HAMILTON, Ont. -- The Hamilton Bulldogs stressed the need fo

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HAMILTON, Ont. -- The Hamilton Bulldogs stressed the need for a strong start before Saturdays game, but the reality on the ice didnt go as planned. Instead, the Utica Comets scored twice in the first period and the Bulldogs never dug out of the early hole. Benn Ferriero scored twice and Joe Cannata made 32 saves as the Comets defeated the Bulldogs 3-1 in the American Hockey League on Saturday. "Our first point before the game was that we needed a good start," said Hamilton head coach Sylvain Lefebvre. "They scored two goals early in the first and then we found ourselves battling through adversity and trying to play catch-up. "We just didnt have it tonight. All-in-all, we just werent sharp and we couldnt make things work." Alexandre Grenier also scored for the Comets (12-20-5), who snapped a six-game losing streak with the victory. Comets leading scorer Pascal Pelletier had three assists to increase his point total to 11 in his past eight games. Maxime Macenauer scored the lone goal for the Bulldogs (19-15-4), while Dustin Tokarski stopped 31 shots. Sven Andrighetto had a chance to score for Hamilton three minutes into the game, but the Bulldogs winger could not get his stick on the cross-ice pass from linemate Martin St. Pierre. The Bulldogs had possibly their best scoring chance of the first period when Justin Courtnall sprung a short-handed rush with Greg Pateryn in the box for tripping. The wingers initial shot was stopped by Cannata, with Patrick Holland unsuccessfully jamming at the loose rebound. Utica opened the scoring with what looked like a harmless shot from Ferriero at 11:21. After waiting for a thick screen to develop in front of Tokarski, Peter Andersson released a slow, rising wrist shot that tipped off both Pelletier and Ferriero before beating the goaltender, who didnt see the puck until the last moment. The Comets doubled their advantage through an almost identical move on the power play at 13:42 when Henrik Tommernes fired a high slap shot that deflected off Grenier in front, and beat the goaltender over the blocking glove at the far post. The Bulldogs cut into their deficit early in the second period, when Macenauer jumped out of the penalty box and victimized the Comets power-play unit with his fresh legs. The centre latched onto a loose puck in the Utica zone and sped past the Comets defenders before squeezing a low shot through Cannata for a short-handed goal at 2:07. "When I got the puck, my first thought was to try to get to the net on a breakaway," said Macenauer. "I realized that the defenceman was very close, and I thought that the five hole was open, so I went for that." Hamilton began to press for an equalizer midway through the second, and Mike Blunden saw a wrist shot clang off the near post with the Bulldogs on the power play with 11 and a half minutes to play in the period. Despite their pressure, the Bulldogs could not find a second goal before the periods end. Hamilton got off to a sluggish start in the third, and Tokarski had to be alert to keep his team within a goal. A scramble with nine and a half minutes to play nearly yielded the equalizer on a power play, but Hamilton came up short. The Bulldogs finished 0-5 with the man advantage. Lefebvre lamented his teams inability to sustain pressure after its power plays. "We had one good power play, and I hoped that it might give us some momentum, but we couldnt follow up with good shifts after that," he said. "We had three or four good scoring chances on that one, and a few flurries here and there, but nothing convincing." Ferriero put the game beyond doubt with 35 seconds to play, putting his second goal of the game into the empty net. Macenauer argued that he and his teammates will need to get back to basics if they want to return to the win column. "We have to keep things simple and get back to doing what we were doing when we were winning," he said. "Our forecheck is a strength of our team, and we have some fast guys here, so we need to simplify things and use those parts of our game." Kyle Schwarber Jersey .com) - The Chicago White Sox have officially announced that the club has agreed to terms with utilityman Emilio Bonifacio on a one-year, $4 million contract that includes a team option for the 2016 season. David Ross Cubs Jersey .com) - The Toronto Raptors are paying Rudy Gay a visit on Wednesday night when they head into the Sleep Train Arena to take on the Sacramento Kings. http://www.cubsauthentic.com/cubs-kerry-wood-jersey/. Braves reliever David Carpenter was also fined for throwing at Rockies outfielder Corey Dickerson in the same game, which featured several ejections, including Colorado manager Walt Weiss. Albert Almora Jr Cubs Jersey .com) - Hassan Whiteside scored 20 points with nine rebounds in the Miami Heats 83-75 