Über das Forum » week.DONT LOOK AHEAD: The Gato

TORONTO -- Left with nothing play for at the World Cup of Hockey, coach John Tortorella told his United States players to play a game for themselves.They played hard, gave effort in a meaningless round-robin finale but still lost 4-3 to the Czech Republic on Thursday night. With an 0-3-0 record and a minus-6 goal differential, the U.S. finished seventh among eight teams, ahead of only Finland.The bottom line is we leave here with nothing, Tortorella said. Certainly we cant be happy about that.Previous losses to Team Europe and Canada eliminated the Americans from contention. While Canada, Sweden, Europe and Russia prepare for the semifinals this weekend, the U.S. and Czech Republic played out the string in front of a half-empty arena.Joe Pavelski, Justin Abdelkader and Ryan McDonagh scored for the U.S., which did not unravel in a meaningless game like it did in the 2014 Olympic bronze medal game. Ben Bishop allowed four goals on 20 shots in two periods, and Cory Schneider made seven saves in relief.Petr Mrazek stopped 36 of the 39 shots he faced to backstop the Czech Republic to its first victory. Milan Michalek scored twice and Zbynek Michalek and Andrej Sustr each had a goal.U.S. players promised they wouldnt mail it in with nothing to play for. A result of human nature, it felt like an all-star game with a lack of real physicality as everyone wanted to get through without getting injured.I thought some guys gave some really true efforts, Tortorella said. We just didnt find a way to win the hockey game.Afterward, Tortorella broke from his usual routine and addressed the team.McDonagh said the message was, Keep your heads up, youre all great players. You all represent your country to the best of your ability and you were a great group to be around.Frustration boiled over for Dustin Byfuglien at the final buzzer as he went after Czech defenseman Michal Jordan. A healthy scratch in the tournament opener, the Winnipeg Jets defenseman had a beautiful pass to set up Abdelkaders goal and was one of the best players on the ice.A collection of fans spent stretches of the first period chanting, Lets go Kessel! and We want Kessel! Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins winger Phil Kessel was left off the U.S. team and made light of that on Twitter on Tuesday night after the Americans lost to Canada.That was a must-win game for the U.S. after opening the tournament with what Patrick Kane called a dud against Europe. General manager Dean Lombardi blamed not being prepared for that game for the U.S. bowing out of the World Cup.I dont think we showed enough respect for the talent on that team, Lombardi said Thursday morning.Lombardi said that the 3-0 loss to Europe put the U.S. behind the proverbial 8-ball that felt like a boulder. The Los Angeles Kings GM has seen his team come back from a 3-0 playoff deficit but described the locker room after losing to Europe as tight, and the U.S. was never able to adequately respond.We needed to do a better job than what we did, but theres a lot of good players in that room, captain Joe Pavelski said. We kind of beat ourselves a little bit.Getting almost skated out of the rink by Canada wasnt entirely unexpected, but players acknowledged their recipe to move on was to beat Europe and the Czech Republic. They didnt do either, and USA Hockey faces plenty of questions about how it will bounce back for the 2018 Olympics, if NHL players participate.Tortorella said he had a few ideas about changes that could be made but preferred to keep those to himself. He doesnt want USA Hockey to overreact despite a lackluster showing on a big stage.Weve just got to slow ourselves down and dissect whats happened, he said. It certainly isnt good. But not to the extent as far as the chatter all around us. I think weve got to block out the noise, re-assess where we went and see what we can do to get us better as an organization.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhynoPatriots Jerseys 2019 . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Wholesale Patriots Jerseys . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/ . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos. New England Patriots Gear . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. Patriots Jerseys 2020 . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup.NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Florida Gators have an opportunity Saturday to prove they can shake off not just one, but two ugly hangovers.The 23rd-ranked Gators visit Vanderbilt on Saturday, a week after blowing a 21-point lead in being routed 38-28 by the Tennessee Volunteers. If any Gators need a reminder to focus on a team theyve beaten nine of the past 10 seasons, coach Jim McElwain can point to Vanderbilt nearly ruining homecoming last year before Florida pulled out a 9-7 win clinching the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title.Safety Marcus Maye says the Gators have learned their humbling lesson and know they cant let that happen again.We know it takes four quarters, we cant get down on ourselves if were down, Maye said. We cant relax if were up. Its definitely a learning process.The Gators (3-1, 1-1) arent giving up on defending their SEC East title this early in the season. Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason, whos known McElwain a long time, isnt expecting a team based on whats happened in the last two quarters played.Sometimes you find yourself in a landslide and you cant escape it, and when that happens it can be rough, Mason said. Coach McElwains got to get that group to rebound, and he will. Hes been doing this a long time.Masons Commodores (2-2, 0-1) want to build on a 31-30 overtime win at Western Kentucky last week. And yes, they remember coming up short in the Swamp last November.To come so close and not come up with the win, its unacceptable, Vanderbilt linebacker-safety Oren Burks said. Theres something personal about this game.Here are some things to watch Saturday when the Gators visit Music City:WAKE UP: Kickoff is at 11 a.m. local time, but McElwain is keeping his Gators on Eastern time to help them be ready for their earliest kickoff this season. McElwain has reason to worry about his Gators kicking off at noon after struggling in three such games last season.I dont know what it is with noon starts a year ago, we were FAU, Vanderbilt and the bowl game, which none of those results were very good, McElwain said.dddddddddddd So I think lets talk about the obvious, Ive got no problem with that. Weve got to make sure were ready to go play against a team that obviously has some weapons.STOPPING WEBB: Ralph Webb has been Vanderbilts biggest offensive threat since getting on the field, and now the junior ranks second in the SEC averaging 118 yards per game. Webb leads the SEC with five TDs rushing, and now sophomore quarterback Kyle Shurmur is coming off his best game throwing the ball with a career-high 279 yards in rallying Vandy to a win last week.DONT LOOK AHEAD: The Gators cant dwell on last weeks game, and they cant afford to look ahead either. LSU visits Gainesville on Oct. 8, giving Florida a chance to avenge last years 35-28 loss. Just go out and focus on what we have to focus on, Maye said.STINGY D: As bad as the Gators looked giving up five TDs in six possessions last week, theyve been so good defensively that they hardly budged in the early rankings. Florida still leads the SEC averaging 4.25 sacks per game, which is fourth nationally. The Gators are the only team with five different players with at least two sacks, and they rank second in the SEC giving up just 76.5 yards rushing.BALL SECURITY: The Gators have intercepted six passes in the past three games, and Vanderbilt has forced at least one turnover in each game this season. But the Commodores have protected the ball very well so far and lead the SEC in turnover differential at plus-5.---Online:AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org and AP-Top 25 Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/AP-Top25Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker