Wolves 1 Chelsea 2: Lampard rescues Chelsea as Blues bounce back at Molineux

Frank Lampard scored in the dying minutes as Chelsea made a winning start to 2012.

Andre Villas-Boas's side were humbled by Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and were frustrated for long periods by Mick McCarthy's Wolves.

But 10 minutes into the second half, Brazilian midfielder Ramires fired home after the home defence failed to clear Juan Mata's cross and Chelsea's players rushed over to their manager to celebrate.

Wolves looked to have snatched a point when Stephen Ward crashed the ball home from Steven Fletcher's knockdown.

But Lampard had the final say when he turned in Ashley Cole's cross from the left.

Aaqib Javed awaits 'clash of qualities'

Aaqib Javed, Pakistan's bowling coach, has said the upcoming series against England will be a "clash of qualities", and the side with more depth and variation in its bowling, and with more confident batsmen, will stand the best chance. Pakistan, who've lost just one Test in 2011, play three Tests, four ODIs and three Twenty20 matches against England, starting January next year.

"It's not only about a match between a No. 1 team and a No. 5 team but it's a clash of qualities," Aaqib told ESPNcricinfo. "The team that has more options in the bowling unit, the variations and the batsmen with more confidence in the conditions will have the upper hand."

England will be playing their first Test series since climbing to the No. 1 spot in the Test rankings during their 4-0 whitewash of India. They arrive in the UAE a week before Pakistan.

"England have maintained a good combination with both bat and ball but pressure is obviously on them and that is the difference," Aaqib said. "I have learnt that they are working extra hard - their batsmen are in India, bowlers are training in South Africa and they are coming to the UAE four days before so I am impressed how hard they are training. You get the feeling they know it's not an easy series for them as well."

Aaqib has been involved in coaching in Pakistan for almost a decade now. He was with the national team on an on-and-off basis since 2009, first as bowling coach and then assistant coach, before he was removed from that position ahead of the tour of Zimbabwe this year. Now, back as bowling coach, he is working with Junaid Khan, the left-arm seamer, at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

"We have picked some outstanding bowlers against England. We've got two left-arm seamers, Wahab [Riaz and Junaid, two right armers, Umar [Gul] and Aizaz [Cheema] and three quality spinners - [Saeed] Ajmal, [Abdur] Rehman and [Mohammad] Hafeez. I think we have a dream combination and it's the world's best bowling attack.

"Though the pitches in the UAE are slower, we have bowlers who can last the time, like they did against Sri Lanka. We have bowlers who can bowl at 150-plus kph and can reverse-swing. That is another plus point for us."

England and Pakistan will be facing each other for the first time in a Test series since the spot-fixing controversy in July 2010. Aaqib said the team had moved on from that difficult phase. "Despite all the controversies, we coped well. We are confident and in a perfect winning flow," Aaqib said. "We don't talk even talk about it and are not bothered about it. Every individual is focussed on his responsibility."

Flintoff reveals battle with depression

Andrew Flintoff, the former England captain and allrounder, has revealed he went through a phase of depression during the 2006-07 Ashes in Australia, where, as captain, he was at the receiving end of a 5-0 whitewash. Flintoff admitted he wasn't aware then of what exactly he was suffering from, but the illness drove him to drink and lose his love for the game.

A year earlier, Flintoff was the toast of the nation for helping England regain the Ashes after 18 years.

Flintoff is now among several high-profile cricketers, particularly from England, who've been plagued by the illness during their playing careers. Flintoff, who quit the game in 2009, will explore the problems suffered in private by sportsmen in a BBC 1 documentary: Freddie Flintoff: Hidden Side of Sport.

"I was having a quiet drink with my dad Colin on Christmas Eve 2006 and as we made our way home I started crying my eyes out," Flintoff told the Daily Mail. "I told him I'd tried my best but that I couldn't do it any more, I couldn't keep playing. We talked and, of course, I dusted myself down and carried on. But I was never the same player again.

