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ABBOTSFORD, B.C. -- Ryan Sproul scored the winner late in double overtime to lift the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 2-1 win over the Abbotsford Heat on Friday in Game 1 of their American Hockey League playoff series. After the Griffins stole the puck in the Heat zone, the puck came around to Sproul at the point and his wrist shot found its way through a maze of bodies with 33.4 seconds to go in the second overtime period. Mattias Backman, playing just his third game in North America, tied the game in the third period for the Griffins. Petr Mrazek stopped 55 shots in the win for Grand Rapids, who killed six penalties in the game, including a five-minute major late in the second period. Their fifth-ranked penalty kill limited Abbotsfords fourth-ranked power plays opportunities, including a penalty to Jordin Tootoo with just three minutes to play in the third. Game 2 is Saturday at the Abbotsford Centre. Olson opened the scoring for the home side at 11:44 of the first. Knight centred for Sven Baertschi in the slot. The Swiss winger was robbed on the one-timer and the rebound but Olson swooped in and buried the loose puck to give the Heat the early lead. The Heat had an opportunity to double their lead on back-to-back power plays midway through the second period. The best chance was Ben Street down low, but Mrazek followed him left to right, kicking his pad out to keep the Griffins within one goal. Grand Rapids best opportunity to tie the game came on a power play with six minutes to play in the second. Andreas Athanasiou broke in and tried to beat Ortio with a slick backhand deke, but the Finnish netminder made a nice glove save to keep his team up by one. The Heat had a glorious opportunity to expand their lead late in the second period. While already on the penalty kill, the Griffins David McIntyre hit the Heats Chris Breen into the boards from behind, drawing a five-minute major. However, they managed only a few scoring chances, leaving the visiting Griffins within a goal. Tootoo nearly tied the game shortly after the major penalty expired, but he rang a wrist shot off the near post. Backman finally evened the game at 12:37 of the third, toe-dragging the puck around rookie Emile Poirier, and firing a shot top corner, blocker side. Michael Granlund had a quality scoring chance late in the third period with Tootoo in the box again, but his sleek backhand was snared by Mrazeks glove, sending the game to overtime. Granlund also had a pair of back-to-back scoring chances about seven minutes into overtime, including a point-blank kick save by Mrazek to extend the overtime period. Mrazek was shaken up around the 16-minute mark of overtime. The Czech goalie rushed way out of his net to chip a puck away from Baertschi. The two collided and it took a great defensive block by Nick Jensen to stop Olson from burying the puck into the empty net. Mrazek was tended to by the trainer but remained in the game. Midway through the second overtime period the Heats line of Baertschi, Olson and Corban Knight had a shift on which they had three quality looks at Mrazek, but failed to end the game. Carlos Vela Mexico Jersey . The 57-year-old Tietjens has coached New Zealand to nine IRB World Sevens titles and to four Commonwealth Games gold medals as its only coach in the professional era. New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said the re-signing was made with a focus on 2016 when sevens will be in the Olympics. Guillermo Ochoa Mexico Jersey . The attacking midfielder arrives on a free transfer from Spains Malaga. 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While Canadian women have stood on the Olympic podium in the sport, a Canadian man never has. Led by Alex Harvey of St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que., and Devon Kershaw of Sudbury, Ont., that drought could end on the Psekhako Ridge in Sochi, Russia. The hard goal of Canadas cross-country team is to claim at least two medals in Sochi. Its the men who have the best chance at winning them this time. "I really feel if this team doesnt get two medals Ill feel a bit of disappointment or maybe we did something wrong," Canadian head coach Justin Wadsworth said. "That doesnt mean were incapable of four or five medals. "This is an amazing team. We could do better than two medals. We could blow other teams out of the water if everything comes together." The 11 skiers wholl represent Canada in Sochi were introduced Tuesday at an elementary school with six being present for the announcement. Harvey, Kershaw, Ivan Babikov of Canmore, Alta., Daria