to slip a bit heading into the Olympic break and had posted

PORTLAND, OREGON – Uruguayan midfielder Sebastian Fernandez scored his first goal of the preseason as Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Portland Timbers played to a hard-fought 1-1 draw Saturday at Providence Park. After the host Timbers opened the scoring in the third minute, Fernandez smashed home a late second-half penalty to salvage Whitecaps FCs undefeated record at the Rose City Invitational. The Caps finish the tournament as the top team with a 2W-0L-1D record and enter next weekends season opener undefeated in four preseason matches. Vancouvers squad on Saturday looked similar to the one that defeated Portmore United 5-1 last weekend, though there were a few changes. Right back Ethen Sampson and striker Kenny Miller came in to replace Steven Beitashour and Darren Mattocks, who are both away on international duty. Midfielder Gershon Koffie also drew into the starting lineup, which moved Russell Teibert up to the right wing. And goalkeeper David Ousted made his first appearance of the tournament. Saturdays contest got off to a physical start at Providence Park, which is often the norm in meetings between these Cascadia rivals. In fact, there were a total of 16 fouls committed in the first half alone. Unfortunately for the Blue and White, however, an early foul led to Portlands first goal of the match – a Will Johnson free kick from 25 yards in the third minute. The Caps nearly equalized a few minutes later when Fernandez let loose a curling strike from distance, but Timbers goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts tipped it just over the goal. Aside from the early marker, there wasnt much between Vancouver and Portland in the opening 45 minutes. The host Timbers came on in spurts, but the Caps back line anchored by Jay DeMerit and Andy OBrien kept them at bay. For Whitecaps FC, Uruguayan midfielder Nicolas Mezquida looked particularly dangerous. The 22-year-old showed great vision on a throughball to Miller in the 18th minute and some nifty footwork in midfield a few minutes later. The Caps couldnt connect in the final third, however, and it just about cost them . Portland had a great chance to double their lead in the 35th minute, as Maximilano Urruti slipped behind the Caps defence only to float his ensuing effort over the crossbar. They came close again just after the break, when Darlington Nagbe found some space in the middle of the park before letting loose a heavy strike from 20 yards that went just wide. At the other end of the park, Whitecaps FC showed some attacking flair again in the second half. And they received a boost just after the hour-mark, when local lad Erik Hurtado and Argentine midfielder came Matias Laba into the match – followed shortly by winger/striker Kekuta Manneh. And the trio combined to set up Vancouvers equalizer in the 79th minute. After a receiving a pass from Laba in midfield, Hurtado took a touch and released Manneh into the box before the Gambian was hauled down by Timbers defender Jack Jewsbury. Then Fernandez smashed home the ensuing penalty kick to level the score at 1-1. Manneh had a pair of half-chances in the dying stages of the match, but in the end the Cascadia rivals battled to a hard-fought 1-1 draw – just as they did in each of their three regular season meetings in 2013. With the draw, Whitecaps FC conclude the preseason with 4W-2L-1D record. Cheap Nike Sb Trainers . You can catch all of the action LIVE on TSN2 at 6pm et/3pm pt. The Heat reached that mark Saturday night when they ruined the Philadelphia 76ers home opener. Nike Sb Clearance Sale . Wiggins, who had been seen as a contender for a podium finish in Paris, was one of about 20 riders caught near the back of the peloton with 38 kilometres to go in the 218-km flat stage from Le Mans to Chateauroux. http://www.cheapwholesalenikesb.com/nike...utlet-sale.html. -- Jane Kish stopped all 25 shots she faced as the Weyburn Gold Wings blanked the Sudbury Lady Wolves 3-0 on Friday to advance to the gold-medal game at the Esso Cup. Nike Sb Shoes For Sale . Kyle Shanahan was hired as offensive co-ordinator Monday after spending the previous four years in the same role with the Washington Redskins. Nike Sb Sale . Englands only win in the four most recent trips north had been tight, and Scotland was expected after losing 28-6 to Ireland six days ago to show some venom against its archrival.The Anaheim Ducks open the playoffs as the Wests top seed and hope to get a quick start on Wednesday when they host the Dallas Stars at the Honda Center for Game 1 of a best-of-seven series. You can catch all of the action live on TSN with coverage beginning at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt. Few teams looked as unbeatable as the Ducks at the start of the season. But after a dominating effort for a good part of the season, Anaheim started to slip a bit heading into the Olympic break and had posted a mark of just 14-12-3 during a 29-game span from Jan. 17-April 6. The Ducks then capped the regular season with four straight