8B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
OLYMPICS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2006
Cohen first after day one
Mark Baker/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sasha Cohen of the United States performs her Women's Short Program in Turin, Italy during the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games on Tuesday. Cohen was in first place after the short program by a narrow margin.
BY NANCY ARMOUR
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TURIN, Italy — Sassy, saucy and supremely confident, Sasha Cohen is no longer in anyone else's shadow.
At the biggest event of all, no less: women's figure skating at the Olympics.
Going last in Tuesday night's short program, after overwhelming favorite Iriana Slutskaya had dazzled and Japanese heavyweights Shizuka Arakawa and Fumie Suguri had impressed, Cohen shone brighter than them all.
So luminous was her work in the rink that she put the United States in position for its third straight gold medal.
Cohen scored 66.73 points, edging Slutskaya by a mere .03 points. Arakawa, the 2004 world champion, had 66.02 points. The razor-thin margin means Cohen will need to be at her very best again in Thursday night's free skate if she wants to stand at the top of the podium.
"I think about it every day, of course. A couple of times a day." Cohen said, smiling almost shyly. "Like, 'Oh, that would be so nice to take one of those home.'"
Suguri was fourth and fellow American Kimmie Meissner was fifth, one of only two skaters to complete a triple-triple combination. Emily Hughes, added to the U.S. team nine days ago after
Michelle who?
Michelle Kwan withdrew with a groin injury, made an impressive debut in her first major international event. Hughes — yes, sister of THAT Hughes — finished seventh with the 2002 Olympic champion cheering her on.
"It's going to be like starting over. Like the short didn't really count. Back to square one," Cohen said. "It's kind of like the old system. Anybody in the top three can win."
Cohen is one of the most beautiful skaters ever to hit the ice, with the grace and elegance of a ballerina and the athleticism to pull off tough tricks. But she's never even been the headliner in her own country, relegated to being the supporting player to Kwan's star.
Even with Kwan out of the Olympics, Cohen got little attention. All the talk centered on Slutskaya, the two-time world champion who triumphed over heart disease, and the Japanese. Even Hughes got more ink.
Part of it is Cohen's resume. She's had plenty of opportunities to win, but always fell short. She was runner-up to Kwan four times at the U.S. championships, and was the silver medalist at the last two world championships. In Salt Lake City, she was third after the short program but dropped to fourth with a sloppy free skate.
"Salt Lake was very different for me," she said. "I was a different person, a different athlete."
OLYMPICS
Hockey team loses, will take on Finland
BY IRA PODELL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TURIN, Italy — After managing only two goals in two consecutive losses, the U.S. men's hockey team broke out with three power-play tallies, yet still fell to Russia 5-4 Tuesday night in an Olympic game that mattered only in the confidence department.
The Americans, the fourthplace team in Group B, were already locked into a quarterfinal matchup Wednesday with Group A-winning Finland. As the No. 2 team in Group B, the Russians will face Canada in the quarterfinals.
After scoring only nine goals in four games, the United States
found its offense just as coach Peter Laviolette said his team would. This time, though, the Americans lacked the defense and goaltending they needed.
Brian Rolston, Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez all scored man-advantage goals but the United States allowed as many goals to Russia as it did in the three previous games of the tournament.
With the Americans scheduled to play again Wednesday in the medal round, goalie Rick DlPietro got the night off; Robert Esche started in his place.
After struggling to get to loose pucks and put them in the net throughout the preliminary round, the U.S. finally converted some scoring opportunities, getting a rebound goal from Gionta and a tipped one from Gomez
Gomez deflected in a shot 5 minutes into the third period to tie it at 3, but Alexander Ovechkin's goal 4:55 later put Russia on top again.
Erik Cole swung behind the net and stuffed a shot past Russia's backup goalie Maxim Sokolov at 10:38 to tie it at 4. But it took just another 1:14 for Russia to take the lead again — this time for good — as Alex Kovalev ripped a shot post Robert Esche inside the left post.
Early on, it looked as if the U.S. would struggle in all facets of the game. The Americans brought in a woeful power play that had connected just four times in 22 opportunities.
At the end of the United States' first power play, Chris Drury attempted a pass along the blue line but had it intercepted by Alexander Korolyuk, who streaked down the ice alone and scored at 9:27 of the first.
Given another chance less than a minute later, Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Evgeni Malkin finished a short-handed 2-on-1 with Darius Kasparaitis by scoring past Eche. Esche finished with 16 saves in what was likely his only appearance in these games.
Russia had top goalie Evgeni Nabokov in goal for the first period, but pulled him in favor of its third-stringer Maxim Sokolov, who made 23 saves over the final 40 minutes.
PGA
Woods departs from tournament early
CARLSBAD, Calif. — Tiger Woods had a short stay at Riviera, withdrawing after two rounds because of the flu.
This week might be even
shorter.
No other tournament is more unpredictable than the Match Play Championship, which starts Wednesday with 64 players and will be whittled in half after one day with no regard to ranking.
The Associated Press
ADVERTISEMENT
Two bars, One Great Mardi Gras
Two local bars are hosting knock out Mardi Gras celebrations next Tuesday, February 28. The Granada on Massachusetts Street is the place to be for live music, and Abe & Jakes Landing located next to Spring Hill Suites on 6th and New Hampshire will have beads flying from the balconies all night long.
"BadFish plays across the country to sold out crowds and usually commands a $12 to $15 ticket price, but
If you choose to indulge yourself at The Granada you'll be enjoying two great bands. The show will begin at 9pm and is open to people of all ages. Lawrence's own Local Wobbly H will kick off the night and BadFish will follow them. BadFish is a Sublime tribute band that is new to the Lawrence music scene. If you love Sublime music, you have to see BadFish! They will be performing two and a half hours of Sublime Music for the Fat Tuesday Party.
BadFish has enjoyed much success in the last few months. Mike Logan, the owner of The Granada thinks BadFish is a perfect band for the Fat Tuesday celebration this year,
we are offering it for only five dollars," said Logan. Visit www.badfish.com and www.thegranada.com for more.
For those who are looking for a wild dance party on Fat Tuesday, Abe & Jake's Landing will be hosting its fifth annual Mardi Gras bash. DJ Scottie Mac and DJ Nick Reddell will be providing the beats in the main room, and Abe & Jake's will host karaoke in the Pub.
Representatives from Southern Comfort and Coors Light will also be at Abe & Jake's giving out Mardi Gras beads and merchandise.
In the past, Abe & Jake's has attracted a huge, wild crowd. This Mardi Gras party promises to be one of the biggest and craziest events in town. Abe & Jake's will open at 8pm, and the cover charge is five dollars. As always, you must be 18 years old to enter Abe & Jake's and 21 years old to drink.
With these two bars hosting Mardi Gras celebrations, there is no excuse to stay home next Tuesday. You could enjoy live music at The Granada and add a touch of Lawrence to this New Orleans holiday, or party at Abe & Jake's which will make you feel like your on the balconies above Bourbon Street. Visit www.abejakes.com.
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