defensive effort in the Mile High City. It was ugly. "The first half, we ca

MALMO, SWEDEN – While sitting in the stands at the Malmo Isstadion on Boxing Day serving the second game of a four-game suspension, Griffin Reinhart was surprised to hear the voice of Zach Fucale. Team Canadas backup goalie at the time was on the bench and, per usual, running his mouth. What was he saying? "I dont even know," said Reinhart, the big Edmonton Oil Kings defenceman, "just kind of gibberish." "Maybe he just didnt understand me," said Fucale with a grin. The Halifax Mooseheads goalie talks a good game. Literally. "I like to just keep a little play-by-play of the game by myself," said the 18-year-old Montreal Canadiens prospect. "I talk a lot and encourage everyone as well." WATCH: Sportscentre story on Fucales special night and why his teammates say hes different than most goalies Hes been doing it so long he cant remember when he started. It may seem strange, but it seems to be working. Fucales trophy case already includes a Memorial Cup championship won in May and an Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament title in 2012. In short tournaments like those, being vocal goes a long way in terms of helping defencemen adjust to playing in front of a new goalie as well as with a new partner. "We dont play with each other all year long so its important we talk a lot and communicate as much as we can," Fucale notes. "Theres not a detail you can really miss in this type of tournament so if we talk a lot well be on the same page." Fucale started the 2014 World Junior Hockey Championship as Jake Patersons understudy, but parlayed a steady 19-save performance against Slovakia on Monday into another start the next night against the Americans. With first place on the line, Fucale held the fort during another slow start by his teammates, turning aside all 13 first-period shots faced. He stoned Connor Carrick on a breakaway late in the third to preserve what ended up as a 3-2 victory. During the third period and also post-game the thousands of fans in attendance chanted Fucales name. WATCH: Post2Post: Jamie McLennan breaks down Fucales seven "10-bell saves" v USA When his teammates and even head coach Brent Sutter talk about Fucale the word "swagger" comes up quite a bit. "Hes always cocky," said forward Charles Hudon. "Not cocky like he wants to show-up everyone, but cocky for himself. I played with him in peewee and bantam (in Boisbriand, Que.) and he had the same swagger." "Hes all about confidence and thats what you need," said Val-dOr forward Anthony Mantha, who is tied for the tournament lead with 10 points. Goalies will often be in their own world and keep to themselves in the dressing room. Fucale, though, bucks the trend. "Hes a confident guy and a loud guy," said Team Canada captain Scott Laughton. "Ive never seen a goalie so loud in the room. Hes been very good for us staying positive when he wasnt playing. In the room, hes one of the more vocal guys. Ive never seen that before from a goalie. Usually theyre pretty quiet, but its just like hes one of the guys." "Around the room, you see a lot of goalies are pretty weird and they have certain routines," said forward Connor McDavid, "You cant talk to them [at certain times], but, honestly, Zachs really relaxed and he does have that swagger." Fucale, for his part, wasnt sure how to respond when asked if he had a lot of swagger. "I dont know," he said. "I try to just stay low key and do my job. Maybe I talk a lot in the room, but I dont know about that." What he does know is that the win over the United States wont mean anything unless his team plays well in the knockout rounds starting on Thursday against Switzerland. "The round robin doesnt really count," said Fucale. "Its Game 7 now." Wholesale Chargers Jerseys . The 30-year-old Kottaras served as Kansas Citys backup catcher last season after being claimed off waivers from Oakland in January. Cheap Chargers Jerseys Authentic . Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas appeared to be on track to gain election from the Baseball Writers Association of America on Wednesday, and Craig Biggio could join them. http://www.cheapchargersjerseyselite.com/ . Johansen scored twice and Derek MacKenzie, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson also had goals to lead the Blue Jackets to a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, ending a three-game losing skid. Cheap Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys . Whenever United loses, its crisis. When other top teams slip up, its the quirky nature of the Premier League. The predictable reaction speaks to the sky-high expectations for a team proven perennial contender and 13 times Premier League champion. Cheap Chargers Jerseys . On the day after Billy Horschel posted his 12th straight