"I was captain of England and financially successful. Yet instead of walking out confidently to face Australia in one of the world's biggest sporting events, I didn't want to get out of bed, never mind face people."

Flintoff took over the captaincy from the injured Michael Vaughan after the 2005 Ashes win and enjoyed mixed results. He helped England square the Test series in India in 2006 and the expectations grew when England landed in Australia at the end of the year. It was also the same series in which his team-mate Marcus Trescothick suffered a breakdown at the start of the tour due to depression and separation anxiety and never played for England again after that.

		I didn't understand what was happening to me. I knew when I got back to my room I couldn't shut off, which is why I started having a drink. It got to the stage where I was probably drinking more than I should

After leading England to a come-from-behind win in the one-day tri-series in Australia, Flintoff handed the captaincy back to Vaughan before the World Cup. Flintoff was stripped of the vice-captaincy after a drunken night out following England's defeat against New Zealand in a World Cup match in St Lucia, which culminated in falling off a pedalo.

"The whole time I was on the field and throughout that World Cup all I could think about was that I wanted to retire," Flintoff said. "I didn't understand what was happening to me. I knew when I got back to my room I couldn't shut off, which is why I started having a drink. It got to the stage where I was probably drinking more than I should.

"All I wanted was for the doctor to tell me what was wrong but no one suggested it was depression."

He said his condition was so serious that even victory meant nothing. "There's a certain sense of shame when I remember sitting in the dressing room after winning a one-day international in the West Indies," he said. "The lads were celebrating and I didn't want to be a part of it, I didn't want to do anything but sit on my own in the corner.'

Cases of depression in modern sport aren't uncommon and Flintoff admitted that he wasn't as aware of the problem as he should have been. "Because sporting stars earn high salaries and have a privileged life compared to the majority of people, there's a perception that they can't possibly suffer from mental health issues. They don't want to seem ungrateful or whingeing and may be hiding their suffering rather than getting help for it."

Besides Trescothick, other England players who've admitted suffering from depression include Flintoff's close friend Steve Harmison, Michael Yardy and Matthew Hoggard. New Zealand players Iain O'Brien and Lou Vincent have also suffered similar problems.

Sri Lanka take another shot at history

South Africa haven't won their previous four home Test series, but a failure to close out this one will cause the most criticism. While the other contests were against teams near the top of the rankings, this one is against a side that was struggling to find its feet in Test cricket after the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan. A series that was expected to be all one-way traffic is now level at one-all, with Sri Lanka having already achieved their pre-tour ambition of winning a Test in South Africa.

After basking in one of their greatest Test victories, Sri Lanka have now scaled up their goal to a series win in South Africa. The Durban success came about through significant contributions from many of their players - Thilan Samaraweera and Kumar Sangakkara making hundreds, Chanaka Welegedera and Rangana Herath taking five-fors, and Dinesh Chandimal scoring vital half-centuries in each innings. That's something they need to repeat in Cape Town if they are to pose a challenge to South Africa, who remain favourites despite the Durban debacle.

The return of Vernon Philander, whose accurate swing bowling has brought him four five-wicket hauls in three Tests, is a cause of cheer for the home side. Sri Lanka, though, have several injury worries - Chandimal is struggling with an elbow problem and a final call on his availability will be taken on Tuesday, while their quickest bowler Dilhara Fernando is also doubtful after suffering knee pain.

It has been more than a decade since Sri Lanka played a Test in Cape Town, but their previous match at the venue remains their biggest defeat in Tests. However, as they did memorably in Durban, Sri Lanka need to forget the past and set about taking a shot at history.

Form guide

(Most recent first)

South Africa LWLWD
Sri Lanka WLDLD

Watch out for...

Only once in the past nine seasons has Jacques Kallis gone through an entire home season without making a Test century. The Cape Town Test is the last one of the South African summer and Kallis is yet to score a hundred, and what is more - he has picked up three ducks in his past four Tests. Luckily for him, the next match is at Newlands, his home ground and one where he has an outstanding record - 1874 runs at 72.07 with eight centuries. No better place then for him to regain form, that too in his 150th Test. 

Tillakaratne Dilshan is another batsman struggling for form - he has only two half-centuries in his previous 15 Test innings. After a miserable first seven months as leader, Dilshan had little to show in terms of results, but the Durban victory should give his captaincy a fresh lease. Now that the team is showing signs of a turnaround, he'll hope his own form too will improve.

Team news

The Durban debacle has prompted immediate action from South Africa. Ashwell Prince has been axed, and the in-form Alviro Petersen returns. He slots in as an opener, pushing the out-of-sorts Jacques Rudolph down the order. The other change to the XI is that Vernon Philander returns to take the place of Marchant de Lange.

South Africa: 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Jacques Rudolph, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir

The only changes to the Sri Lankan side are likely to be due to injuries. Decisions on Chandimal and Fernando will be taken on Tuesday morning, and in case they aren't fit, Kaushal Silva and Dhammika Prasad are the likely replacements.

Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 2 Tharanga Paranavitana, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Dinesh Chandimal / Kaushal Silva (wk), 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Dilhara Fernando / Dhammika Prasad, 11 Chanaka Welegedara

Pitch and conditions

It rained in Cape Town on Monday but the forecast is better for the rest of the week. Smith believes the pitch is dry though there is a tinge of green on it. The Newlands track is usually a good Test wicket, so we can expect a bit for the bowlers early on, and a decent batting strip.

Stats and trivia

• Since South Africa's post-apartheid return to cricket, Australia are the only visiting team to have won Tests at Newlands. South Africa's record at the ground in that period is a formidable 15 wins and three losses in 23 matches
• Daryl Cullinan is the only South African batsman to have made more than one Test century against Sri Lanka. Surprisingly, the only batsman in the current squad to make have made a Test hundred against Sri Lanka is Jacques Rudolph 
• Thilan Samaraweera is 22 short of becoming Sri Lanka's highest run-getter in a Test series in South Africa. 
• Match facts
  January 3-7, Cape Town
  Start time 10:30 (08:30 GMT)

India's batsmen hope for SCG magic

Australia. India. The SCG. Four years ago, those three elements together sparked one of the most controversial Tests in recent history. It was a match of umpiring blunders, a racism allegation, excessive appealing and ugly behaviour all round. Fortunately for the integrity of this upcoming contest, several of the key protagonists are gone. Andrew Symonds has retired. Harbhajan Singh is no longer considered one of India's two best spinners. Both of the umpires, who struggled to maintain control on the field, have stepped down from international cricket.

It was also a Test that went down to the wire, finishing late on the fifth day, as the shadows grew longer over the Sydney Cricket Ground. The fans will hope for a similarly tight finale this time around, albeit without the argy-bargy and ill feeling between the two teams. A memorable contest would be fitting, for this is the 100th Test to be played at the historic Sydney Cricket Ground. Only Lord's and the MCG have hosted more Tests.

This time, the teams head to Sydney with Australia 1-0 up in the series, having won inside four days in Melbourne. India's batsmen were the major disappointment in the Boxing Day Test. Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar all made 60s or 70s in the first innings but in the second, Tendulkar's 32 was the best score. Chasing 292, that was vastly inadequate. Australia's strong and consistent pace attack built pressure and the Indians could not show the skills that had earned them more than 53,000 Test runs collectively over their Test careers.

There is more of a chance of India's batsmen enjoying the SCG. Sachin Tendulkar's Test record at the venue makes for imposing reading. In four Sydney Tests, he has made 148*, 45, 4, 241*, 60*, 154* and 12. VVS Laxman's Sydney efforts have been just as impressive: 7, 167, 178, 109, 20. But they and their colleagues will need to show significant improvements after last week if they are to level the series.

