e which moves her into a tie for 21st place all-time on Tennessees career double-double chart. She is tied with Shelia Collins (1981-85), Pashen Thomp

TORONTO -- ?Jaroslav Halaks career path has not followed a straight line. No going directly from point A to point B. The netminders hockey journey has been more circuitous, with the odd sharp angle thrown in for good measure.But just when you are prepared to dismiss him, when a team is ready to turn in a different direction, Halak re-emerges, making everyone stop and take notice.Like now, for instance.Halak, who was not even guaranteed a job with Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey, has backstopped the team to an unexpected berth in the finals against Canada.I dont think it surprised me, but Im pretty sure it surprised a lot of other people, offered Andrej Sekera, Halaks longtime friend and international teammate. I know Jaro personally very well and have played with him on international levels, and hes been as good as hes ever been. When hes on his game, hes happy, hes smiling, hes doing his job the best way he can -- and it shows on the ice.Hes one of the reasons where we are right now, the defenseman added. We just try to make his life easier -- and hes trying to make our lives easier.After an up-and-down 2015-16 season with the New York Islanders ended with a groin injury, Halak watched as understudy Thomas Greiss stepped in and helped lead the Islanders to their first playoff series victory since 1993.Greiss, Halak and new?Toronto Maple Leafs?goalie?Frederik Andersen were named to Team Europes roster, and it was fair to wonder where Halak would fit into the goaltending trilogy for the squad, which is made up of players from eight countries.More to the point, it was fair to wonder whether Halak would end up as the teams third goaltender, a spare part.Team Europe coach Ralph Krueger told his players their roles would be determined by how they performed in training camp and played in pretournament games. When it came to the goaltending, the decision became an easy one for Krueger. Andersen went down with injury before the start of the World Cup, and Greiss was terrible in a pretournament start against Team North America.By default or not, the job was Halaks.All hes done is lead Team Europe to the finals of a tournament in which few expected his team would even be a factor.I saw, over the past years, he grew as a goalie and he got better with age. And [in] the games that he played in this tournament, he showed what hes capable of, said Miroslav Satan, a longtime international teammate and now the GM of Team Europe. I think its the best Ive seen him. Hes definitely one of the cornerstones of our success, and the way we are succeeding in this tournament -- he definitely has a lot to do with that.Halak has an impressive .947 save percentage in the World Cup. And there is a strong belief in the Team Europe locker room that they are capable of much more.You got to believe in the player next to you that he will do the job, Halak said after the Europeans upended heavily favored Sweden in overtime in the semifinals. I think that brought us together. We all knew we had to play better and try to improve every game, and I think its been working well so far. Making the finals, its unreal. Its going to be a huge game for us.Hell have to be superhuman to give Europe a chance to beat Canada. But regardless of what happens in the finals, a best-of-three series that begins Tuesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), this tournament has provided yet another opportunity for Halak to reassert himself as a world-class goaltender.He does have a history of being able to steal games, said longtime goaltender and goaltending coach Corey Hirsch, who worked with Halak in St. Louis. And this tournament is perfect for Halak. You can get him focused on a short amount of games, and he can just take the ball and run with it.Jaros a lot better when theres not a lot of pressure on him. When he gets pressured, things happen.Remember the circular part?When Halak steps onto the ice against Canada, hell see Carey Price?at the other end of the ice, and perhaps be reminded of one of those turns.Halak, a native of Bratislava, Slovakia, was taken in the ninth round of the 2003 NHL draft, 271st overall by the Montreal Canadiens. The league doesnt even have nine rounds in its draft anymore.But Halak eventually got a shot with Montreal, and in 2010 he played phenomenally for the Canadiens, leading them to a surprise berth in the Eastern Conference finals after upending the Presidents Trophy-winning?Washington Capitals?in the first round.He sported a .923 save percentage and fans started sporting T-shirts that featured a stop sign with Halaks name in the center.But the Habs had to make a decision on the future of their goaltending, and in spite of Halaks brilliance, they dealt him to St. Louis while Price went on to become not just the Canadiens starter but also the best goaltender in the world.Price will start for Canada on Tuesday night.Obviously, hes a pretty quiet guy, calm demeanor, lets the puck and the play come toward him, Price said of his old teammate. Those are a couple of things he does really well.Although Halak shared a William M. Jennings Trophy -- with the?St. Louis Blues?Brian Elliott -- for the fewest goals allowed during the regular season, a lack of durability and inability to get the job done in key moments led to Halak being dealt to the Capitals before signing with the Islanders.He is 31 and under contract for this year and next. By that time, it wouldnt be a surprise if the Islanders went in a different direction and Halak moved on again, fading from view.But in the here and now, Halak is front and center once again. Adrian Wilson Jersey . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. Haason Reddick Jersey . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. http://www.nflcardinalsrookiestore.com/Cardinals-Adrian-Wilson-Jersey/ . -- Nathan Pancel scored twice as the Sudbury Wolves defeated the North Bay Battalion 4-2 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Larry Fitzgerald Jersey . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. Patrick Peterson Womens Jersey . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Tennessee fought back in the fourth quarter, but the team fell 67-63 on Sunday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum.Virginia Tech led by as many as 13 in the fourth quarter, but the Lady Vols cut the deficit to three with 1:17 remaining in the game on two free throws by Jaime Nared. Mercedes Russell recorded one of her three rejections with 55.6 seconds remaining as she knocked it back off Chanette Hicks to give the Lady Vols possession.Diamond DeShields hit Russell on a screen-and-roll to cut the deficit to 62-61. However, the Hokies regained a three-point lead as Chanette Hicks went into the lane and made a layup while being fouled. Hicks missed the free throw, to keep the game at one possession with 29.9 seconds remaining.Nared drove into the lane, but couldnt convert a layup amidst contact, and the Lady Vols were forced to foul. Hicks made two free throws to seal the game.Russell finished with 17 points and season highs with 14 rebounds and three blocks. DeShields and Nared each finished a rebound shy of a double-double as DeShields had 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists while Nared fell one rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine boards. Jordan Reynolds finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.Hicks led the Hokies with 24 points, five rebounds and eight steals. Regan Magarity finished 16 points and Sidney Cook scored 14 points and added 12 rebounds.The Lady Vols opened up the game with a Nared layup, but the Hokies rattled off eight straight points on their way to taking an 18-10 lead after the first quarter.Tennessee made a run during the second period as Mercedes Russell made her impact during a 13-3 Tennessee run. Russell had four points and two rebounds in the spurt. Meme Jackson hit a three pointer to bring the score to 25-24 and the Lady Vols retook the lead after DeShields stole the ball and passed ahead for a fastbreak layup by Jaime Nared.The third quarter opened as a tight affair, Russell converted a three pointt-play with 3:27 remaining in the frame to tie the game, but Virginia Tech scored seven consecutive points, six of those on layups by Regan Magarity.dddddddddddd. Virginia Tech was able to push their lead to 11 by the end of the third.After the Hokies scored the first bucket of the fourth quarter to push their lead to 13, the Lady Vols responded with a 9-0 run, with four of those coming from Jordan Reynolds to get back into the game, but the team wasnt able to finish it out.The Lady Vols will return to the court on Wednesday, Nov. 30 as they take on Tennessee State at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network +/WatchESPN. The Lady Vols are 4-0 all-time against Tennessee State with the last victory coming in 2014 as the #4 Lady Vols defeated the Tigers 97-46.Double-Double BrigadeMercedes Russell recorded her fourth double-double in five games so far this season with 17 points and 14 rebounds.Russell recorded her 14th career double-double which moves her into a tie for 21st place all-time on Tennessees career double-double chart. She is tied with Shelia Collins (1981-85), Pashen Thompsen (1993-97) and Vonda Ward (1991-95).Jaime Nared recorded her second consecutive double-double as she finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. It is Nareds third career double-double and second of the year.Block PartyRussell recorded three blocks, she is now ranked 10th on the schools all-time career blocks list as she passed Chamique Holdsclaw.The Lady Vols blocked six shots in the first half of the game vs. Virginia Tech which was more than they had blocked in any of their previous four games in 2016. The teams season high was four in the win over James Madison.Tennessee finished with 10 blocks, led by three from Russell, and two from DeShields and Reynolds.Jordan Reynolds finished with two blocks, tying a career high that she last set against Alabama on Jan. 31, 2016. ' ' '