Barring a miracle – and that is not an exaggeration – it will be Canada versus the United States in the womens hockey gold medal game Feb. Cheap Cam Sims Jersey . 20 in Sochi. Why? Because they always meet in the final, right? Well, nearly always. Sweden somehow managed to make it into the gold medal game at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. But in the 19 Olympic and World Championship final games since womens hockey arrived on the international stage in 1999, it has been Canada against the United States 18 times. Canada begins by facing Switzerland on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. in their first game of the tournament - watch it live on CBC TV and streaming at cbc.ca/olympics. The mere fact Canada has won the past three of four gold medals at the Olympics – losing only in Nagano in 1998 – would make them the favorites in the eyes of many. However, their victories in the last three Olympic Games really have nothing to do with this years tournament. More relevant is the fact the United States defeated Canada in the last four meetings of their seven-game pre-Olympic exhibition series. Canada is the defending Olympic champion, but the Americans have a little swagger. Dan Church knows that as well as anybody. Church resigned as coach of the Canadian womens Olympic team in December and was replaced by former Florida Panthers coach Kevin Dineen. Team USA is deep at every position. They also have scoring at every position – forward and defence – and they have a lot of speed. “Their young forwards especially are extremely quick,” Church said. “If you give them room in the neutral zone theyll always find a way to create. They are really gifted at getting the puck into the scoring area; even if its not a direct shot just getting it there so now your defenders and goaltender really have to be on top of things. They are always creating offence with their speed.” Canada will need to have a forward to force the Americans to one half of the ice surface and break off their speed and their ability to attack or counterattack. Scoring problems Even if its overall team speed doesnt match that of the United States, Canada traditionally can hold its own with any team in the world in terms of offence, and is better than most. That said, Canada has had some difficulty scoring, particularly against the United States, leading up to the Sochi Games. Rebecca Johnston, a scoring machine at Cornell for four seasons, has speed and skill and the ability to take it to the front of the net. The 25-year-old had a goal and six points in five games at the 2010 Olympics and will be expected to exceed those numbers this year. Jenn Wakefield, 24, has plenty of international experience, but is making her Olympic debut. She is another go-to forward for Canada. Of course there are also veterans Hayley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford and Caroline Ouellette, all of whom can dominate a game. Wickenheiser in particular can be a dangerous scorer when she is shooting the puck. Hefford is strong around the net and Ouellette remains an offensive catalyst. As for Canadas young players, Natalie Spooner is a power forward with great hands and Megan Agosta-Marciano can be a world beater when shes playing at her best. Countering for Team USA will be Kelli Stack. She is a game-breaker and every time shes on the ice she can create for herself and her teammates. Stack has great vision. “She is an offensive threat every time she touches the puck,” Church said. “You always have to worry about her. She is the offensive catalyst for the team.” Amanda Kessel, the younger sister of Toronto Maple Leafs star Phil, is also a really strong player. Like her brother, she has speed to burn and plenty of offensive upside. She was the collegiate national player of the year with the University of Minnesota in 2013. Physically, Canada has an edge over the United States, but the Americans do not fear Canadas physical game - just as Canada believes it can overcome USAs speed. In the end, it could come down to goaltending. Canada believes its three goalies, Shannon Szabados, Charline Labonte and Genevieve Lacasse, could all backstop the team to a gold in Sochi. Szabados will be the starter and is looking for her second Olympic gold medal as a starter. Early in the season it seemed like Team USA was leaning toward Jessie Vetter getting the job as the starter, but down the stretch, Molly Schaus got more action. Schaus is better technically, but Vetter is very athletic. The starter will likely be the goalie the coaching staff feels is the hotter of the two entering the tournament. The bottom line for Canada is that it can win a fourth straight gold in Sochi, but reputation at this tournament means squat. 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The All Blacks, the defending World Series champions, won their third tournament this season in style, running four tries past England to claim their 11th Cup championship in Hong Kong and first since 2011.CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Justin Martin had 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds on Saturday, and Xavier led most of the way during a 75-69 victory over No. 9 Creighton in front of the largest crowd in the 14-year history of the Musketeers arena. It was a long-awaited rematch for Xavier, (20-9, 10-6), which lost one of the Big Easts most wide-open games at Creighton in January. Martin led the way. The junior guard helped Xavier control the tempo and build a 13-point lead early in the second half that was more than enough. Creighton (23-5, 13-3) couldnt catch up despite 27 points by Doug McDermott, who leads the nation in scoring. McDermott had 35 points during the Bluejays 95-89 win at home on Jan. 12, a game that showed the reconfigured Big East was a whole different conference. Xavier had more going for it in the rematch. Semaj Christon scored 21 points, Dee Davis added 15, and the Musketeers shot 50 per cent from the field. Xavier got its first victory over a Top 10 team since it beat No. 8 Indiana 80-65 on Nov. 24, 2007. Right after their loss at Creighton in January, several Musketeers said they couldnt wait for the rematch. Xavier sold standing-room tickets for the first time in the Cintas Centers 14 seasons, resulting in a record crowd of 10,483. Xavier led for most of the first half, pushing the lead to six points on several occasions. The Musketeers built it to double-digits with a seven-point run that featured Davis 3-pointer and a pair of baskets by Christon, making it 41-30 with 2:22 left in the half. The Mussketeers took a 43-34 lead into halftime despite not shooting a free throw. Cheap Caleb Brantley Jersey. Instead, the Musketeers shot 57.6 per cent from the field and went 5 of 6 from beyond the arc. Martin led the way, getting nine points and matching his career high with 12 rebounds. Martin came out aggressive again to start the second half. He hit a pair of 3s and Xaviers first two free throws for a 54-42 lead with 15:49 left. At that point, Xavier was 8 of 10 from beyond the arc, with Creighton more concerned about stopping drives to the basket. Christon fell down while nearly getting a steal, got up and swiped Creightons next pass and was fouled as he headed for the basket, bringing the crowd to its feet. His free throw gave Xavier a 13-point lead. Creighton couldnt make any headway as Xavier controlled the boards and pushed the pace for layups. McDermott scored 11 points in the first 7 minutes of the half, but nobody else hit any shots consistently. Xavier finally hit a cold spell, and Creighton took advantage with a 10-2 spurt. McDermotts fall-away 3-pointer cut it to 61-58 with 5:18 to go, prompting a Xavier timeout. Davis made an uncontested 3, and Jalen Reynolds drove for a lay-in that rebuilt the lead to 68-60. Creighton never got closer than five points the rest of the way. Creighton redshirt freshman guard Isaiah Zierden went down hard on a fast-break play in the first half and hurt his right knee. He was on crutches in the second half with ice wrapped on the knee. Zierden averages 11 minutes and 3.3 points. Cheap Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap Avalanche Jerseys Cheap Team USA Hockey Jerseys Cheap Stars Jerseys Cheap Wild Jerseys Cheap Predators Jerseys Cheap Blues Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Ducks Jerseys Cheap Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Flames Jerseys Cheap Oilers Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Cheap Sharks Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Winter Classic Jerseys ' ' '