Gaiazova of Banff, Alta., and Perianne Jones of Almonte, Ont., were in Europe and en route to a World Cup event in Poland. Chandra Crawford and Jesse Cockney of Canmore, Torontos Lenny Valjas, Graeme Killick of Fort McMurray, Alta., Heidi Widmer of Banff and Emily Nishikawa of Whitehorse will join their teammates in Italy next week for pre-Games training. Cockney, Killick, Widmer and Nishikawa claimed their Olympic berths at last weeks trials in Canmore. They, along with Valjas, will make their Olympic debuts while the rest of the team has previous Games experience. Harvey won two races and finished in the medals four times in this seasons Tour de Ski, which is a gruelling series of 10 races spread over 16 days and three countries. Harvey and Kershaw finished first and second, respectively, in the series opening race. "I feel like our team is in a really good place," Wadsworth said. "We started out slowly this year. The results werent good early and weve built and built. I feel like were in a place where were building still in confidence. We havent peaked out in any way shape or form. "I feel like the whole team is starting to rise and its how we wanted to time it." Wadsworth is married to Canadas Beckie Scott, whose bronze at the 2002 Winter Games was eventually upgraded to gold when two Russians ahead of her were disqualified for doping. Scott was the first North American woman to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing. Scott and Sara Renner combined for team sprint silver in 2006 before Scott retired. Canadas cross-country skiers were shut out of the medals at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., although the men posted seven top-10 finishes. Harvey and Kershaw were fourth in the team sprint and Babikov fifth in the 30-kilometre event. Kershaw was fifth and an aggonizing half a second from the podium in the 50-kilometre event.dddddddddddd Harvey and Kershaw won world championship gold in 2011 in the team sprint. The mens sprints are fertile ground for Canada, but Babikov is also a contender in distance events. Those three and Valjas also give the Canadian squad a strong mens relay team. Medal prospects are thinner on the womens side, although Gaiazova and Jones won World Cup bronze in a team sprint in Sochi last year. Crawford, the 2006 Olympic womens sprint champion, is a wildcard. The womens sprint Feb. 11 will be a skate-ski race again as it was in 2006. The womens sprint in 2010 was a classic race and not Crawfords forte. The 30-year-old is more in her element in skating races than in classic, the striding technique requiring more finesse and less power. But Crawford has struggled first with injuries and then burnout since 2006, to the point where she cut her 2012-13 European racing season short and returned to Canmore. She trained on her own last summer instead of joining the national team at training camps. The 30-year-old isnt shouldering the same weight of expectation she did prior to 2010. "Its so different than Vancouver. Its not our Games. We have to . . . there was more of a have-to feeling," Crawford said. "Just the amount of interest was hard to process as well. "This feels like a real gift and I really appreciate the opportunity." Cockney is the first athlete of Inuit descent on the Olympic cross-country team since sisters Sharon and Shirley Firth raced in their fourth Winter Games in 1984. Cockneys father, Angus, is Inuit. Cockney was born in Yellowknife and learned to ski there before his family moved to Canmore. "Its great to have a strong connection to distinct people," the 26-year-old said. "You kind of feel a little bit more unique and for sure a different experience growing up. "My dad was a cross-country skier at a high level when he was younger and he got my sister and I involved when we were quite young. We had ski trails behind our house when we lived in Yellowknife all the way to the nordic centre. "A lot of dark, cold days in Yellowknife, cross-country skiing in the middle of winter, but that hardened us up and made us stronger." Killick beat decorated Paralympian Brian McKeever out for a spot on the Olympic squad by winning the 30-kilometre event and finishing second to McKeever in the 15k at trials. McKeever was eighth in the 30k. McKeever, from Canmore, is a legally blind skier and winner of 10 Paralympic medals who qualified for Canadas 2010 Olympic team. He was poised to become the first Paralympian to compete in a Winter Olympics, but the teams coaches decided to enter four other skiers in the 50k and not McKeever. The 2014 Olympic cross-country ski competition opens Feb. 8 with the womens 15k race. ' ' '