrate their courage by publicly backing the officials when they make the right call at a crucial time in the game. A season long subjective performance evaluation has been tabulated by the Officiating and Hockey Operations Department on each referee and linesman to determine selection to the playoffs. Congratulations and best of luck to the following officials that have been selected to the first round: Referees Francis Charron, Paul Devorski, Gord Dwyer, Eric Furlatt, Dave Jackson, Mark Joannette, Steve Kozari, Chris Lee, Wes McCauley, Brad Meier, Dean Morton, Dan OHalloran, Dan ORourke, Chris Rooney, Tim Peel, Kevin Pollock, Francois St.-Laurent, Justin St.Pierre, Kelly Sutherland, Brad Watson Linesmen Derek Amell, Steve Barton, David Brisebois, Lonnie Cameron, Scott Cherry, Michel Cormier, Greg Devorski, Scott Driscoll, Darren Gibbs, Shane Heyer, Brad Kovachik, Matt MacPherson, Steve Miller, Brian Murphy, Jonny Murray, Derek Nansen, Brian Pancich, Pierre Racicot, Jay Sharrers, Mark Shewchyk The hockey world will be watching closely as each of you display the courage and good judgment necessary to get the job done. Authentic Mel Blount Jersey . Just ask last seasons Supporters Shield winners, the New York Red Bulls, who were resoundingly defeated last weekend by a rampant Vancouver Whitecaps in a match which produced two contenders for MLS Goal of the Week from Sebastian Fernandez and Pedro Morales. Authentic John Stallworth Jersey . Boston is making its first appearance in the ALCS since 2008. For Detroit, its a third straight trip to the ALCS and its fourth in eight years. http://www.cheapsteelersjerseysauthentic...ie-burns-jersey. Shot outdoors against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the networks 30-minute original production airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on TSN2. The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. Authentic Chris Boswell Jersey .com) - A top-10 showdown is on tap in at the McKale Center on Saturday, as the 10th-ranked Arizona Wildcats play host to the eighth-ranked Utah Utes in a key Pac-12 matchup. Authentic Stevan Ridley Jersey . Sopoaga hit the upright with his first shot at goal from 15 metres. He then kicked nine goals in succession -- two conversions and seven penalties -- before being replaced in the 62nd minute, three points short of the Highlanders record for most points in a match.HARRISON, N.J. - The Maple Leafs are not the only MLSE sports property who knows about late season collapses which costs a playoff berth.For all intents and purposes, Toronto FCs 2014 campaign ended Saturday night at Red Bull Arena with 3-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls. Coupled with Columbus 3-2 win over Philadelphia, Toronto is now six points out of the last Eastern Conference playoff spot — held by the Crew.Both Toronto (11-14-7) and Columbus have two games remaining this season. Toronto hosts Montreal Saturday afternoon, before ending the regular season at the New England Revolution on Oct. 25.Columbus visits New York next Sunday, and ends the home portion of their season Oct. 26 against Philadelphia.Our playoff drive is over, Greg Vanney said, an acknowledgment that his team was essentially eliminated from the playoffs after their third loss in a row. Theyre frustrated. Theyre coming to grips.When Toronto FC players, coaches and executives begin the post-mortem on their lost season, there will an interrelated issue that comes to the forefront. Vanney believes the team still needs to mature, and pointed toward a pessimistic attitude he believes crept in during the middle of games, including a 19-minute stretch in the first half in where New York (12-9-11) scored three times.Bradley Wright-Phillips opened the scoring in the 26th minute by tapping Kosuke Kimuras centring feed past Joe Bendik (two saves). Wright-Phillips goal was his MLS-leading 25th of the season.Nine minutes later, Ruben Bover Izquierdo increased the lead to 2-0 with his first MLS goal after Bendik punched a Thierry Henry shot into a maze of players in front of the net which landed in front of the midfielder. The deficit grew to 3-0 when Dax McCarthy redireccted Wright-Phillips diagonal feed in the 45th minute.ddddddddddddIts a mentality kind of thing, Vanney said. I think its psychology.When you get passive against good teams and good players...We get away from the things we do well. You cant get yourself down 3-0.While New York was taking full advantage of every opportunity presented in the first half, Torontos best chance was Nick Hagglunds header off a corner in the 22nd minute, which Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles snuffed out with a leaping grab to keep the game scoreless. Robles finished with two saves— with his shutout bid spoiled by Jonathan Osorios goal in the 55th minute.But by that point the game had long since been decided.With the win, New York continued their dominance of Toronto at Red Bull Arena. Toronto has never won a game at the Red Bulls soccer-only stadium, having been outscored 17-4. New York has now won 10 straight at Red Bull Arena, and needs one point to clinch a playoff berth.It was an important win, Wright-Phillips said. Weve got a job to do as a team. Our work ethic all through the game showed what a team we can be. Were tough to beat when we work that hard.Along with the game, Toronto lost two players, one to injury and one to ejection. After banging heads with New York defender Jamison Olave in the 42nd minute, midfielder Jackson laid on the pitch for several minutes, and was examined by trainers.Hagglund was assessed a red in the 85th minute for an elbow to the back of a New York player as both jumped for a ball. The game grew chippy in the minutes following the ejection, marked by shoving matches and on-field conversations between the Eastern Conference rivals.The teams finished the regular season series with identical 1-1-1 marks. ' ' '