Help Me - ich bin zu langsam » more than a little peeved as the opening day

KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- Two veteran skips were both left scratching their heads at the Canadian mens curling championships Saturday night, as a change in ice conditions saw crucial draw attempts in an extra end fall at least five metres short of the house. Newfoundland and Labradors Brad Gushue, who lost the game 6-5 to Manitobas Jeff Stoughton, was more than a little peeved as the opening day of the Tim Hortons Brier ended. Gushue expressed his clear frustrations with the ice conditions. "They lost the ice," said Gushue, the 2006 Olympic gold medallist who, like Stoughton, is curling in his 11th Brier. "You see two world class skips throw draws to the four foot that end up 20-feet light. Its embarrassing. I think the ice is just (terrible). Its unfortunate that it came down to that." He said he saw it happen to a lesser degree in an earlier game between Albertas Kevin Koe and B.C.s John Morris. Stoughton was just as mystified. "We were going to draw probably half in the top four and I let it go, the guys said good weight and it just ground in," he said. Although, for him, the result was a little more satisfying as he left his shot stone in the house to win the game. "I guess that side of the sheet got lost somehow but well take it. We had one in there and he missed both his last two shots, what are you going to do?" Stoughton and Morris sit at the top of the standings with two wins apiece after Saturdays draw, followed by Brier rookie Greg Balsdon from Ontario and Steve Laycock from Saskatchewan with one win each. Gushue joined Northern Ontarios Jeff Currie at 1-1 while five rinks were winless after one game, Alberta, New Brunswick, The Northwest Territories-Yukon, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. In the evening draw, Morris beat Currie 8-2 in eight ends, after struggling earlier to edge Albertas Koe 7-6. Currie split the day, beating New Brunswicks Jamie Grattan 13-5 in the opener. Balsdon opened his first Brier by topping Quebec veteran Jean-Michel Menard 9-7 and Saskatchewans Laycock beat the Northwest Territories-Yukons Jamie Koe (Kevins brother) 8-5. Morris, curling for his third province at the Brier, was glad to get off to a good start. "The first one was a little tough on the melon, that one was a little nicer," he said, referring to the difference in the two games. "We played a little better this team, a good solid team effort." He also said he found the ice on the sheet he played on a little more consistent at night. Laycock said his first win wasnt without its scary moments. "Especially in nine there, there was a chance we could have blown a three-point lead in a hurry," he said. "It was nice to sneak out of that with only giving up two." He scored two in the final end to seal it. So did Balsdon, playing in his first Brier after managing to beat Ontario veteran Glen Howard to win the right. "We all felt pretty comfortable. The speed was good, the ice was very consistent, what youd expect from the Brier," he said. He says it helps in a way being a rookie. "Because Im a rookie here I dont really feel a whole lot of pressure for myself and the team. . . Were just hoping to scrap out some games." Air Max 97 Fake . Spencer Abbott and Trevor Smith scored third-period goals erasing a 2-1 deficit giving Toronto a late 3-2 lead. Air Max 97 Have a Nike Day ." Also, defencemen "were found to be at a higher risk of suffering a concussion than other players, perhaps due to turning their back to retrieve pucks along the boards, which leaves them vulnerable. http://www.outletairmax97.com/air-max-97-silver-bullet-for-sale.html . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Air Max 97/1 For Sale .Connor Graham, Alex Lintuniemi and Sam Studnicka also scored for Ottawa (11-8-2). Liam Herbst made 21 saves for the win.Brendan Lemieux had both of Barries (10-10-2) goals. Air Max 97 Nintendo 64 For Sale . -- Kurt Buschs Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, in some ways, was like his career wrapped into one afternoon.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Atlanta Hawks will aim for a 19th consecutive victory Saturday night when they welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to Philips Arena. Atlantas All-Stars came through again on Friday. Paul Millsap, Al Horford and Jeff Teague had plenty of help as the Hawks pushed their franchise-record winning streak to 18 games. Millsap scored 21 points, Horford had 17 and Teague scored six of his 13 points in the fourth quarter as the Hawks held off LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland Trail Blazers for a 105-99 victory on Friday night. Kyle Korver added 16 points and Kent Bazemore had 12 points in 40 minutes off the bench as the Hawks won without injured forward DeMarre Carroll, who sat with a left Achilles strain. Thabo Sefolosha replaced him in the starting lineup but played just 2:21 before going out with a calf strain. Millsap, Horford and Teague were all named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team on Thursday, the first time since 1980 that three Hawks made the game. Atlantas Mike Budenholzer will coach the East in the Feb. 15 game at Madison Square Garden in New York. The NBA-leading Hawks havent lost since Dec. 26 in Milwaukee. And at 39-8, they surpassed last seasons win total (38-44). They could secure a perfect 17-0 month with a win Saturday against Philadelphia, which will end a seven- game homestand. Neither the Hawks, nor the Blazers led by more than six in the game. The Hawks took the lead for good on Horfords jumper midway through the fourth quarter. Later, Horforrds rebound and Teagues long pass over the defense led to a dunk for Millsap at the other end to make it a six-point game with 1:30 remaining.dddddddddddd The Blazers were never closer than four after that. It was definitely a tough test. Theyre a tough team, said Millsap. Give them credit. First half, they executed well. Second half, we settled down. The 76ers won two in a row for the third time this season with a 103-94 home victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night. Michael Carter-Williams scored 17 points with 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his fifth career triple-double. Luc Mbah a Moute paced the Sixers with 18 points, while Nerlens Noel contributed 14 points, six rebounds and a career- high six blocks in the win. The Sixers, who have won two straight home games since taking the first two at home last season, snapped their season-opening 17-game losing streak with a win over Minnesota on Dec. 3. The Sixers scored a season-best 61 points in the first half and topped the 100-point mark for the first time since Dec. 13 in an overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The bottom line is that we played defense in the second half. Thats where it starts and stops with me, Sixers coach Brett Brown said. Phillys mini road trip wont get much easier as itll visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. LeBron James group has won nine in a row. The Hawks have won two meetings this season against the Sixers and six in a row. Atlanta is 4-1 in its last five as the host in this series. ' ' '