We know we can sell hockey in Brooklyn

[ljmei123]

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Montreals Eugenie Bouchard is out of the Australian Open. Michael Kors Outlet Sale . Chinas Li Na defeated Bouchard 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday in the semifinal of the womens singles tournament. The 19-year-old Bouchard is the first Canadian woman to reach the final four of a Grand Slam tournament in 30 years. "Im proud of how Ive improved as a player throughout the tournament. But Im never satisfied with losing. Im always disappointed," said Bouchard, who received a fifth stuffed Aussie animal -- an Emu named Sheila -- from her Australian fans dubbed the Genie Army. "I always want to go further and do better. I wouldnt say I exceeded my expectations, but Im happy with how I did." Li, the No. 4-seed and the 2011 French Open champion, is the only major winner and the highest-ranked player still in contention after the fourth-round upsets of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Defending champion Victoria Azarenkas lost in the quarter-final to Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland. No. 5 seed Radwanska was playing Dominika Cibulkova in the second semifinal later Thursday. Bouchard was determined to build off the success she experienced at the Australian Open. "Ive been working hard my whole life to do this, play at Grand Slams and do well," said Bouchard. "Its not an overnight thing. So Im just going to go back to the practice courts and keep working hard." Li, who lost last years final to Azarenka, was aggressive from the start against Bouchard, who started nervously and didnt win a point in her first three service games. Fittingly, Li finished off the match with a backhand crosscourt, one of 16 backhand winners in the match and her biggest weapon against Bouchard. "I think maybe she will be best player in the world. But today (Im) so lucky," said Li during a court-side interview after the match. Li jokingly apologized to the Genie Army after the match, undoubtedly increasing her own huge support base at Melbourne Park. "Sorry about that," she said. "If you guys be happy, I will go home." Bouchard said she changed her strategy to get out of her early slump. "I just wanted to get into the match a little bit more. I felt like she was really hitting her shots. I was just letting her do all these winners side to side, it wasnt really my game," said Bouchard. "I tried to get into the rallies more, try to step in a little bit more, and try to put more pressure on her because she was just putting a lot of pressure on me. "She didnt give me much breathing space, much room to do what I want to do on the court. I tried to put pressure, but she just played too good at moments." Michael Kors Outlet Store . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. Cheap Michael Kors . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. http://www.mkhandbagsoutlet.us.com/ . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames.NEW YORK -- The result of the New York Islanders preseason game at the Barclays Center on Saturday night was secondary to the initial impression the arena left on the team and its fans. "It was great," New York coach Jack Capuano said after the Islanders lost 3-0 to the New Jersey Devils in the first NHL game played in the Barclays Center. Cory Schneider made 26 saves, Jacob Josefson scored the first NHL goal in Barclays Center history at 10:14 of the first period, and Patrik Elias and Steve Bernier added goals for New Jersey. Evgeni Nabokov made 22 saves for New York. The first NHL game played in Brooklyn drew a crowd of 14,689. Barclays Center holds 15,813 for hockey, although Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark envisions adding "100-300" seats as part of a "West End Club." Barclays seats 17,732 for college basketball and the NBAs Brooklyn Nets, and holds 19,000 for concerts. "When you sell over 13,000 for a preseason game, were thrilled," Yormark said. "We know we can sell hockey in Brooklyn. Twenty-six per cent of (the) ticket buyers are from Brooklyn." The Islanders will officially move into $1 billion arena before the 2015-16 season. Saturday nights exhibition game was a trial run to introduce the year-old building to fans, and Yormark said the response he received was overwhelmingly positive. "I walked every area of the building," he said. "I was stopped (by fans who said), Brett, we love the building. Brett, we love the building." Yormarks words were echoed by Islanders fans used to the 41-year-oldd Nassau Coliseum. Discount Michael Kors Handbags. "Great, beautiful building," said Frank Smarra, a self-proclaimed lifelong Islanders fan from Astoria, Queens. "(It is) clean, roomy. (It) generates a lot of excitement. "(Its) a whole new slate for the organization. I think things are finally falling into place." Smarra said the "45-minute" subway ride from Queens to Brooklyn was easy compared to driving and paying for parking at Nassau Coliseum. One of the Barclays selling points is its convenience, as 11 New York City bus and subway lines stop there, as does the Long Island Rail Road. When he spoke with reporters following the Islanders practice session at Barclays on Sept. 12, team owner Charles Wang reiterated that his team has a lease at the Nassau Coliseum for the next two seasons, but did not reject the notion of his team playing regular-season games in Brooklyn next year. While acknowledging he had to have discussions with team and building officials, Yormark did not dismiss the idea of Barclays playing host to regular-season games next season. "I have to sit with Charles (and) Bruce Ratner after (the game) tonight," Yormark said. "(But the) building is ready to be a host NHL venue." New York defenceman Travis Hamonic agreed. "But this obviously is going to be our home for a long time. So in my opinion the more games we play here (will be) awesome," Hamonic said. "Were looking forward to it. Its a great building, an unreal atmosphere and a great spot. So were going to be here for years to come." cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '