QUEBEC CITY, Quebec -- In January 2015, when details were unveiled of how the upcoming World Cup of Hockey would include a Team North America squad, consisting of players under 24 years old,?Pittsburgh Penguins?goalie Matt Murray wasnt necessarily the first goalie who came to mind when thinking about best-on-best hockey.At that point, he was still in the middle of his first full season as an American Hockey League goalie, one that was going quite well. When he saw the announcement, making the team became a personal goal for Murray -- but he also was realistic about his standing in the hockey world.I remember thinking I was probably an afterthought for this team, Murray said after the final practice before Team North Americas first World Cup pre-tournament game. I was probably on the outside looking in.Anaheim Ducks?goalie John Gibson, 23, had the pedigree. He was a second-round pick who came up through the U.S. development program and looked great in four postseason games with the?Anaheim Ducks?in 2014.Winnipeg Jets?goalie Connor Hellebuyck, 23, later staked his claim to the job while leading Team USA to the bronze medal in the 2015 World Championships, making 39 saves in a shutout against the Czech Republic.Murray was, at best, No. 3 on the list. Even when he was officially named to the roster in March, he had played only a few NHL games.As hockey fans know, last spring changed everything. For Murray and for the hopes of Team North America.His performance during the Stanley Cup playoffs not only helped the?Pittsburgh Penguins?raise the Stanley Cup, it made him the most important player on Team North America.His team has the skill to win it all. In Murray, it now has a goalie who has proven he can do it.He was just having his day with the Cup a month and a half ago, said Team North America assistant coach Jon Cooper, whose?Tampa Bay Lightning?team Murray helped eliminate in the Eastern Conference finals.In doing so, the goalie became one of the few players on this young roster to have his own day with the Cup.Between him and Brandon Saad, do we have anybody else? Cooper asked.Nope.Those are our Cup winners, right there, Cooper said. Ultimately, those two guys have something that none of us have. Even our coaching staff.That experience is the great equalizer in this tournament.When he goes against the best World Cup goalies from other countries, he can do so with the confidence that hes accomplished something most of them havent.Last time I looked, Henrik Lundqvist hasnt won a Cup. Neither has Carey Price, said one NHL goalie coach when asked if Murray could hang with the worlds best. So yeah, there are great goalies -- but they havent won for one reason or another.Thats Murrays advantage.His disadvantage is that he doesnt have a large pool of NHL games from which to draw experience. Although it sounds crazy, Murray has only played in 13 NHL regular-season games. He hardly knows anyone on this team mostly because hes still breaking into the league. He was in a couple of Hockey Canada tryout camps with guys such as?Morgan Rielly and Aaron Ekblad, but thats it.The guys on the team who are familiar with him, know him only because he knocked them out of the postseason last spring.He didnt really have that one mistake in a game, said?New York Rangers?forward J.T. Miller, whose team lost to Murray and the Penguins in the first round. He never gave us a chance to get momentum. He played unbelievable.Two rounds later, Murray knocked out Jonathan Drouin and the Lightning.Hes so calm, Drouin said this week of his new teammate. Hes kind of Carey Price-like. He waits for the puck to hit him. Hes relaxed. You can see it in practice.Team North America coach Todd McLellan wasnt committing to any of his three goalies on Wednesday. His goal in the pre-tournament games is to get two goalies playing well and go from there.Its not out of the question that one of the others, especially Gibson, seizes the opportunity. The players from the Western Conference who know Gibson also realize hes capable.Hes underrated, the?Colorado Avalanches?Nathan MacKinnon said of Gibson. Theres a reason they traded Frederik Andersen?and not Gibson.Theres a growing feeling this Team North America squad could make noise as an underdog. Theyre loaded with talent. Theyll be the best skating team in the tournament. Theyre confident.Theyre also going to make mistakes. The forwards dont have the polished two-way game of their more experienced counterparts on other teams. As skilled as the Team North America forwards are, there isnt a Ryan Kesler or Jonathan Toews in the bunch.The penalty kill will end up employing players better known for offense than defense. Its just the way the roster is constructed.Its why the hopes might just hinge on Murray.The North American team will attack the puck a lot, but they might make more mistakes than anyone else, said the goalie coach. Hes going to have to be a goalie who makes timely, timely saves.Hes done it on the biggest stage there is in hockey, leading the Penguins to a Stanley Cup. In early August, his attention shifted from what hes done in his short career to what he still hopes to do.In the short term, its play well enough to earn the trust of his Team North America coaching staff. In the long term, the goal is to show the hockey world that last spring wasnt a fluke.He knows there are people out there wondering if it was.For sure. You dont just want to win one, Murray said. 