Form guide (most recent first)

Australia: WLWWL
India: LDWWL

Players to watch out for...

This time last year, Nathan Lyon had not played for his state in any format. Now he is a veteran of eight Tests. In a year full of impressive debuts by Australian cricketers, his is the most remarkable story. The Adelaide Oval groundsman who was asked by the state coach to bowl in the nets, Lyon has shown every club cricketer that there is hope. All you need is an opportunity. He wasn't a key part of the attack in Melbourne, where the fast men dominated, but at the SCG, particularly later in the Test, he could be asked to bowl a lot of overs of offspin. Incredibly, Lyon has not played a first-class match at the SCG, traditionally the best venue for spin in Australia.

To watch Sachin Tendulkar upper-cut Peter Siddle over the head of the slips for six off the first ball after tea on the second day at the MCG was a sight to behold. Tendulkar played brilliantly in that innings and it was impossible not to anticipate his hundredth international hundred. Siddle ended that dream in the last over of the day by bowling Tendulkar for 73. It would perhaps be even more fitting if Tendulkar were able to reach his milestone in the 100th Sydney Test. He is the master of the SCG, and the only grounds around the world where he has a higher Test average are in Bangladesh.

Team news

Australia included Ryan Harris in the 12-man squad at the expense of Daniel Christian and Mitchell Starc, neither of whom made the starting line-up in Melbourne. However, the selectors chose to use the same XI as at the MCG, with Harris more likely for the third Test in Perth, where Australia might consider a four-man pace attack.

Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Ed Cowan, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 James Pattinson, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.

India's batting was a problem in Melbourne, so they might consider including Rohit Sharma at the expense of Virat Kohli. Should Rohit play it will be his Test debut but he will bring plenty of international experience - he has played 72 ODIs and 22 Twenty20s for India.

India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Virat Kohli / Rohit Sharma, 7 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh Yadav.

Pitch and conditions

The SCG pitch has traditionally not bounced as much as other Australian surfaces, perhaps one of the reasons it has been appreciated by India's batsmen. But that character has changed, and the curator Tom Parker expects a similar pitch to that on which England's swing and seam bowlers set up an innings victory last summer. It is worth noting, though, that in that Test England's batsmen scored 644.

"In the last few years I think the Sydney pitch has changed texture from when it used to be a real dust bowl and really helped the spinners," Michael Hussey said on Sunday. "The last few years it has been really seamer friendly and particularly tough for batting, especially early in the match. It definitely looks a lighter colour. Generally that's the way it has gone over the years, it has slowed down a little bit and helped the spinners."

The forecast for the first day is sunny and 28C, while there could be the chance of storms and showers over the next three days of the Test.

Stats and trivia

• Sachin Tendulkar has the highest average of all Test cricketers at the SCG. In four Tests there he averages 221.33
• VVS Laxman averages 96.20 at the SCG, a far cry from the 14.25 he averages at the MCG
• The changes in Australia's team from this time last year have been stark: only five men who played in the SCG Ashes loss are in the side for this Test
• The only team to have beaten Australia in Sydney Tests in the past 15 years was England, who did it in 2003 and 2011.
• Match facts
  Tuesday, January 3
  Start time 1030 (2330 GMT)

Strauss: It's time to forget Pakistan spot-fixing and focus on cricket

Andrew Strauss has insisted his England side have no qualms about playing against Pakistan players named in court during the spot-fixing trial which saw three cricketers and an agent jailed.

Wahab Riaz, Umar Akmal and Imran Farhat - all named in the trial at Southwark Crown Court in October as having links with disgraced agent Mazhar Majeed - have been included in Pakistan’s squad for the forthcoming Test series against England in United Arab Emirates, which begins on January 16.

Majeed was jailed alongside Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer for a betting scam which took place during Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010.

