They took away her ‘C, but they didnt take away her heart. Hayley Wickenheiser, the greatest womens hockey player ever, stole the show as Canada defeated the United States 3-2 in a thrilling nail-biter preliminary game in Sochi Wednesday. Wickenheiser set up Canadas first goal of the game on a nifty pass to Meghan Agosta-Marciano and then scored her second goal of the 2014 Winter Olympics – the 18th of her Olympic career. Not only that, the 35-year-old Wickenheiser played a strong defensive game, too, shutting down Team USAs top scorers. It is no coincidence that in the dying seconds of the game, with the United States on the power play and its goalie on the bench in favour of an extra skater, Wickenheiser was one of the four Canadian skaters on the ice in pure defensive mode. The victory for Canada means it avoids a tough semifinal matchup against the pesky Finnish squad. Canada defeated Finland 3-0 earlier in the tournament, but didnt score until 9:27 of the third period. The Finns are capable of pulling off an upset in this years Olympics. Wickenheiser, a two-time Olympic MVP, had been the captain of the Canadas national team, but it was announced by Hockey Canada prior to the Olympics that Caroline Ouellette would be the captain in Sochi. Wickenheiser was named an alternate captain. There had even been some chatter leading up to the Games she might be cut from the team. Given how well she has played in Sochi, that would have been a dreadful mistake. Its a team game For Wickenheiser, it is all about the team. “Were so close,” she said of the bitter rivalry with the United States. “Sometimes it just comes down to the team that gets a break or has more energy. I liked the energy level and determination in our game [today].” On snapping the four-game losing streak to Team USA, Wickenheiser said, “Its a confidence booster. [Coach] Kevin Dineen has had some time to prepare for this game. He also needed time to get to know the players in our room; the strengths and weaknesses. We have all the confidence in him.” So, with the victory over the United States, is it advantage Canada moving into the medal round? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Bragging rights Certainly Canada has bragging rights following its win over Team USA. However, history has shown what happens leading up to the Games doesnt necessarily have anything to do with who wins the gold medal. In 2002, Team USA had beaten Canada 10 times in a row, but the Canadians shocked the Americans with a 3-2 victory in the gold-medal game at Salt Lake City. It is also worth noting prior to the last three Olympic Games, the United States won the world championship only to have Canada rebound to take gold at the Olympics. The United States certainly had a mental edge over Canada entering the game – the first time the teams had met in the preliminary round since 1998 – thanks to four straight victories over their rivals in a six-game exhibition series leading up to the Olympic Games. In 1998 in Nagano, Japan, Team USA beat Canada 7-4 in the preliminary round and 3-1 in the gold-medal game. At the very least, Canada now knows it can skate with and beat the powerful United States club. Doing it twice in a row will not be easy. “It felt so good,” said winning goalie Charline Labonte. “We have been struggling a bit the past couple of games against them. We have worked really hard to readjust and become a better team. They came out really strong, as expected, so I am really glad we came up with the win.” American scoring ace Amanda Kessel was understandably dissatisfied with the final result. "It hurts," Kessel said. "Every game matters. They didnt get to see how we can play." A lot has been made of the fact the two teams have an intense dislike for one another – as indicated by the two line brawls in the final few exhibition games leading up to the Olympics – and it was fully on display in Wednesdays preliminary match. Despite the fact bodychecking is illegal in womens hockey, players from both teams rode that fine line between handing out jarring hits, just hard and incidental enough so as not to cause Finnish referee Anna Eskola to penalize them. In that regard, Eskola did a fine job in allowing the game to be physical without getting goofy. "Both teams were aggressive," said American forward Hilary Knight. Youll get our top game when we play one another and thats a great thing. We are both good teams and we are competitive." Canada matched USAs speed and demonstrated a penchant for driving hard to the net from start to finish. If there was a concern for Canada it was the ineffectiveness of its power play. Canada entered the third period a mere 1-for-10 with the man advantage throughout the tournament. It was zero-for-three in the first 40 minutes. However, Agosta-Marciano accepted a perfectly-placed pass from Wickenheiser and scored with Americas Brianna Decker in the penalty box to tie the game 1-1 with a much-needed power-play marker. Decker had been sent off for tripping Wickenheiser. The quarter-finals will be played Saturday and Canada will play in the semifinal Monday. Cheap Yeezy China . Rockies manager Walt Weiss was unhappy, too. Weiss addressed the issue in a 15-minute meeting with his pitcher and catcher after the Rockies gave up 14 hits and lost 10-1. De La Rosa lasted only 4 1-3 innings and allowed five runs in his first opening-day start. Discount Yeezy Store . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. https://www.yeezychina.us/.com) - A top-10 showdown is on tap in at the McKale Center on Saturday, as the 10th-ranked Arizona Wildcats play host to the eighth-ranked Utah Utes in a key Pac-12 matchup. Wholesale Yeezy China . He never mentioned anything about his hitting. The 33-year-old right-hander had success with both Sunday, pitching six solid innings and helping the offence-starved Mets with an RBI single as New York salvaged a doubleheader split with a 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Cheap Yeezy Free Shipping . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night.LONDON - Despite an often tempestuous relationship with fans and past concerns over his temperament, Wayne Rooney has received the symbolically-prestigious honour of captaining England. Taking over the leadership of an inexperienced squad that is recovering from the national teams worst-ever World Cup, Rooney knows the rebuilding process requires unity. "I hope that I will have the full backing of the fans," Rooney said Thursday. "I am their type of player once I am on that pitch." Rooney is no stranger to controversy, though, including indiscretions about his personal life that have left the Manchester United player frustrated and have led to flare-ups. "He has that baggage with him," England coach Roy Hodgson said. "And he will have to accept that as a further part of the pressure." The appointment was no surprise. Goalkeeper Joe Hart aside, Rooney was the only realistic option to assume the captains armband from Steven Gerrard, who retired from international duty after Englands first-round exit from the World Cup. Rooney was also recently handed the United captains armband by new manager Louis van Gaal. "Wayne is an obvious choice for his honesty, commitment to the cause, his experience," Hodgson said at Wembley Stadium. "Hes prepared to accept the pressures the England captaincy brings." England needs to regain international credibility in qualifying for the 2016 European Championship, which begins on Sept. 8 at Switzerland. To prepare, there is a friendly against Norway at Wembley on Wednesday. Four players were called up for England for the first time on Thursday: defenders Calum Chambers and Danny Rose, and midfielders Jack Colback and Fabian Delph The most experienced player in the squad is the 28-year-old Rooney with his 40 goals in 95 England appearances. Rooney has emerged as one of Englands few leaders, growing in stature and confidence. But despite winning every major honour with Manchester United — from the Premier League to the Champions League — Rooney has never come close to collecting silverware with his country. "I will not look on my England career as a success unless we win something and that is my attitude to playing football,&quuot; Rooney said.dddddddddddd. "There is no point turning up unless we believe we can win." Although Rooney broke his World Cup goal drought at his third competition in June, England went out in the group stage with only one point. Far more was expected after announcing himself on the international scene with four goals at Euro 2004 as an 18-year-old forward. He also has also distinguished himself in the wrong way in an England shirt. The 2006 World Cup campaign was remembered for his red card against Portugal and four years later Rooney sarcastically sneered into a camera after a draw with Algeria: "Nice to see the home fans boo you. Thats what you call loyal supporters." But Rooney appears to have won over fans by showing his commitment to the cause in a country where expectations for the national team far exceed the prospects of success. "Its wrong of me to read too much into the past and any misdemeanours he might have had in that time," Hodgson said "In the two years he has been with me I have had no reason to question anything about him — his desire, his commitment." At Euro 2016, Rooney will be hoping to become only the second England captain to lift a major trophy after Booby Moore at the 1966 World Cup, but just reaching the later rounds would be a sign of progress. Qualifying for the final tournament in France shouldnt be a major challenge, with the tournament newly-expanded to 24 in the 54-nation UEFA region. The biggest test in Group E is Englands first opponent: Switzerland. ___ Squad: Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Hart (Manchester City) Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Calum Chambers (Arsenal), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Danny Rose (Tottenham), John Stones (Everton) Midfielders: Jack Colback (Newcastle), Fabian Delph (Aston Villa), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Andros Townsend (Tottenham), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal) Forwards: Rickie Lambert (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United) ' ' '