r Spott with the Ontario Hockey Leagues Kitch

Larisa Yurkiw believed she should compete with the best in the world in the Olympics, and shell get that chance Wednesday in the womens downhill at Rosa Khutor. When the best Canadian womens speed racers from the 2010 Winter Olympics soon retired and Yurkiw endured injury woes with after effects that extended into years, official Alpine Canada funding dried up. The dollars were targeted at the emerging women on the team, all technical specialists. Yurkiw poured tens of thousands of her own dollars into a bid to make the Sochi Olympics, and raised more than six figures from private individuals and businesses to back her quest. Racing as an independent under coach Kurt Mayr, Yurkiw earned Tier 1 qualification for Sochi with a pair of top 12 results this season, a seventh-place finish in the season-opening downhill in Lake Louise, Alta., and a sixth place at Altenmarkt, Austria last month. The Owen Sound, Ont., native was aiming to compete at the Vancouver Games but tore up her left knee in a crash in December 2009. Yurkiw didnt participate in a full season again until 2012-13, but didnt crack the top 20 in any races, which put her at a career crossroads at just 25 years of age. In what seemed like another cruel blow after all her hard work, Yurkiw went down in a training run in Sochi last week. But she recovered to post the ninth fastest time in the last training session. The contenders There wont be a repeat Olympic downhill champion as American ski star Lindsey Vonn of the United States underwent knee surgery, but 2010 silver medallist Julia Mancuso and bronze recipient Liz Goergl are competing in Russia. Both are capable of getting back to the podium. Mancuso hasnt enjoyed great World Cup results this season, but now owns four career Olympic medals after earning a bronze in Mondays super-combined. The Hawaiian resident did so on the strength of a downhill that was nearly a half-second faster than the next best skier, Lara Gut of Switzerland. Goergls two World Cup wins this season (one downhill, one super-G) have come in the last month, while Gut, Marianne Kaufmann-Abderhalden of Austria and Slovenias Tina Maze also own downhill wins this season. Maria Hoefl-Riesch, with three, is the only skier with multiple downhill wins this season. The German veteran would have to be considered co-favourite along with Mancuso for the downhill, after winning her third career Olympic gold medal in Mondays super-combined. She is also the overall World Cup points leader. Dominique Gisin of Switzerland hasnt been on the World Cup podium since late 2011, but served notice she could be a factor with a winning training session earlier this week. Anna Wenninger of Austria and Elena Fanchin of Italy are also contender, each having been on the World Cup podium twice in downhill this season, though not yet in the top spot. Tina Weirather under normal circumstances would be considered a strong medal contender after racking up nine World Cup podiums this season, including four in the downhill. But the skier from tiny Liechtenstein, who suffered a serious injury that put her on the sidelines just days before the 2010 Olympics, is uncertain to compete after hurting her leg in a weekend training session. Bart Starr Jersey . Torres calmly stroked a 51st-minute spot kick down the middle with goalkeeper Romel Quinonez diving right to convert a penalty earned by Javi Martinez. Spain controlled play at the Sanchez Pizjuan but found it hard to convert against a well-organized Bolivian team before Iniesta charged forward to curl around Quinonez in the 84th to seal victory. Green Bay Packers Jerseys . Villar connected off Joe Saunders (11-14), sending a drive well over the left-field fence for his first career homer. The Astros scored six times in the first three innings to chase Saunders. http://www.shoptheofficialpackers.com/El...Packers-Jersey/. Goodell said in an ESPN Radio interview Monday (http://es.pn/1gkbauy ) that participants played harder and made the game very competitive. Goodell says he had fun watching the game Sunday and thinks fans did, too. Custom Green Bay Packers Jerseys . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. Paul Hornung Jersey . PAUL, Minn.TORONTO -- Toronto defenceman T.J. Brennan thinks the Marlies are their own worst enemies. A neutral zone turnover by Marlies captain Trevor Smith led to the game-winning goal at 11:14 of the third period as Toronto fell 3-2 to the Texas Stars in Game 3 of their American Hockey Leagues Western Conference final. "I think were kind of shooting ourselves in the foot with turnovers," said Brennan. "Its a game of mistakes especially in the conference finals. Little things separate a team in a one goal game, couple mistakes we made and they capitalized." The goal came just 59 seconds after Brennan had picked up his second of the night to tie the game 2-2. Kevin Henderson and Patrik Nemeth had the other Stars goals while Cristopher Nilstorp made 20 saves. The win was the Stars second in three nights and gives the Dallas Stars affiliate a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference final. Drew MacIntyre stopped 27 shots in the loss. The Marlies won their first eight games to open the playoffs. "The challenge for us is the neutral zone, we cannot turn over pucks in the neutral zone, thats where we have to be smart," said Marlies coach Steve Spott. "We have to be a team that gets pucks in deep and then hunts people down and gets it back. We simply havent done that well enough in this series." A newly formed fourth line of Kenny Ryan between Tyler Biggs and Brad Ross factored in on the games opening goal from Brennan at 9:16 of the first period. Biggs was in the Marlies lineup for the first time ssince Game 2 of the first round (April 26) replacing Jerred Smithson.dddddddddddd Andrew MacWilliam (upper body) made his series debut replacing Dylan Yeo on the blue-line. Wednesday was MacWilliams first game since a collision with Chicago Wolves forward Adam Cracknell in Game 3 of the second round. "I thought that line was good, I thought of all the lines, that line gave us what I was hoping to get, which was a level of physicality," Spott said of his fourth line. "They played with some urgency and some grit so I liked that line." Brennan nearly had his second of the game, and period, on a Marlies power play late in the opening frame as he wired a Spencer Abbott feed from the top of the face-off circle, but Nilstorp was there to make the save. Nemeth tied it 1-1 at 3:16 of the second period beating a screened MacIntyre five hole for his first of the playoffs. Henderson, who played for Spott with the Ontario Hockey Leagues Kitchener Rangers, gave Texas its first lead of the game at 6:59 of the third tipping home the rebound off Brett Ritchies shot for his first playoff goal. "Theyre a veteran hockey club and theyre good," said Spott. "When you look at their 12 forwards, theyre playing with a level of desperation that our 12 forwards havent found yet. Weve got a couple guys that are playing at the level that we expected." Notes: Maple Leafs great Johnny Bower dropped the puck in a ceremonial faceoff. Game 4 of the series goes Thursday with Game 5 at Ricoh Coliseum Saturday afternoon. ' ' '