Arrows at Gold - London 2012 Olympics, Mens Team Medal Matches

United States vs China - Bronze Medal
The first archery medal of the London 2012 Olympics was decided here and both sides displayed their own level of consistency. China scored 54 in each of the first three ends with a pair each of sevens and eights to keep them chasing their opponents. For their part the American team averaged three tens in all four ends, faltering on a few occasions themselves to land arrows outside of the gold rings to keep things close.

An even first end saw both sides land in the seven but a third ten from the United States saving them from a rogue eight shot before they took the lead at the halfway stage with nothing but gold; China scrambling to recover from back-to-back eights putting them down 111-108.

The Chinese athletes pulled one back with both teams again landing in the seven and Team USA finding another eight, 164-162. Down to the final end and both teams were on song with nothing landing outside a nine, the Americans four bullseyes giving them an extra margin to claim the Bronze medals.

UNITED STATES									CHINA
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	10	7	10	9	10	8	54		1	9	9	10	10	9	7	54
2	9	9	10	10	9	10	57		2	9	10	8	8	10	9	54
3	10	9	10	7	9	8	53		3	9	10	7	9	10	9	54
4	10	9	9	10	10	10	58		4	10	9	9	9	9	10	56
Total							222		Total							218

Korea vs Mexico - Gold Medal
The Gold Medal match started with Mexico digging themselves into an early hole with only one ten and a pair of eights leaving Korea ahead 56-53. The deficit remained at three points midway through the match as both teams got into their grooves; another eight however preventing Mexico from making inroads on the scoreline.

The third end and Korea looked a little tight hitting the eight twice and they now had Mexico breathing down their necks 167-166 after another solid end from them despite yet another shot outside of the golden rings. These eights would be the story of the final with two more for Mexico taking their game total to six and they compounded the problem by only hitting a single ten for the second end in the match; Korea starting with an eight of their own but quickly regaining their composure to become Olympic Gold medalists.

KOREA									MEXICO
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	9	10	9	10	9	9	56		1	8	9	10	9	8	9	53
2	9	10	9	9	10	10	57		2	10	10	10	8	9	10	57
3	10	8	10	9	9	8	54		3	9	8	10	9	10	10	56
4	8	10	10	9	9	10	56		4	8	9	10	8	9	9	53
Total							223		Total							219

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Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, Nov 1st

Wednesday 1st November 1967
A few teams continued their recent skids with St Louis losing a third straight game with just a single win in their last nine; Williams (5) getting the Bruins over them for their first road win (1-3-0); and there was more bad news for Pittsburgh with Binkley earning his first defeat in goal leaving the Penguins with a single win in their last six; Masterson (4) for the North Stars has scored all his goals this year on the powerplay, this his second game winner.

Oakland lose a fourth on the bounce as they tried to intimidate the Rangers through two fights (T Pratt vs A Brown; K Douglas vs Fleming), but it's a brighter outlook for New York as they make it three wins in a row with Goyette grabbing a pair of assists and Giacomin stopping all twenty-two shots for a shutout. Finally Toronto get their game-winner against the Canadians from Stemkowski (1) but Walton's (7) goal and two helpers move up to twelve points on the year.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PIT	@	2	0	0	2
MIN		1	0	0	1

PIT Binkley (2-1-3 .908) 27/29, Powerplay 0/0
MIN Maniago (4-2-1 .907) 24/25, Powerplay 1/3

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
NYR	@	1	2	0	3
OAK		0	0	0	0

NYR Giacomin (5-4-0 .896) 22/22, Powerplay 1/3
OAK Hodge (3-4-0 .885) 25/28, Powerplay 0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
BOS	@	1	2	0	3
StL		0	0	1	1

BOS Cheevers (4-1-1 .897) 21/22, Powerplay 0/0
StL Hall (1-3-2 .887) 29/32, Powerplay 1/3

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
MON	@	0	0	2	2
TOR		2	1	0	3

MON Worsley (1-3-1 .873) 23/26, Powerplay 0/4
TOR Gamble (4-1-0 .939) 22/24, Powerplay 1/9

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Toronto Maple Leafs	9	6	2	1	13
New York Rangers	10	6	4	0	12
Detroit Red Wings	9	4	4	1	9
Chicago Blackhawks	9	4	4	1	9
Boston Bruins	8	4	3	1	9
Montreal Canadiens	9	3	5	1	7
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Pittsburgh Penguins	11	3	3	5	11
Minnesota North Stars	8	4	2	2	10
Philadelphia Flyers	7	4	3	0	8
St Louis Blues	9	2	4	3	7
Oakland Seals	10	3	6	1	7
Los Angeles Kings	9	3	6	0	6

Arrows at Gold - London 2012 Olympics, Mens Team Semifinals

Korea vs United States
These two teams put on a high-class semifinal with a single eight in the match on either side. This coming in the first end that resulted in Korea leading 56-55 with no less than eleven tens each out of their twenty-four arrows. The second end started out well for the USA as they shot off four consecutive bullseyes to take a one point lead with the teams tying the third end with another three tens per side.

Korea just edged the final end with the United States needing to hit a second bullseye in the fourth frame with their last arrow and send the game into a shoot-off. The great form would only stay with one side, Korea hitting nothing but gold while the Americans faltered ever so slightly placing them into the Bronze medal match.

KOREA									UNITED STATES
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	10	9	9	8	10	10	56		1	8	9	10	9	9	10	55
2	9	9	10	9	9	10	56		2	10	10	10	10	9	9	58
3	10	9	9	9	10	10	57		3	9	10	10	9	10	9	57
4	9	10	10	9	9	10	57		4	9	9	10	9	9	10	56
Total							226		Total							226
Shoot-Off											Shoot-Off
KOREA			USA
1	10		1	9
2	10		2	9
3	9		3	8
Total	29		Total	26

CHINA vs MEXICO
The second semifinal was another tense affair that went down to the wire despite another bad start for China that saw them score just 51 with a seven and two eights, but once again they found a way to come back with four tens in the second end tying the match after two ends 109-109.

Mexico started the penultimate end with three consecutive bullseyes but a rogue seven aided China and kept the scores level 163-163 and it was onto another nailbiting final end. China had the initiative by hitting 10-9-9 and Mexico managing 8-8-10, but another seven for the Chinese, this one coming on their final shot, opened the door for Mexico to win. Their last arrow hitting the ten and taking them to the Gold medal match against Korea.

CHINA									MEXICO
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	7	8	9	8	10	9	51		1	8	10	10	8	10	9	55
2	10	9	10	10	9	10	58		2	9	10	7	9	10	9	54
3	9	10	9	8	9	9	54		3	10	10	10	7	8	9	54
4	10	9	9	8	9	7	52		4	8	8	10	9	8	10	53
Total							215		Total							216

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Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, October Stats

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	GD	PP%	PK%	Home	Away	L10	Streak
Toronto Maple Leafs	8	5	2	1	11	23	11	12	16.00	91.67	4-1-0	1-1-1	5-2-1	Lost 1
New York Rangers	9	5	4	0	10	31	27	4	21.43	68.42	4-0-0	1-4-0	5-4-0	Won 2
Detroit Red Wings	9	4	4	1	9	37	31	6	16.67	92.86	3-1-1	1-3-0	4-4-1	Lost 2
Chicago Blackhawks	9	4	4	1	9	25	27	-2	33.33	86.67	2-2-0	2-2-1	4-4-1	Won 2
Montreal Canadiens	8	3	4	1	7	23	26	-3	26.32	88.46	3-1-1	0-3-0	3-4-1	Won 3
Boston Bruins	7	3	3	1	7	20	26	-6	11.54	76.19	3-0-1	0-3-0	3-3-1	Tied 1
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	GD	PP%	PK%	Home	Away	L10	Streak
Pittsburgh Penguins	10	3	2	5	11	30	30	0	12.77	75.00	2-1-3	1-1-2	3-2-5	Tied 1
Minnesota North Stars	7	3	2	2	8	24	22	2	27.27	80.77	1-1-1	2-1-1	3-2-2	Lost 1
Philadelphia Flyers	7	4	3	0	8	19	16	3	8.33	79.17	2-2-0	2-1-0	4-3-0	Won 2
St Louis Blues	8	2	3	3	7	26	26	0	25.00	87.50	2-1-1	0-1-3	2-2-3	Lost 2
Oakland Seals	9	3	5	1	7	23	29	-6	24.24	81.82	1-1-0	2-4-1	3-5-1	Lost 3
Los Angeles Kings	9	3	6	0	6	25	35	-10	12.00	83.33	1-2-0	2-4-0	3-6-0	Lost 3