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Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. MINNEAPOLIS -- After losing more games last season than any other team in the 121-year history of Minnesotas program, the Gophers have played like a totally different group.Thats because they are, for the most part.Amir Coffey scored all 19 of his points in the second half, after Akeem Springs made three 3-pointers over the final 5 minutes of the first half to finish with 11 points and help Minnesota pull away for an 85-71 victory over Arkansas on Tuesday night.They should be confident. Theyve worked hard, coach Richard Pitino said. Theyve stayed humble throughout a tough offseason, and theyve just been eager to get back to proving themselves on and off the court.Nate Mason had 13 points and seven assists, Eric Curry added 12 points and Reggie Lynch and Jordan Murphy each added 10 points for the Gophers (5-0), who won their first five games to start a season for the first time in three years. With transfers Springs and Lynch and freshmen Coffey and Curry, theres a new look and some new life to this team after a miserable 8-23 finish.What the team went through last year, I think that matured everyone, Springs said.Dusty Hannahs scored 20 points and Moses Kingsley had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Razorbacks (3-1), whose first road trip of the season was rough. They didnt make a 3-pointer until Hannahs hit one at the 4-minute mark and finished 1 for 8 after entering the game 24 for 54 from behind the arc (44.9 percent).Their 21 turnovers were their most since March 21, 2015, an NCAA tournament loss to North Carolina, and they had only six fast-break points after tallying 51 over the first three games. The Gophers had a 26-9 edge in points off turnovers.Weve just been being really sloppy, Hannahs said. It hasnt been like this is a random occurrence.The Gophers started slowly, but the Razorbacks missed nine of their first 10 shots from the floor and were outscored 25-6 over a stretch of more than 10 minutes. Springs swished two more 3-pointers after that run in the closing minutes of the first half, and the Gophers led by at least 14 points for the rest of the game.ddddddddddddCOFFEY BREAKThe freshman Coffey had 30 points on Friday against St. Johns and after a quiet first half got the crowd going with an array of fast-break dunks and slick layups plus a 3-pointer that gave the Gophers a 67-46 lead to match their largest of the game.Everybody knew he was struggling, so everybody kept going to him and encouraging him, Mason said. That shows the unselfishness for our team.CURRYING FAVORCurry, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, who was recruited by the Razorbacks, went 8 for 8 from the free-throw line.HEY, WE PLAYED THEM TOOBoth Arkansas and Minnesota have already beaten Texas-Arlington, the team picked to win the Sun Belt Conference in a preseason coaches poll. The Gophers beat the Mavericks 84-67 on Nov. 14, and the Razorbacks edged UTA 71-67 on Friday.BIG PICTUREArkansas: A team picked to finish fifth in the preseason SEC media poll that tapped Kingsley as the player of the year, the Razorbacks must make some significant improvements to be competitive in a Dec. 17 game against No. 22 Texas. With an influx of junior-college transfers, chemistry is a work in progress.Theyre still learning how to play with one another, coach Mike Anderson said.Minnesota: After finishing as the third-worst team in the Big Ten in defense last season, with the second-highest percentage of 3-pointers allowed, the Gophers have been markedly better, beginning with the fundamentals of cutting off baseline drives and rotating over to help. Lynchs shot-blocking presence is a big boost too.Once youre getting stops, it makes the game a little bit easier for everyone, Springs said.UP NEXTArkansas returns home on Monday to host Mount St. Marys, the first of five straight home games.Minnesota hosts Southern Illinois on Friday, before the first road game on Monday at Florida State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.---For more college basketball coverage: http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Nike Baseball Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys China Wholesale NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Authentic Cheap NHL Jerseys Canada Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Nike NHL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap Football Jerseys Store Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Jerseys NCAA China Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys ' ' '