Riaz, Akmal and Farhat had no charges brought against them and Strauss does not see their inclusion as inflammatory.

'It’s their obligation and duty to pick the best side they think is available to them,' Strauss said.

'The spot-fixing stuff is something we’re desperately keen to move on from. I don’t think there’s any good that can come from churning it all up again.

'It's time to concentrate on the cricket and we'll play against whichever XI is selected.'

While Strauss is keen to move on from the controversies of the past, he does not feel the game can be seen as totally clean.

'I don't think it's possible to say that,' he said. 'There’s more awareness about it, it’s been in the news a lot which is a good thing.

'There have been some consequences of what went on but it’s a hard thing to eradicate completely, policing it is very tough.

'There's a huge responsibility on the administrators but also on the players to make sure that any inkling, anything we see that might be untoward is reported and acted upon.'

With a history of controversy surrounding series between England and Pakistan, Strauss is hoping the drama this time is confined to the pitch.

'This perception that there’s always issues between Pakistan and England, we should see this as an opportunity to eradicate that,' he said. 

'There's no reason why that should be the case. If we approach it in the right spirit then that should be good for relations between the two teams and world cricket in general.

'We all recognise it's time to move on from the spot-fixing stuff. Pakistan are playing a lot of good cricket and that’s going to be the challenge for us to overcome them, on the field.

'What's happened before is water under the bridge and I hope both sides can play in the right spirit and produce an entertaining and exciting Test match series.'

Melbourne Renegades score big win over Sydney Sixers in Big Bash

BRAD Hodge and skipper Andrew McDonald guided Melbourne Renegades to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Sydney Sixers at Etihad Stadium.

The result means both teams have two wins and two losses from their opening four games in the Big Bash League.

Chasing the Sixers' total of 6-161, the Renegades made 2-164 from 17.4 overs.

The home side had struggled to 2-65 after 10 overs in its run chase.

However Hodge (72 not out from 51 balls) and McDonald (60 not out from 37 deliveries) started to take some risks and they paid off as they shared an unbeaten 124-run partnership for the third wicket.

Man-of-the-match McDonald hit seven sixes and no fours while Hodge blasted five fours and three sixes in a crowd-pleasing performance.

"Once we had a really good foundation we could go for broke," McDonald said of the hitting spree. McDonald hit legspinner Steve Smith for three sixes in the 16th over to leave the Renegades in a comfortable position in the final four overs.

Sixers pace bowler Josh Hazlewood took 1-19 off two overs before leaving the field for treatment to a foot problem.

Moises Henriques had top-scored for the Sixers with 41 off 30 deliveries.

Dwayne Bravo (seven) was bowled by Dirk Nannes (2-36) in the second over before Nic Maddinson (29) and Michael Lumb (26) added 46 for the second wicket.

Henriques put on 63 for the third wicket with Smith (25) but Smith and Ben Rohrer (two) both fell to the bowling of Shane Harwood (2-28) in the 18th over.

Legspinner Shahid Afridi claimed 1-23 off four overs in a solid effort while Shaun Tait was only given two overs which cost 21 runs.

Australian open

THE Australian open will begin on Monday 16Th January 2012  and the Main draw will be released on 13TH January Friday 2012 Be ready To watch it Don't miss The action Its the GRAND-SLAM..

New crisis for under-fire AVB as Chelsea stars struck by injury and illness

Andre Villas-Boas has been hit with an injury crisis for Chelsea's Barclays Premier League clash at Wolves. 

The pressure is on the Blues manager after the New Year's Eve defeat by Aston Villa left him with seven first-team players struggling with injury and illness. 

Striker Daniel Sturridge faces a late fitness test after a scan on a leg injury on Sunday. Didier Drogba, who scored a penalty against Aston Villa on Saturday, has had extensive treatment on a foot injury.

