CEDAR PARK, Texas -- Special teams can make all the difference. In Game 5 of the Western Conference Final the Toronto Marlies failed to convert on a key 5-on-3 power play and it eventually led to the Texas Stars taking a 3-2 series lead. On Monday, Toronto flipped things on Texas with a crucial 5-on-3 kill in the second period of a 3-1 victory in Game 6 to even the series at three games a apiece. With Peter Holland in the box for tripping and a 2-0 lead, Stuart Percy was called for crosschecking, which gave Texas-- the American Hockey Leagues regular season-leader with a 25.3 per cent power play-- a two-man advantage for 1 minute 33 seconds. The Stars won the draw and held the puck for a full minute, but Jerry DAmigo, Kenny Ryan and Petter Granberg collapsed in the slot and forced Texas to the outside and limited the scoring chances against goaltender Drew MacIntyre. "You really got to appreciate Petter Granberg, watching him out there the way he can go down and take away seams and take away passes, hes tremendous at it," Toronto coach Steve Spott said. "Hes done it at the mens worlds and done it at world juniors and you can tell why hes a gold medallist." That trio also got a break when MacIntyre made one of best saves of the night, gloving down a slapshot by Brett Ritchie. The Stars rookie raised his hands thinking he had scored. "I never even noticed," MacIntyre admitted about Ritchies early celebration. "Im just trying to stop the puck and I dont care who its against." MacIntyre stopped 36-of-37 shots, which was more than enough for the Marlies when it was combined with a 7-for-8 penalty kill effort and two goals from Carter Ashton. Just like the other five games in the series, Toronto scored first and took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Ashton scored 8:45 into the game. The goal came after Jamie Oleksiak turned the puck over behind Texas net. Cristopher Nilstorp made the initial save on T.J. Brennan, but Ashton was able to track down the rebound and scored his third goal of the post-season. Toronto then doubled its lead after an ill-advised penalty against Nilstorp in the second period. After a scramble by the Stars net, Nilstorp gave Kevin Marshall a two-handed shove near the side of the net and was called for roughing. On the ensuing power play, Trevor Smith beat Nilstorp through the five-hole after taking a pass from Sam Carrick. Ashton added his second goal with 54 seconds remaining in the period, tapping home a pass during a 2-on-1 with Spencer Abbott. "Playing with (Peter Holland) and (Abbot), they make good plays," Ashton said. "If I have my stick on the ice they make it pretty easy." Texas finally capitalized on the power play with 3:25 remaining-- a 6-on-4 goal by Curtis McKenzie. But it didnt sour the penalty-killing effort. In the series Toronto has killed 30-of-33 Texas power plays and had killed 23 straight before McKenzies goal. Nilstorp stopped 22 of 25 shots in the loss. Toronto has now scored first in all 13 of its playoff games. Game 7 will be Tuesday night at the Cedar Park Centre. The winner will play the St. Johns IceCaps or Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the Calder Cup Final. . -- Jimmie Johnson has a sixth NASCAR championship in hand and two legends within reach. . - The Detroit Lions have placed tight end Brandon Pettigrew on injured reserve, ending his season.
http://www.twinsrookiestore.com/Twins-M ... ersey/.com) - Pittsburgh Steelers running back LeVeon Bell, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Elvis Dumervil and New England Patriots punter Ryan Allen were selected as the AFCs top players for Week 14 of the NFL season. . Kyle Shanahan was hired as offensive co-ordinator Monday after spending the previous four years in the same role with the Washington Redskins. . Blatter also told reporters Saturday after meeting with Qatars emir that the decision to award the tournament to the desert nation is "not reversible." There have been calls to move the tournament because of Qatars intense heat.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Marc Gasol had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Mike Miller added 19 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies made a strong push in the third quarter to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 117-95 on Friday night. Tony Allen scored 15 points to help the Grizzlies preserve their playoff hopes. Memphis entered the night trailing the Suns by a game for the Western Conferences final post-season spot. The Suns were playing San Antonio. Nick Calathes added 12 points for Memphis, while Zach Randolph finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Grizzlies won their 13th straight at home, matching the franchise record set last season. Tony Wroten and Thaddeus Young led the Sixers with 18 points apiece. Elliot Williams added 13 for Philadelphia, which lost its third straight and fifth in the last six. The Grizzlies held a 10-point lead at halftime and outscored the Sixers 30-17 in the third with Allen and Gasol scoring eight points each. Memphis continued to dominate on the interior, outscoring Philadelphia 60-48 in the paint and outrebounding the Sixers 49-36 for the game. The Grizzlies shot 54 per cent from the field, compared to 44 per cent for the 76ers. Memphis shot 55 per cent in the first half to carry a 57-47 lead at intermission. Miller was 5 of 7, including connecting on all three of his shots outside the arc, as he and Gasol scored 13 points each. Gasol converted all but one of his seven shots in the half. Young scored 10 points ffor Philadelphia.dddddddddddd Memphis led by as many as 12 in the first half, and its biggest problem was getting back on defence, allowing a couple of breakaways by Philadelphia. One of those irritated coach Dave Joerger so much, he called a quick timeout despite the Grizzlies leading. Memphis was hampered by eight turnovers in the half, and committed 16 on the night. The Grizzlies continued to build the lead in the third, turning up the defence as the Sixers seemed to lose whatever spirit they had at this point in a tough season. Near the end of the quarter and with the shot clock running down, Gasol connected from outside the top of the key -- only his second 3-pointer of the season -- to help the Grizzlies carry an 87-64 lead into the fourth. That was enough for Memphis to coast to the finish and get starters some rest heading into the final stretch run of the season. NOTES: The Sixers had several Memphis connections. Wroten was drafted by the Grizzlies. Elliot Williams and 10-day signee Adonis Thomas played at the University of Memphis, while Thaddeus Young was a high school standout in the city. Arnett Moultrie, who also played high school ball in Memphis, was inactive serving five-game suspension for violating league anti-drug policy. ... The Sixers have trailed by double-digits in 64 of their 79 games this season. ... Philadelphia is now 6-56 when it fails to reach 110 points. ... Memphis last home loss was Feb. 5 to Dallas. ' ' '