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Sammy Sosa Jersey .J. - Trying to learn and absorb the new West Coast offence being installed by new offensive co-ordinator Ben McAdoo, the New York Giants wrapped their final organized team activity Thursday before a three-day mini-camp next week.SOCHI, Russia -- Another golden opportunity awaits Team Canada. Four years after winning gold on home ice in Vancouver, the Canadians will get a chance to make it two in a row Sunday against Sweden after beating the United States 1-0 in the Olympic semifinals Friday at Bolshoy Ice Dome. This time, though, it was made possible by a few players who werent around in 2010, namely Jamie Benn and Carey Price. Benn scored for Canada on a pretty pass from fellow newcomer Jay Bouwmeester, and Price -- chosen by coach Mike Babcock to start over Vancouver golden goalie Roberto Luongo -- had 31 saves to make it stand up. Though it didnt show up on the scoresheet, Sidney Crosby was flying up and down the ice, creating chances seemingly at will. The captain still doesnt have a goal in this tournament, but along with the rest of his teammates he has raised his level of play just in time to play Sweden for the gold medal on Sunday. The United States will play for the bronze Saturday against Finland, which lost to the Swedes 2-1 in the other semifinal. Guaranteed either a gold or silver, this is the first time Canada has won a medal in an Olympics held outside North America since NHL players began participating in 1998. Canada and the U.S. traded chances throughout the first period. Just 90 seconds in, Crosby forced a turnover that led to a quality opportunity for Patrice Bergeron in front. More than five minutes in, Phil Kessel patiently waited for John Carlson to cross the blue-line and get a one-timer off that Price snagged with his glove. Not long after that, Crosby created a chance for Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Quick made a big save on Bergeron. Quick finished with 36 saves. It took until early in the second period for Canada to get on the board, thanks to a heads-up play from Bouwmeester. The smooth-skating defenceman waited it out with the puck above the left face-off circle, allowing Benn to find open space between Brooks Orpik and Carlson, playing together for the first time at these Olympics because of a hand injury to Paul Martin. A perfect sliding pass across the ice from Bouwmeester hit Benns stick right on the tape and deflected past Quick at the 1:41 mark of the second. At that point, Canada tilted the ice and spent much of the period hemming the Americans in their own end. The result was more brilliance from Quick, who had to slide post-to-post to rob Benn and oozed confidence.dddddddddddd The same came from Price on the other end, as he didnt flash his glove hand as much as calmly lift it to catch the puck with ease. Canadas victory came a day after the womens team staged an improbable late comeback to beat the United States for its fourth straight gold medal. Babcock and his players said that victory taught them that "you dont give in." Of course the way Team Canada got to the gold-medal game was very different. It hasnt trailed for even one second at these Olympics. That didnt stop the women from trying to use their experience as motivation. Alternate captain Hayley Wickenheiser, starting goalie Shannon Szabados and forward Brianne Jenner were responsible for a letter posted in the mens locker-room that read: "Tonight is yours. Own the moment. We are proof that every minute matters. The podium is reserved for the brave. Earn every inch, dictate the pace. Go get em! From the girls! " The men are one win away from giving Canada double gold in hockey for the third time in the past four Olympics. Friday nights game was skated almost at the blistering pace of the one played Feb. 28, 2010, that Canada won 3-2 on Crosbys unforgettable overtime goal. Some of Canadas best players in the Olympic rematch were watching from home four years ago. In addition to Bouwmeester, Benn and Price, Jeff Carter looked like he was playing in another gear and defenceman Alex Pietrangelo and Marc-Edouard Vlasic quietly controlled the game. NOTES -- Canada scratched defenceman P.K Subban on defence and the injured John Tavares at forward. Tavares, who suffered a tournament- and season-ending left knee injury against Latvia, will remain with the team until after the Olympics. Matt Duchene filled his spot in the lineup. ... Russian star Alex Ovechkin was in attendance, sitting at centre ice on the suite level of Bolshoy Ice Dome. Ovechkin did not take the first charter flight back to North America after his father underwent heart surgery. He tweeted Friday night: "Thanks to all for support. My dad going to be good and he see you all again." ... Even though Russia was eliminated in the quarters, 11,172 fans filled the arena for the all-North American semifinal. ' ' '