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SOCHI, Russia – Hours before his team would battle for an opportunity to play for gold here in Sochi, Canadian head coach Mike Babcock had an opportunity to meet with two members of the womens squad – Hayley Wickenheiser and Shannon Szabados – that rallied for gold of their own in historic fashion just a night earlier. "I just think what it does for everybody in life is real simple," said Babcock early on Friday afternoon. "You dont give in. You just keep on keeping on. Is it going to go your way every time? No. But you choose your attitude and how you perform and how hard you dig in." Nearly four years to the day of the 2010 gold medal match in Vancouver, his team dug in with its best effort of these Olympics, snuffing out the high-powered Americans for another opportunity at gold. The line between victory and failure was painfully thin at Bolshoy Ice Dome in a Friday evening clash of the tournaments two deepest teams, but ultimately Carey Price on the prowl, another Jamie Benn marker and a stiff Canadian defensive effort prevailed in a tight 1-0 win. "If we were to think about that result and visualize it at the start of the day, wed say, mission accomplished," Price remarked afterward. Their scoring struggles may have continued in victory – just four goals of offence in the past nine periods of regulation – but what Canada continued to do exceptionally well is defend, holding a potent U.S. team completely off the board. The Americans entered the night as the tournaments most fearsome offensive attack, scoring 20 goals in their first four games including five alone from Phil Kessel. But they were stifled by the Canadians, who have allowed, incredibly, just three goals and only two at even-strength. "Thats been something from Day 1 that weve really believed in and trust that thats a big part of having success here," said Sidney Crosby. "You see the games from every team at this point are pretty tight. Thats a common theme. And theres not much separating each team." Though the pace was absolutely frantic, the Canadians generally managed the feared American speed. Much of that effort came from simply controlling possession, forcing the likes of Kessel and Patrick Kane to defend a lot more than theyd like. "We forced them to play in the defensive zone a lot," said Crosby. "Theyve got a lot of guys who are skilled and create a lot of speed, but I think we did a good job of keeping them in there for at least 20 seconds in shifts. Hopefully that played a part in taking away their energy offensively." Toews and linemates, Jeff Carter and Patrick Marleau, drew the assignment of the slowing the Kessel line – which also featured Joe Pavelski, who had the most goals in the NHL since Jan. 1 and James van Riemsdyk – and did so in part by back-checking with fevered passion, a commitment that was shared by the rest of the Canadian forward contingent. Kessel had a rush or two of consequence early, but was held to four shots and none in the final frame. "It was just work ethic," said Toews. "It was good sticks, I think we had active sticks … we didnt stop moving our feet, and we were committed to doing the job right. Our penalty kill was great tonight, too. Those are the things, whether youre winning a Stanley Cup or an Olympic gold medal, those are the things you need to do." Zach Parise led the U.S. with eight shots and had one of the better opportunities to score in the second, redirecting a Patrick Kane pass attempt on Price, one of 31 shots turned aside by the 26-year-old in his first Olympic shutout. Price was facing the biggest and most scrutinized test of his career and he aced it, outdueling the always impressive Jonathan Quick. A stoic and unwavering personality, Price, a native of Anahim Lake, B.C., was cool in his fourth start of these Games and made the difficult look effortless. Maybe his most impressive stop of the evening saw John Carlson robbed by the glove in a scoreless opening frame. "I thought he was great," said Babcock. "The game was close. Its 1-0, its tight, and all those shots coming he had to make big saves, just like Quick did. Its not like there wasnt chances tonight. There was chances both ways, its just that the goalies are so good in todays world it makes it hard to get pucks by them." "Im just soaking in this moment right now," said Price, who owns a .963 save percentage thus far. Benn proved the only player on either team to score. The 24-year-old scored his second goal (and second game-winner) by redirecting a Jay Bouwmeester point shot past Quick, who was often awesome himself in turning aside 36 shots, including all 16 in a busy first frame. Only four Canadian forwards have scored with a game to go and if there is a concern heading into Sundays final with Sweden, its just that. Like the quarterfinal game against Latvia, there were numerous chances against the Americans on this night with only one resulting in a goal. Patrice Bergeron had an early backhand opportunity eschewed by Quicks blocker. Carter was stopped by the pads moments later. Two good chances for Patrick Sharp, who offered energy on an effective fourth line with Matt Duchene and Rick Nash, also failed to materialize into anything other than a shot or two on goal. "Weve had unbelievable opportunities and still havent finished," Babcock. "Were going to finish. We just hope we dont run out of time." A journey that started six months ago at an orientation camp in Calgary will conclude Sunday against the injury-riddled, overlooked and still dangerous Swedes, who topped Finland in the other semifinal. In line with Babcocks desired mantra at these Olympics, the Canadians have gotten better every day and know that will have to continue if theyre to repeat with gold for the first time in more than 60 years and also join the undeterred womens squad, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit to capture their fourth consecutive gold on Thursday night. "Each and every level of the Stanley Cup playoffs, youve got to keep getting better and its the same here," said Babcock, who will face four of his Red Wing players in the gold medal match. "What I do know about the Swedes and I know lots of them actually, theyre good players and they play with no ego and itll be about the team. Theyve been really good here. Theyre going to be a hard test. We understand that." Authentic Soccer Jerseys . The Austrian ski federation said Morgenstern was "conscious and well responsive" and his condition would be monitored in the intensive care unit of a Salzburg hospital for the next 72 hours. The federation said it was "way too early" to judge Morgensterns chances of competing in Sochi, and that an update on his condition was not expected before Monday. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . After the loss, White refused to make good on the bet, instead offering Hoyt tickets to a Bears game. http://www.cheapsoccerjerseyschina.net/. The 25-year-old Brazilian player has only made four Premier League appearances for United this season and underwent a medical test in Italy on Friday. Soccer Jerseys From China . Louis Blues were workmanlike, methodical and -- most of all -- effective on Monday night. Cheap Soccer Jerseys . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. LOS ANGELES -- There was no emotional letdown by the Utah Jazz following their stunning upset of the two-time defending champion Miami Heat over the weekend. The Los Angeles Lakers just didnt have enough healthy front-line players to make that happen. Reserve Alec Burks scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and the Jazz sent the injury-riddled Lakers to a franchise record-tying sixth straight home loss, 96-79 on Tuesday night. It was the second time this season that the third-year shooting guard led Utah in scoring during a victory. The other was Jan. 13 against Denver, when they rode his career-high 34 points to a 118-103 triumph at Salt Lake City. "Alec is kind of our Jamal Crawford in some games, and we need him to come in and score for us," Gordon Hayward said. "He brings a lot of energy off the bench, and hes had some really huge games for us this year. We can usually tell from the beginning that when hes active and hes more engaged in the game, hes going to have a good night. "And, tonight, you could tell right away that was going to happen." Hayward scored 15 points and reserve Jeremy Evans had 14 for Utah, which enjoyed a 55-40 rebounding edge. Derrick Favours had 11 points and 10 rebounds. "It was a great effort by the bench and the starters," Burke said. "Everybody played great. Everybody was aggressive and fought hard." Chris Kaman had 25 points and 14 boards for the Lakers, who have dropped nine of 11 overall and 21 of 26 since Dec. 21. The loss to Utah put Los Angeles in 14th place in the Western Conference, a half-game behind the Jazz and a game ahead of last-place Sacramento. Undermined all season by a run of injuries, the Lakers most likely will miss the post-season for only the fifth time since the franchise relocated from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 1960-61. Five of their top six scorers -- Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Jordan Farmar, Nick Young, Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry -- are still on the shelf. The only one from that group who played Tuesday was newcomer Kendall Marshall, who had seven points and seven assists. "Its frustrating," Kaman said. "A lot of our guys are just trying to figure out where theyre supposed to be and what theyre supposed to be doing, because weve had so many guys hurt and then come back." Marshall had 20 points and 15 assists against the Jazz on Jan. 3 -- the last time the Lakers won a game at Staples Center. That was the first of his 15 starts at point guard before Steve Nashs return to the starting lineup on Sunday. The 40-year-old Nash made a quick recovery from Sundays loss to Chicago, which he left in the third quarter after getting hit in thhe his left leg -- the same one that was fractured last season.dddddddddddd The two-time MVP, who missed 39 games with a nerve problem in his back before returning to the lineup last week, played 16 1/2 minutes against the Jazz before sitting out the second half. He had two points and two assists. "He wanted to come back in the second half when we had so few guys to play," coach Mike DAntoni said. "We just have to get through this period and get guys back after the All-Star break. Well have three or four guys back then, and that will help." Then there was Steve Blake, who also left the building less than 100 per cent. "My arm got stuck in a screen between two guys and I hyperextended my arm again," said Blake, who recorded his 500th career steal in the fourth quarter. "It hurt, but I wasnt going to sit down. I just played through it." DAntoni used his 26th different starting lineup, with Kaman replacing Robert Sacre at centre and Shawne Williams at power forward instead of Ryan Kelly. Kaman made 11 of 24 shots, after scoring 27 points with a career-high 13 field goals against the Bulls. Williams, who signed a 10-day contract last Thursday after getting waived on Jan. 7, had 11 points in 37 minutes. The Lakers first four baskets of the night came on 3-pointers, but they didnt make another one the rest of the way and finished 4 for 16 behind the arc. "We tried to keep them on the same side, and they werent getting as many looks," Hayward said. "We had our hands up, contested their shots and made them put it on the floor." The Jazz rallied from a 15-point first-quarter deficit to lead 48-37 at halftime as Los Angeles shot 4 for 18 in the second period. Utah wants to keep things going when it hosts Philadelphia on Wednesday night. The 76ers are coming off a 43-point loss to the Warriors, which followed a 45-point drubbing by the Clippers. So this is a golden opportunity for Utah to improve on its 4-10 in the second half of back-to-back sets. "Tomorrows going to be a big game," Hayward said. "Obviously, Philadelphias been beaten pretty handily the past couple of games, so theyre going to come out with something to prove." NOTES: The 1992-93 Lakers lost six consecutive games at the Forum in March of that season under rookie coach Randy Pfund. ... The Jazz are 15-9 when their starting five consists of Hayward, Al Jefferson, Marvin Williams, Favors and Trey Burke. The rest of the time, they are 3-24. ... The 18-34 Lakers have been taken off a nationally scheduled telecast for the third time this season, with ESPN scrapping plans for the Feb. 23 at home against the Brooklyn Nets. ' ' '