SPORTS


Sunday, February 16,2014


www.yoursun.net www.Facebook.com/SunCoastSports @SunCoastSports


Hamlin wins
Sprint Unlimited race,
*Page 3

 Sports Editor: Mark Lawrence


MEDALS TABLE
 (Through 51 events)
 G S B Tot
Russia 4 6 5 15
Netherlands 4 4 6 14
United States 4 3 7 14
Norway 4 3 6 13
 Medals table, PAGE 5

OLYMPICS ON TV
NBC: 3-6 p.m., 7-11 p.m.,
11:35 p.m.-4:30 a.m.
NBCSN: 3 a.m.-7 p.m.
MSNBC: 3-10 a.m.
CNBC: 4-7 p.m.
USA: 3-5:30 a.m., 7:30-10
a.m., noon-2:30 p.m.
 TV listings, PAGE 5


WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway is down
to his last good chance for gold at the
Sochi Olympics in the men's super-G,
one of five medal events on the
schedule.

 AP PHOTO
United States forward
T.J. Oshie reacts after scoring
the winning goal in a shootout
against Russia on Saturday in
Sochi, Russia. Oshie scored four
times in the shootout to lift the
United States to a 3-2 victory.
A win against Slovenia today
gives the Americans a
quarterfinal berth.


Oshie's bag of tricks cools Russia


 By GREG BEACHAM
 ASSOCIATED PRESS
 SOCHI, Russia- T.J. Oshie
brainstormed while he skated
to center ice, desperately trying
to come up with one last move
to end an epic shootout. He
had already taken five shots
at Sergei Bobrovsky, and the
Russians were still even.
 Yet Oshie was chosen for the


U.S. men's hockey team with
just such a situation in mind,
and the shootout specialist
concocted one last clever goal
to silence an arena filled with
screaming Russian fans.
 Oshie scored four times in
the shootout and put the win-
ner between Bobrovsky's legs
in the eighth round, leading the
United States past Russia 3-2
Saturday in the thrilling revival


of a classic Olympic hockey
rivalry.
 "I was just thinking of some-
thing else I could do, trying to
keep him guessing," said Oshie,
the St. Louis Blues forward.
"Had to go back to the same
move a couple times, but I was
glad it ended when it did. I was
running out of moves there."
 International rules allow
the same player to take


multiple shots after the first
three rounds of a shootout, and
U.S. coach Dan Bylsma leaned
on Oshie's array of slick shots
and change-of-pace approach-
es to the net. Oshie scored on
the Americans' first shot before
taking the last five in a row,
going 4 for 6 against Bobrovsky
and disappointing a Bolshoy
 RUSSIA 16


0 MLB: Tampa Bay




 Hanigan'S homework


 Catcher goes

 extra mile to

 get ready for 4

 Rays' pitchers

 By JOSH VITALE
 SPORTS WRITER
 PORT CHARLOTTE -
In December, the Tampa
Bay Rays acquired Ryan .........
Hanigan in a trade with
the Cincinnati Reds. By
January, the 33-year-old #
catcher was already por-
ing over film of the team's
pitching staff, trying to
learn everything he could ..."",,.. .
about the arms he would '
soon be catching.
 It wasn't a task Rays 1'1.A
manager Joe Maddon /
asked Hanigan to do;
the backstop request-
ed the footage on his
own. He watched game
film, analyzed pitching
breakdowns, read up on
organizational philos-
ophies and even began
studying some of the
American League East
hitters Tampa Bay would
be pitching against.
 "I wanted to get a feel for
what was working, what
wasn't," Hanigan said. "Just
to get a feel for the way
they were going at hitters."
 When the Rays' pitch-
ers and catchers took
the field at Charlotte U,
Sports Park for their SUN PHOTO BY TOM O'NEILL

 RAYS 8 Tampa Bay Rays catcher Ryan Hanigan takes part in the team's first spring training workout Saturday at Charlotte Sports Park.

