MONTREAL -- Theyve composed chants just for Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard, roared for her until they went hoarse, and toasted her wins by fudging their way through "O Canada." Meet the "Genie Army" -- a dozen boisterous Aussies who, despite boasting zero connection to Canada, have become Bouchards unofficial cheerleaders at the Australian Open. Members of the weeks-old squad have jumped, danced and serenaded their way into an unmistakable grandstand presence during the Montreal teens impressive run at the event, where she has earned a semifinal spot Thursday. The devotees, mostly men in their 20s, have also fashioned red-and-white T-shirts that spell out Bouchards name, flapped banners for her during matches, and lobbed plush animals -- each of them native to Australia -- to her on the court following each of her victories. Though they have had little face-to-face interaction with Bouchard, they have certainly commanded her attention in Melbourne. "The crowd here has been amazing, especially the Genie Army," Bouchard, 19, said Tuesday during an on-court interview after beating Ana Ivanovic. She then pointed up to her noisy, personal cheering section. "Ive had so much fun. Thank you guys." The inspiration behind a brigade dedicated to Bouchard came after a bunch of Australian buddies watched her upset Ivanovic last year at Wimbledon, said one of the Army members. In December, as the Australian Open approached, Jacob Wright said the crew decided to become her own booster club, so they started making shirts and penning Bouchard chants. The Genie Army was born. "Shes just a great tennis player," Wright, 20, told The Canadian Press in a Skype interview from Melbourne. "Obviously, shes a good-looking girl as well, and were young guys, but she is a really good tennis player. Its really, really good fun to watch." Their movement has had nothing to do with patriotism, either. When asked whether any of them had a connection to Canada, he replied: "None of us." Wright said they caught Bouchards attention during her first-round match, which was held on a more-intimate court that brings fans closer to the players. Six of them showed up for the event and were lucky enough to have their photos taken with Bouchard, get her autograph, and exchange a few words with their favourite player after the victory. The Genie Army nation was thrilled, Wright added, when Bouchard later told an interviewer she hoped they would show up for her next match. They havent missed one since -- and their ranks have doubled to about 12. Wright said it has been a bit of a give-and-take relationship, with Bouchard thanking her believers in interviews and by making gestures, such as posting a couple of photos of them on her Twitter feed. The connection likely hit its only bumpy patch on Tuesday when she was asked in a post-match interview about who she would like to date, if she could choose anyone in the world. An embarrassed Bouchard, who appeared to be taken off guard by the question, blurted out the name of Canadian pop star Justin Bieber. In TV footage, members of the Genie Army were shown waving off her choice. They remain committed, however, to backing Bouchard for the long haul, even if they initially didnt expect it to last. Wright admitted they never predicted Bouchard, the tournaments 30th seed, would advance to the semifinal, but theyve enjoyed the longer-than-expected ride. Bouchard, in fact, became the first Canadian to reach a Grand Slam semifinal in 30 years. "My voice doesnt usually sound like this, Im pretty husky from a week of just full-on yelling as loud as I can," said Wright, who was wearing a white T-shirt with a red Maple Leaf and a Bouchard autograph. "But yeah, weve just been yelling, chanting -- and overall the response from the crowds been really good." He said group members have also been surprised by the notoriety theyve amassed throughout the tournament, growing so big that they have been interviewed by media outlets and have frequently been asked to pose for photos with other fans. "Well be standing there for 20 minutes or something (after matches)," said Wright, whose group has an online presence on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, where .GenieArmy was trending after Tuesdays win. "Its getting really full of fun." But their primary mission has not changed since Day 1: support Bouchard. During her matches, the crew can be heard belting out custom chants from the bleachers, including a fight song usually reserved for when she first steps onto the hardcourt. "We are the Army, the Genie Army, and we are mental, and we are mad," a clapping Wright chanted as he began a demonstration of the mantra. The gang has even sung the Canadian national anthem, though Wright admits only a couple of them know the words. The first time they attempted "O Canada," he said they received some welcome help from Canadian fans in the crowd. "We started it off, but then we had a lot of Canadians around us, so they sort of finished it off for us," Wright said. "It wasnt a very good rendition." Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys .Y. -- Syracuse guard Trevor Cooney was mired in a shooting slump, and his woes coincided with a late-season swoon by the Orange. Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic .Y. - The New York Yankees made it official Saturday, announcing the completion of a seven-year deal with free-agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and a one-year contract for returning starter Hiroki Kuroda. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/. He could have transferred when academic sanctions barred the Huskies from the NCAA tournament his junior season. Discount NHL Jerseys . Showing more spark after not taking enough challenging shots on goal in their 1-0 loss Friday night, the Bruins had 18 shots in the first period after managing just 25 in the entire opener. Luke Glendening cut Bostons lead to 2-1 at 13:20 of the second period before Milan Lucic scored late in the second and Zdeno Chara added a power-play goal early in the third. Wholesale NHL Jerseys . -- Desperate to stop Tom Bradys latest comeback bid, the Miami Dolphins sought help from a reserve safety making his NFL debut after being signed Tuesday off the San Francisco 49ers practice squad.SUNRISE, Fla. - Roberto Luongo helped the Florida Panthers rally for a win. Vincent Trocheck and Brandon Pirri scored in a shootout to lift the Florida Panthers past the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Tuesday night. Trocheck also scored in regulation and Sean Bergenheim scored a goal for the Panthers. Luongo made 37 saves. "Some nights you see the puck better than others, and tonight was one of those nights," Luongo said. Clarke MacArthur and Mark Stone scored for the Senators and Robin Lehner stopped 39 shots. Trocheck moved the puck back and forth in front of Lehner before slipping it past him in the shootout. "Thats my go-to move," said Trocheck, who scored his third goal of the season since making his NHL debut on March 6. "Luckily theres no video of me doing it in the NHL. I pull that move almost 90 per cent of the time." Kyle Turris scored in the shootout for Ottawa, but Luongo turned aside attempts by Jason Spezza and made a glove save on Milan Michalek to seal the win. "We go over every shootout before the game. That was one of his moves he likes to make, and as soon as he brought it to his backhand, I just slid hard knowing he was going to try and put it over my glove," Luongo said. The Panthers snapped a three-game losing streak. The Senators have lost nine of 10. "Goaltending was on display tonight," Senators coach Paul MacLean said. "Both goaltenders dictated the game and what the result was going to be." Three goals were scored in the final four minutes of the second, two by Florida. Trailing 2-0, the Panthers scored two goals 23 seconds apart. Bergenheim made it 2-1 wwhen his one-timer from the bottom of the right circle hit the post and went in at 17:32.dddddddddddd. Trocheck tied the score at 2. He took a pass from Scottie Upshall in front and his wrist shot beat Lehner on the glove side at 17:55. Aside from that lapse to end the second, Lehner was solid in goal. "We had a few minutes in the second where we got away from our structure a bit, and they capitalized," Lehner said. "We regrouped in the third and played solid." The Senators went ahead 2-0 on MacArthurs power-play goal. Patrick Wiercioch fired a shot from above the left circle and MacArthur was able to tip it past Luongo at 16:11 of the second. Ottawa took a 1-0 lead in the second period on the goal by Stone. Stone took a pass from Erik Karlsson low in the left circle. His wrist shot got past Luongo at 11:34. It was the second goal of the season for Stone, who was recalled from AHL Binghamton for the second time this season on March 23. Luongos play even impressed the Senators. "You could tell he was in a zone tonight," Turris said. "We gave them those quick ones (in the second) to tie it and let them back in it. ... Luongo made some unbelievable saves to keep them in it and took it through overtime." Bergenheim thought he had a goal in the first period but officials blew the whistle before the puck hit the net. NOTES: MacArthur has 10 points (four goals, six assists) during a seven-game streak against the Panthers. ... Senators forward Bobby Ryan missed his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury. ... Panthers forward Jesse Winchester returned after missing eight games with a lower-body injury. ' ' '