John Terry and goalkeeper Petr Cech missed Sunday's training session but did go to the Midlands, along with Nathaniel Chalobah as cover for the Chelsea skipper. 

Left-back Ryan Bertrand, 22, who has made just one senior appearance, was called up as cover for Ashley Cole, who is recovering from a knock picked up against Villa.

Sam Hutchinson, who has been given a two-year contract by the club, is also in the squad. 

Salomon Kalou had a scan on a muscle injury and is unlikely to be available and Florent Malouda is ill and expected to miss the game. 

He is determined to leave Chelsea, and Paris St Germain, now managed by Carlo Ancelotti, are expected to bid for him.

Hussey says tracker may have flaws

AFTER being wrongfully fired out in Melbourne last week, Michael Hussey has good reason to slam India's position on the referral system, but the veteran batsman believes there are flaws with the technology used by broadcasters.

Hussey remains a supporter of DRS but is sympathetic to India's controversial stance on the issue, which has had the system barred for this summer's Test and one-day series.

The Indians are the only full members of the ICC who exercise their right to forgo the referral system for gamesThey believe the technology is not reliable - a view also shared by Hussey, who is teammates with touring captain M.S. Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings in the lucrative Indian Premier League.

Although Cricket Australia believe Channel Nine's technology is ''world's best practice'', Hussey has doubts over the accuracy of ball-tracking technology used to determine leg-before-wicket decisions.

''I'm a fan of the DRS just to give the umpires a helping hand, for one, and because we want to get more correct decisions in the match,'' Hussey said yesterday.

''I still, however, do think the technology can be improved. I'm not 100 per cent convinced there is complete accuracy with the tracking system with the ball, which I believe is one of the reasons why the Indians don't want to use it, which is fair enough.''

The merits of ball tracking technology were questioned several times in the series between Australia and New Zealand and also late on Boxing Day when the device was unable to make a projection on a leg before appeal by Zaheer Khan against Brad Haddin due to the shadows creeping across the pitch.

But ball tracking would have been irrelevant to Hussey's first-innings dismissal in Melbourne.

He was given out by umpire Marais Erasmus, caught for a golden duck, despite Hot Spot indicating the ball had not made contact with his bat or gloves, but rather his sleeve.

The normally placid Hussey was animated as he left the field but said yesterday that his response was in frustration not to any umpiring error but his lack of return on the scoreboard for his hard work in the nets.

''So I was almost yelling at the cricket gods really and saying 'Come on, give me a break here','' Hussey said.

''I probably got a bit of a break in the second innings so it's just amazing how the game works.''

There is a belief from within Michael Clarke's side that the 100th SCG Test might be another of Nathan Lyon's occasions to shine as the match wears on.

''It definitely looks a lighter colour," Hussey said. ''Generally that's the way it has gone over the years, it has slowed down a little bit and helped the spinners.

''In the last few years I think the Sydney pitch has changed texture from when it used to be a real dustbowl and really helped the spinners.

''It has been really seamer friendly and there have been some helpful overhead conditions to help that as well. The last few years have been particularly tough for batting, especially early.''

One of the attractions of Lyon to Clarke and other selectors is that he is not afraid to throw the ball up and be punished in his bid to draw batsmen into a stroke they might later regret.

Hobart beat Sydney for 4th straight win in Big Bash

HOBART: Hobart Hurricanes won their fourth game in a row beating Sydney Thunder by five wickets in the Twenty20 Big Bash League on Sunday. 

Electing to bat, Sydney Thunder were restricted to an under-par 138/8. Chris Gayle smashed another half-century on a day when the rest of the batsmen struggled to get the ball away. Pakistani pacer Naved-ul-Hasan starred with the ball for the home team, taking three wickets for 22 runs. 

Travis Birt's blitzkrieg (35) at the top of the order and Owais Shah's (41) steady batting took Hobart past Sydney's score with eight-balls remaining. 

