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Geregistreerd op: 05 Jul 2019
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 Geplaatst: 17-07-2019 07:19:25 Onderwerp: season contenders. |
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| Veteran skip Kevin Koe already has one world title and two national titles on his resume. His next mission is to qualify for the Winter Olympics and hes assembling a new team to try to make it happen. Koe plans to leave the rink he guided to victory at the Tim Hortons Brier for a new lineup that will include Marc Kennedy at third, Ben Hebert at lead and Brent Laing at second. Its an experienced all-star crew that will have its eye on qualification for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. "It was not an easy decision," Koe told The Canadian Press from Calgary. "But I felt the timing was good personally for me -- just with the next Olympic cycle coming up -- to make a change." News of the change broke last month before the team departed for the world championship in China. The moves werent formally announced until the Canadian Curling Association issued a news release Tuesday. Koe and his Calgary-based team of third Pat Simmons, second Carter Rycroft and lead Nolan Thiessen settled for a disappointing fourth-place finish last weekend in Beijing. Theyll play their last event together as a foursome at the April 15-20 Grand Slam Players Championship in Summerside, P.E.I. Koe discussed his plans with his teammates last month after they won the Brier in Kamloops, B.C. He admitted it was a "difficult conversation," but doesnt think it affected their play overseas. "I think the guys would say the same thing," Koe said. "If anything, we wanted to win a world championship for each other that much more." The period right after an Olympic Games is always an interesting one on the curling scene. Not everyone is necessarily keen to make another four-year commitment for a variety of factors, including age, jobs and family commitments. Some teams are locked in and ready for the next quadrennial while other players need to move quickly to position themselves before potential vacancies are filled. Qualification events for the 2017 Canadian Curling Trials wont be far off once the new season begins so teams will want to find their rhythm as soon as possible. "I think its more a function of just the way curling has gone," Koe said. "Most years curling changes happen now after an Olympic year. Thats just the nature of the beast I guess. Teams get together to make that big run. "It was no disrespect to the guys. I dont think teams can stay together forever. Our team wasnt going to be staying together with Carter slowing down. So those are just some of the reasons that went into my decision." Rycroft, whose wife is pregnant, had originally planned to take time next season off. However, Thiessen said that plan would be modified so they can enter the 2014 Canada Cup, the 2015 World Financial Group Continental Cup and be the first Team Canada in the history of the Brier. Simmons, Rycroft and Thiessen will name their new skip at a later date. "Teams just kind of run their course," Thiessen said from Edmonton. "We probably -- even though we won the Brier this year -- we were starting to get towards the line of maybe running its course. Kevin had a great opportunity. Thats a great team that hes setting up. "Everyones got to do whats best for them and thats what he did. He went and (will) play with those guys and I mean, who wouldnt? Its three great players that he went to play with." Koe won his other national title and lone world title in 2010 with Rycroft, Thiessen and Blake MacDonald. Simmons later replaced MacDonald but the core of the team spent eight years together. The team members said they will remain good friends, adding next weeks competition will be emotional for all involved. Kennedy and Hebert won Olympic gold at the 2010 Games in Vancouver with skip Kevin Martin, who supported the lineup change. Martin has said he plans to decide on his curling future by the end of June. Laing won world titles with veteran Ontario skip Glenn Howard in 2007 and 2012. "At the end of day with everything else considered, it was just too great of an opportunity to turn down for me," Laing said from Barrie, Ont. Howard wasnt available for comment. Hes expected to name Laings replacement in the coming weeks. Cameron Jordan Saints Jersey . Zimmermann became the National Leagues first 16-game winner, pitching seven solid innings to lead the Washington Nationals past the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 Wednesday night. Erik McCoy Youth Jersey . The Cavs announced the move Saturday, one day after LeBron James said hes returning to Cleveland. A 12-year veteran, Haywood has played in 794 NBA games, averaging 6. http://www.shoptheofficialsaints.com/Elite-Wil-Lutz-Saints-Jersey/ . - Maxence Parrot of Bromont, Que. Rickey Jackson Jersey Sheldon Rankins Jersey . More importantly, he is trying to show his young teammates the Colorado are still post-season contenders. He hopes winning a series at home was a fresh start.PHOENIX - As they have so often this season, Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic pushed the Phoenix Suns to victory.Bledsoe scored 23 points and backcourt mate Dragic had 21 as the Phoenix Suns held off the Chicago Bulls 99-93 on Friday night.Its a hard matchup when you have two point guards on the floor at all times, the Bulls Derrick Rose said. ...They are a hard team to defend, the way they play. We did a poor job of getting back in the first half. In the second half, we came back a little, but it was too late.Bledsoes six-footer high off the glass put the Suns up 97-93. It came after a 7-0 Chicago run that cut the lead to 95-93 on Aaron Brooks layup with 31.9 seconds to go.Markieff Morris had 12 points and as season-high 14 rebounds for the Suns. His twin brother, Marcus, also scored 12.Derrick Rose scored 23, Jimmy Butler, 22, and Brooks, 21, for the Bulls, who were coming off a double-overtime loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles Thursday night and didnt arrive in Phoenix until 3:30 a.m. on Friday.And they still played hard, Dragic said. It was just amazing to me. Everybody is a professional over there.But fatigue was a factor, no question about it, Chicagos Pau Gasol said. It wasnt going to be an excuse, but you try to fight through and give ourselves a chance. Its a tougher game that weve played just because we didnt have much left in the tank, but we gave it a good shot.Phoenix finished 6-2 in a franchise-record eight-game homestand.The Suns led nearly the entire game and were up by 16 in the second quarter before a 22-6 run gave the Bulls their only lead since the opening minutes on Kirk Hinrichs four-footer with 36 seconds left in the third.ddddddddddddBrandan Wrights layup put the Suns up 68-67 entering the fourth.Dragics layup after a slick pass from Markieff Morris gave Phoenix a 95-86 lead with 2:24 to play. Chicago scored the next seven, including a 3-pointer and layup by Brooks, before Bledsoe and the Suns put it away.I thought our defence played great tonight, said Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek. They challenged just about every shot. ... Overall, it was a great game. We didnt shoot the ball particularly well but we made them in the fourth quarter when we needed it.TIP-INSBulls: Missed their first seven free throws. ... Chicago is 1-2 halfway through a six-game road trip. ... Jimmy Butler tweaked his knee in the loss to the Lakers but was back in the lineup on Friday.Suns: Dragic and Bledsoe got his16th 20-point game of the season. ... Phoenix is 16-6 since going to the starting lineup of Dragic, Bledsoe, Alex Len, Markieff Morris and P.J. Tucker.COACHS DECISIONGerald Green, the streak-shooting guard who usually is one of the first players off the Suns bench, didnt play at all.Hornacek said it was just the way the rotation went and was nothing calculated.I wanted Goran and Eric in there most of the time and then with Isaiah (Thomas) taking some of those minutes, we just kind of squeezed him tonight, Hornacek said. But tomorrow night could be his night where he plays a lot of minutes and does a great job for us.UP NEXTBulls: At Houston on Wednesday.Suns: At Golden State Saturday night. ' ' ' |
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