round in the 60s, won his second straight tournament against a world-class field and picked up an additional $10 million bonus as the FedEx Cup champion, Watson was kicking back in his seat at a Kansas City Royals game.PORTLAND - DeMar DeRozan validated his newly minted All-Star title, spearheading the Raptors comeback on Saturday but theres one play hed like to have back. With just under five seconds remaining - the Raptors having clawed back from a 19-point deficit and pulled within one - DeRozan took the handoff from Chuck Hayes. As he tried to create space, turning the corner with Blazers guard Wesley Matthews draped all over him, the first-time All-Star fumbled the ball off his calf. His reaction was instant and said it all. He knew he, quite literally, dropped the ball. "I lost the ball, I put that one on me," DeRozan said, owning up to the miscue. "Ive got to keep the ball in my hands and not turn it over, at least give us a chance to get a shot off." Fact is the Raptors had that opportunity, a shot to steal a game they had no business hanging around in, because of DeRozans heroics. DeRozan, like the rest of his teammates, came out flat in the first half. Coming off a win in Denver the night before, Toronto shot 35 per cent from the field in the opening 24 minutes, misfiring on all eight attempts from three-point range. As a team they couldnt execute, missed makeable shots and left their defensive effort in the Mile High City. It was ugly. "The first half, we came out with a typical back-to-back approach," said coach Dwane Casey, who was critical of his team after they let up in the fourth quarter of Fridays double digit victory over the Nuggets. "It wasnt us." DeRozan, playing in his second game after missing two with an ankle injury, had just six points, shooting 2-of-8. Whatever was said at the break seemed to wake up the fifth-year guard. DeRozan could do no wrong in the second half, where he scored 30 of his game-high 36 points and recorded 10 of his career-best 12 assists. "I mean, hes an All-Star. Yall see it," said Kyle Lowry, who should be joining DeRozan in New Orleans later this month. "Hes an All-Star for a reason. He did an unbelievable job of making shots, getting to the line and just getting it going. We know. Weve seen it before so its no surprise to us." Lowry, like his backcourt comrade, was also much better in the second half - he had 23 points and eight assists on the night - as were subs Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes, who came in and helped thhe Raptors find themselves defensively.dddddddddddd. The resilient Raptors dug deep once again - something weve become accustomed to seeing after slow starts this season - and when it came down to one final possession, there was never a doubt who the play was being drawn up for. "[DeRozan] wanted the ball and when your best player, your All-Star wants to the ball you give him the ball," Lowry said. "They did a good job defensively and [Matthews] is strong enough to do that but Im still getting the ball to [DeRozan] every single time in that position." Within seconds of losing the ball, DeRozan walked off with both hands on his head in disappointment. He tapped his chest as if to say, "my bad" and lifted the jersey over his head. "We put ourselves in that position," Casey said, stressing the poor start. "[DeRozan] wanted the ball, we gave it to him, but I give him props for getting us to that point." "I commend DeMar for carrying us. He put us on his shoulders and took us down the stretch and put us in a position to win. Thats all you ask." The loss - Torontos sixth straight in Portland - said a lot about how far the Raptors have come, how far DeRozan has come. If there was ever any doubt about DeRozans All-Star candidacy or his growth as a leader, Saturdays game served as a silencer. He had his full arsenal on display, demanded the ball with the game in the balance and when it was all said and done he took responsibility for his blunder. No excuses, he pointed the finger at himself. Meanwhile, his team fought the good fight, something they failed to do when they last visited Portland. A year ago, the Raptors experienced the absolutely lowest point of an already low season, dropping an embarrassing 92-74 contest to the Blazers on Dec. 10, 2012, the finale of a winless five-game road trip. They lost Lowry and Andrea Bargnani to long-term injuries in the game, while Amir Johnson was ejected for uncharacteristically tossing his mouth-guard at an official. Their skid in Portland continues, they havent won in The City of Roses in seven years, but theyre not the same team that left the city in turmoil 13 months ago. "We put ourselves in a position to win the game even after all that," Casey said. "So thats what you have to ask for." 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