The Hurricanes cemented their top position in the table with the win. Sydney, who are second, trail Hobart by four points. 

Brief Scores: 

Sydney Thunder 138/8 in 20 overs (Chris Gayle 53, Sean Abbott 39; Naved-ul-Hasan 3-22,Jason Krejza 2-29) vs Hobart Hurricanes 139/5 in 18.4 overs (Owais Shah not out 41, Travis Birt35; Scott Coyte 2-14, Fidel Edwards 2-33)

U.S. National Junior Team Loses to Canada, 3-2, at IIHF World Junior Championship

Coyle, Zucker Score for Team USA in Loss

EDMONTON, Alta. -- Charlie Coyle (East Weymouth, Mass./Boston Univ.) and Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev./Univ. of Denver) scored third-period goals, but the U.S. National Junior Team came up just short in a comeback bid against Canada, losing 3-2 in its final preliminary-round game of the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship tonight in Rexall Place.

"I liked the fight back by our team," said Dean Blais, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "We're disappointed to not be playing for a medal, but we still have two games to go in this tournament, and we will continue to fight."

Canada took a 3-0 lead after the opening period, but the U.S. began to push back in the second. Team USA outshot Canada, 12-9, in the second period, creating multiple scoring chances including breakaways by Kyle Rau (Eden Prairie, Minn./Univ. of Minnesota) and Emerson Etem (Long Beach, Calif./Medicine Hat Tigers).

Midway through the third period, Charlie Coyle (East Weymouth, Mass./Boston Univ.) snapped a wrist shot just under the crossbar for his fourth goal of the tournament to put the U.S. on the board.

At 13:12 of the third period, Team USA struck again. After strong work behind the Canadian net by Bill Arnold (Needham, Mass./Boston College), Etem poked the loose puck to Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev./Univ. of Denver), whose wraparound attempt hit the skate of Canadian goalie Scott Wedgewood and deflected into the net.

U.S. netminder Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich./Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) was pulled in favor of an extra attacker with 1:50 to play, but despite some good pressure, Canada hung on for the win. Campbell made 32 saves, while Wedgewood stopped 30 shots.

The U.S. National Junior Team will next face Latvia on Tuesday (Jan. 3) at 1 p.m. EST, in Calgary, Alta., in its first of two relegation-round games. The contest will be streamed live in the United States on NHL.com.

NOTES: Jacob Trouba (Rochester, Mich./U.S. National Under-18 Team) was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... Team USA finished 0-for-5 on the power play, while Canada was 1-for-4 with the man advantage ... In other tournament action, Finland blanked the Czech Republic, 4-0; Slovakia topped Switzerland, 6-4; and Sweded edged Russia, 4-3, in overtime ... Team USA completed the preliminary round with a 1-0-0-3 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record to place fourth in Group B ... The U.S. will face Latvia (Jan. 3) and Switzerland (Jan. 4) in the relegation round ... Dean Blais, head men's ice hockey coach at the University of Nebraska Omaha, is serving as head coach of the 2012 U.S. National Junior Team. He is assisted by Scott Sandelin, head men's ice hockey coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth; Tom Ward, head ice hockey coach of the Shattuck-St. Mary's School's boys' prep team; and Joe Exter, assistant men's ice hockey coach at Ohio State University ... Jim Johannson, USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the third consecutive year. Tim Taylor (Guilford, Conn.), former U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team head coach and longtime Yale University men's ice hockey team head coach, is also serving his third straight year as Team USA's director of player personnel ... The U.S. National Junior Team blog will provide daily updates with game recaps, photos and multimedia content. The blog can be found here ... Use the hashtag #USAWJC to join the conversation on Twitter.

Rogers Federer wants grand slam No.17

RROGER FEDERER is adept at repeatedly reminding opponents - and observers - just how efficient he is.

Occasionally, the instinct to reproach coincides with opportunity. And nobody seizes those openings better than Federer.