0 NBA: All-Star Game


 James, Durant share top billing as 1A, 1B


 By BRIAN MAHONEY
 ASSOCIATED PRESS
 NEW ORLEANS -With the
first pick in the 2014 NBA All-
Star fantasy draft...
 "I'd go with LeBron," Toronto's
DeMar DeRozan said.
 "I'll take KD," said Cleveland's
Kyrie Irving.
 That's how close it is right
now between LeBron James and


Kevin Durant.
 They are the very best of the
NBA's best, both so talented
that even guys who play against
them every night have trouble
deciding which one they think
is better.
 "I think it's almost a situation
where you have 1A and 1B,
because both give you so many
different things out on the


court," Minnesota's Kevin Love
said.
 "1A, 1B," agreed Tony Parker
of the San Antonio Spurs, who
were knocked out of the playoffs
by Durant two years ago and by
James last year.
 "As journalists you're always
going to try to choose, but me as
a basketball player and playing
against them, they're both great."


 James was the MVP of the
game in 2008, the last time the
NBAs All-Star weekend came to
New Orleans. These days, he's
the MVP of most seasons, win-
ning four of the last five awards.
But King James might be giving
up the throne this time, with
multiple players believing
Durant will emerge with his first
 BILLING 13


* PREP WRESTLING:


WINTER GAMES DAY 10


INDEX I Lottery 21 Shore Lines 21 Football 2 | Auto racing 3 | NBA 31 College basketball 3-4 | Olympics 51 Scoreboard 6 | Quick Hits 6 | College baseball 71 Preps 7 | MLB 81 Golf 8


SOCHI
 2014


0oQp


* PREP WRESTLING:
 FHSAA finals


 Hoff


ends on


 a high


 note
 By ZACH MILLER
 SPORTS WRITER
 LAKELAND Trey Hoff
ended his high school
wrestling career with a
perfect day on Saturday.
 After the Charlotte High
School senior won his
fourth straight match to
earn third place in Class
2A at 138 pounds, his
dad, assistant coach Rob
Hoff, hugged him and
talked into his left ear
before he left the mat for
the final time as a Tarpon.
 "He was just like, 'Great
job, it's been a great
career,'" Hoff said. "He's
been with me since the
beginning. It's pretty
awesome because there's
a whole other connection
with the coach."
 The beginning is 11
years ago when Trey
started wrestling at age
7. From day one, Rob has
been his coach, always
sitting in the corner of the
mat when Trey looks his
way.
 On Saturday, as was
the case during many of
Trey's matches this year,
Rob frequently pointed to
his head to remind Trey
to think about what he
was doing.
 "I wouldn't trade
it for anything in the
world, but it's definitely
nerve-wracking and kind
of makes it not as fun
because you're respon-
sible for the preparation
as well as absorbing the
emotional roller coaster
that's going on," Rob said.
"I'd never go back and not
do it, but it'll be nice to
not have to."
 Rob had been to the
state tournament with
other Charlotte wrestlers,
but the first trip with Trey
as a qualifier turned out
to be a pretty good one.
Trey went 5-1, with three
wins on Saturday, to earn
the third-highest spot on
the podium.
 "He had a great day to-
day," Rob said. "He was a
little nervous (Friday) and
didn't wrestle very well in
that quarterfinal match,
but really did pull it
together today. I thought
it was a fitting way to end
his career. Sometimes
you finish with a loss,
and that's always hard to
take."
 Next year, Rob will be
back in the wrestling
room continuing to
coach, but the Tarpons
lose the leadership of
Trey, a team captain.
 "Both of them are
 HOFF|7


 NBA ALL-STAR
 GAME
 WHAT: 63rd NBA All-Star Game
 WHO: East vs. West
 WHEN: Today, 8 p.m.
 WHERE: Smoothie King Center,
 New Orleans
 TV:TNT
 LAST YEAR: West beat East
 143-138
 LAST YEAR'S MVP: Chris Paul
 INSIDE: Team Bosh wins second
 consecutive Shooting Stars
 contest; Damian Lillard repeats as
 skills challenge champion, PAGE 3