victories, but presumed playoff starter Jonas Hiller was not in net for any of those games. Hiller, in fact, did not play in seven of Anaheims final eight games and has not won since March 26. Still, head coach Bruce Boudreau is likely to go with Hiller over the inexperienced Frederik Andersen and John Gibson, neither of whom have ever played in an NHL playoff game. Hillers postseason numbers are not terrible, with the 32-year-old pending free agent having gone 10-10 with a 2.31 goals against average, .935 save percentage and three shutouts in 20 games. Given the fact that the Ducks led the NHL with 3.21 goals per game this season, Boudreau may be able to roll the dice with Hiller and hope the netminder can recapture the form that saw him post a club-record 14-game winning streak from Dec. 6-Jan. 12. Forward Corey Perry was second in the league with 43 goals to go along with a plus-32 rating, while center Ryan Getzlaf finished fifth in the NHL with 56 assists and second to only Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby in points with 87. Ducks winger Teemu Selanne is expected to retire at seasons end and the 43- year-old could have some extra juice for this postseason. He comes into the series having totaled 42 goals and 82 points in 118 career playoff games. "This is the best time for hockey players," Selanne said. "Youve got to enjoy every day and every moment. Every little thing matters. Even a little thing can turn the whole series around." The Stars overhauled their identity this past offseason in an effort to reach the postseason for the first time since 2008. It worked. Under the guidance of first-year coach Lindy Ruff and offensive threat Tyler Seguin, the Stars claimed the Western Conferences second wild card position. Sure, they got some help from a slumping Phoenix Coyotes club, which had lost seven straight before beating the Stars in a meaningless regular-season finale, and Dallas did just enough by going 3-4-0 down the stretch, but the results are in the bottom line. And what a line it was for Seguin, who the Stars acquired this past offseason from the Boston Bruins. The 22-year-old brought rumors of immaturity with him to Dallas, but with the Stars all he did was show the skill that led to him being the second overall pick of the 2010 draft. Seguin led Dallas across the board with 37 goals, 47 assists and 84 points -- all career highs -- andd now brings 42 games of playoff experience to the Stars.dddddddddddd Seguin has six goals and 12 assists in the postseason and was part of the Cup- winning 2010-11 Bruins club. His presence also helped Stars captain Jamie Benn soar to new heights. The winger set new career highs with 34 goals, 45 assists and 79 points in 81 games, and the duo of Seguin and Benn was a big reason that the Stars finished 10th in the NHL with 2.82 goals per game. Six other Dallas skaters reached double figures in goals, including Ryan Garbutt (17 goals) and Cody Eakin and Erik Cole, who had 16 goals apiece. Rookies Valeri Nichushkin (10th overall pick of the 2010 draft) and Alex Chiasson also were steady contributors and Dallas has veteran depth in Ray Whitney and Shawn Horcoff. Defensively, Alex Goligoski had an excellent campaign, with his 42 points a career high and his best total since logging 37 points with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009-10. However, inexperience could be an issue in net with No. 1 Kari Lehtonen, who owns just two career playoff games to his resume and none since 2006-07 with the Atlanta Thrashers. He was solid this regular season, going 33-20-10 with a 2.41 goals against average and .919 save percentage. Should Lehtonen struggle early, Ruff will have the option of going to veteran Tim Thomas, acquired at this years trade deadline. Thomas didnt wow in eight games with Dallas, but has outstanding playoff numbers at 29-21 with a 2.07 GAA, .933 save percentage and six shutouts. Of course, he also won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy with Boston in 2011. The Stars won two of their three meetings with the Ducks this season, with the clubs exchanging 6-3 home victories before Dallas claimed a 2-0 win at Anaheim on Feb. 1. Lehtonen did not face the Ducks this season and is 9-7-3 with a 2.41 GAA against them in 19 career meetings. Hiller went 0-2 with a 3.91 GAA in three meetings this season, pulled in the first meeting in Anaheim back on Oct. 20. "We know them well and we?ve had some success against them," said Goligoski. "Theyre fast and theyre a bigger team, and they obviously had a great season. Were looking forward to the challenge." This marks the third all-time playoff meeting between these clubs and first since the Stars bested the Ducks in six games during the 2008 Western Conference quarterfinals. That avenged a six-game series loss to Anaheim in the 2003 semifinals. Anaheim also will host Game 2 of this series on Friday. The Ducks were 29-8-4 as the home team this season, while Dallas was just 17-20-4 as the visitors. Projected Ducks Lines Beleskey - Getzlaf - PerryWinnik - Bonino - PalmieriCogliano - Koivu - Silfv