For reasons more to do with professional pride than base vengeance, Federer seemingly went out of his way to punish former nemesis Lleyton Hewitt.

The man in his sights these days is Novak Djokovic. And there is a pronounced difference in motive separating the hunt for Hewitt and Djokovic.

When Djokovic went on a spectacular winning streak last year, garnering seven tournament titles in succession, Federer suffered through media conference after media conference.

Suddenly, Federer was no longer the prime focus of the interviews. Djokovic was. Federer tired quickly of the obsession, holding his tongue when others wouldn't have.

That is the Federer way.

But, even if the man with the greatest singles record in grand slam history is considered to have receded, few have the facility to make a point better - and more emphatically - than the Swiss.

That he managed to state his case twice - both times in high-stakes scenarios - is hardly surprising.

As glazy-eyed Djokovic peered across the net at the French Open in June, not only had his staggering 41-match winning streak ended, but there would be a sting in the tail.

Federer's reaction to the semi-final victory included a deliciously contrived finger wag.

In effect, he was saying: "Don't get ahead of yourself, champ. I'm still here."

The second example came at the Barclays ATP World Tour finals, where Federer swept to a record sixth year-ending title as Djokovic limped to the finish line.

No one got near the Fed Express. He was again in a league of his own.

But there also had been 10 months between titles and long periods of introspection and doubt.

"I think I'm mentally good, right now," Federer said.

"That was also one of the reasons why I did take some time off, to actually think it through, get into the right mental mindset.

"I don't want to say I underestimate or overestimate the mental part of the game.

"But there is a lot of time that goes by out on tour. During a match, you're just trying to stay positive, but you can't always be positive out there. You know, it's just too difficult.

"That's where maybe the doubts were just a bit too strong during certain important moments.

"I think I didn't have those doubts now for the remainder of the season, which is what I wanted to get out of my system during this six weeks' break, and I was able to do that."

Djokovic was one of the reasons for the review. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Rafael Nadal were others.

"Sometimes it's also the player playing better than you," Federer said.

"Jo played better than me at Wimbledon. Maybe not much, but enough just to come through.

"Same as Rafa at the French Open in the finals, Novak in the semis of the US Open. It's fine to respect that. But I feel when it happens maybe that often, I do have to question myself that maybe I did something wrong."

As it turned out, the Paris reproof made little difference to Djokovic. He advanced to the Wimbledon and US Open crowns.

And it was at Flushing Meadow where Djokovic returned fire by saving two match points when Federer, the most accomplished server (and match-closer) of his generation, was set back on his heels by Djokovic's self-belief and lacerating forehand.

For the second time in 12 months in New York, Federer held match points against Djokovic and came off second best.

Federer was badly hurt by the loss, just as he had been after letting slip a two-sets-to-love buffer against Tsonga at Wimbledon.

After guiding Switzerland to a narrow Davis Cup victory over Australia in Sydney, Federer took time off to clear his mind.

The most telling aspect was the need to confront doubt.

This, remember, is the man who has captured 16 majors and is only a week shy of the all-time record of weeks spent at No. 1. Defeat still cuts deep.

"I know I was one point away from getting to the US Open final, but it all happened in a moment," he said.

"I think for me, most important is the reaction I show after losses like this.

"Because it was a tough loss, like you mentioned, it was one that hurt.

"It was one that makes you wonder, 'How in the world can I end up losing this match?'.

"But Novak had such great momentum going this season, you just felt like it was his season.

"But to bounce back and not lose a match from that moment on I think shows, again, how tough I am, the right decisions I can take.

"I also lost to Jo twice in a row at Wimbledon and in Montreal.

"Now I beat him four straight times. These are the kinds of reactions I expect from myself. So to come through and prove it to myself was a great feeling."

Federer, 30, returns to Melbourne next week for a tilt at a fifth Australian Open crown.

It will be two since his most recent grand slam victory, but only a fool would count him out.