SKATERS
GOALS				ASSISTS				POINTS
Sabourin	StL	8		Goyette	NYR	10		Goyette	NYR	13
Stratton	PIT	6		Bathgate	PIT	9		Bathgate	PIT	13
Smith, F	DET	6		McDonald	PIT	8		McDonald	PIT	11
Walton	TOR	6		Howe	DET	7		Howe	DET	11
Delvecchio	DET	5		Hull, R	CHI	7		Stratton	PIT	11
Ullman	DET	5		Hadfield	NYR	7		Jarrett, G	DET	10
Ratelle	NYR	5		McKenney	StL	7		Sabourin	StL	10
Ferguson	MON	5		Brown, A	NYR	7		Hull, R	CHI	9
Bathgate	PIT	4		Jarrett, G	DET	6		Hadfield	NYR	9
Fifteen Others	NHL	4		Six Others	NHL	6		Five Others	NHL	9
PIMS				POWERPLAY GOALS				GAME WINNING GOALS
Picard, N	StL	50		Konik	PIT	3		Sabourin	StL	2
Dornhoefer	PHI	19		Masterson	MIN	3		Esposito	BOS	2
Goldsworthy	MIN	17		Cahan	OAK	2		Mohns	CHI	2
Woytowich	MIN	17		Pulford	TOR	2		Masterson	MIN	1
Bergman	DET	16		Delvecchio	DET	2		Cahan	OAK	1
Van Impe	PHI	16		Gilbert	NYR	1		Pulford	TOR	1
Balon	MIN	15		Boudrias	MIN	1		Gilbert	NYR	1
Flett	LAK	14		Connelly	MIN	1		Connelly	MIN	1
Baun	OAK	14		Ferguson	MON	1		Ferguson	MON	1
Two Others	NHL	14		27 Others	NHL	1		27 Others	NHL	1
SHORTHANDED GOALS
				Dornhoefer	PHI	1
				Picard, N	StL	1
				Cournoyer	MON	1
				Moore, D	StL	1
				Howell	NYR	1
				Labossiere	LAK	1
				Keenan	StL	1
				Robinson	LAK	1

GOALTENDERS
WINS			GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE					SAVE PERCENTAGE
Giacomin	NYR	4		Simmons	NYR	0.50		Simmons	NYR	0.960
Cheevers	BOS	3		Favell	PHI	1.00		Favell	PHI	0.947
DeJordy	CHI	3		Gamble	TOR	1.25		Gamble	TOR	0.944
Gamble	TOR	3		Bower	TOR	1.50		Crozier	DET	0.937
Hodge	OAK	3		Crozier	DET	2.00		Bower	TOR	0.928
Maniago	MIN	3		G Gardner	DET	2.00		G Gardner	DET	0.913
Rutledge	LAK	3		Binkley	PIT	2.50		D Dryden	CHI	0.907
Binkley	PIT	2		D Dryden	CHI	2.67		Bauman	MIN	0.906
Bower	TOR	2		Vachon	MON	2.75		Binkley	PIT	0.904
Four Others	NHL	2		Parent	PHI	1.80		Maniago	MIN	0.900

Arrows at Gold - London 2012 Olympics, Mens Team Quarterfinals

Korea vs Ukraine
Team Korea easily make their way into the semifinals after their first match of the tournament, sweeping aside Ukraine by sixteen points. The victor's lone eight came in the first end while Ukraine hit a seven for a 57-54 scoreline. After that it was all gold rings for Korea extending their lead with each end while the Ukrainians struggled to keep up thanks to half a dozen eights and another seven.

KOREA									UKRAINE
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	10	10	9	10	8	10	57		1	9	10	10	9	9	7	54
2	10	9	10	9	10	10	58		2	9	10	8	9	8	9	53
3	10	9	9	10	9	9	56		3	10	8	8	7	9	8	50
4	10	9	9	10	9	10	57		4	8	9	9	9	10	10	55
Total							228		Total							212

India vs United States
Korea will face the Americans after they tried to blow their four point lead going into the final end by firing off a pair of sevens, one of which was barely enough to win the match on the final shot. India had a hard time finding the bullseye with four tens throughout, three of them coming in the second end. In comparison the United States hit six in the first half of the contest and they continued to stay just ahead after three ends despite no-one scoring a maximum.

The final end came with America leading 164-160, increasing this lead to 183-178 with four arrows per side remaining. An 8-9-10 from India pulled it back within three, USA shooting 7-9-9 and needing at least a seven to finish it off which they just about managed.

INDIA									UNITED STATES
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	9	8	9	9	9	9	53		1	10	9	9	8	9	10	55
2	10	9	10	10	9	9	57		2	10	9	10	10	10	9	58
3	8	8	9	8	9	8	50		3	9	9	9	7	8	9	51
4	9	9	8	9	10	9	54		4	9	10	7	9	9	7	51
Total							214		Total							215

China vs Italy
A terrible start from the Chinese left them facing a 56-49 scoreline after hitting a pair of sevens and no tens. Italy then found the seven in the second end while China picked it up to reverse their fortunes with four bullseyes and tie the scores 107-107. The teams remained deadlocked heading into the final end where nerves would be tested.

China had a point lead with three arrows left but could have held a match winning advantage after shooting 10-7-10 while the Italians managed 10-8-8. Both teams only found yellow rings with their final shots but Italy held their nerve to grab an extra ten over their rivals and take the match to a shoot-off where each athlete takes one final shot.

The lone ten of China was the difference maker despite starting out on a 8-9 deficit. The second arrows turned the scores around 18-17 with both ending in the nine to put China through into the final four and the chance to play either Mexico or France.

CHINA									ITALY
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	9	7	7	9	8	9	49		1	9	10	10	9	9	9	56
2	10	9	10	10	9	10	58		2	7	8	8	9	9	10	51
3	9	9	10	9	9	9	55		3	9	9	9	9	9	10	55
4	10	7	10	9	9	10	55		4	10	8	8	10	9	10	55
Total							217		Total							217
Shoot-Off
CHINA			ITALY
1	8		1	9
2	10		2	8
3	9		3	9
Total	27		Total	26

Mexico vs France
Mexico could count themselves lucky to be tied 51-51 after the first end as the third arrow scored a lowly five points as France hit the seven twice. This lifeline led to a four point lead at the halfway stage for Mexico as it was France's turn to low score hitting a six, and while the eventual winners kept their play up at a high level, France hit three more sevens to crash to a seven point defeat.

MEXICO									FRANCE
End	Arrows						Score		End	Arrows						Score
1	10	9	5	10	8	9	51		1	10	10	7	8	9	7	51
2	10	8	9	10	8	10	55		2	8	10	9	9	6	9	51
3	9	10	8	9	8	10	54		3	7	7	9	9	10	10	52
4	8	9	9	9	10	8	53		4	9	7	9	10	8	9	52
Total							213		Total							206

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Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, Oct 31st

Tuesday 31st October 1967
October ends with one last game, New York picking up their first road win of the year (1-4-0) and condemning the LA Kings to a third straight defeat. B Smith (2) for Los Angeles had the teams tied after the first period with a powerplay goal but a Goyette (3) hat trick with two assists from Nevin got the Rangers ahead for good.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
NYR	@	1	1	2	4
LAK		1	0	0	1

NYR Simmons (1-0-0 .960) 21/22, Powerplay 0/0
LAK Sawchuk (1-2-0 .893) 36/40, Powerplay 1/2

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Toronto Maple Leafs	8	5	2	1	11
New York Rangers	9	5	4	0	10
Detroit Red Wings	9	4	4	1	9
Chicago Blackhawks	9	4	4	1	9
Montreal Canadiens	8	3	4	1	7
Boston Bruins	7	3	3	1	7
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Pittsburgh Penguins	10	3	2	5	11
Minnesota North Stars	7	3	2	2	8
Philadelphia Flyers	7	4	3	0	8
St Louis Blues	8	2	3	3	7
Oakland Seals	9	3	5	1	7
Los Angeles Kings	9	3	6	0	6