Saturday, January 7, 2012

SPORTS - Bauge and France stripped of world cycling titles (Reuters)

SPORTS - Bauge and France stripped of world cycling titles (Reuters)
Jarome Iginla AP – Calgary Flames' Jarome Iginla celebrates his 500th carrier goal during third NHL hockey action against …

CALGARY, Alberta – Jarome Iginla scored his 500th career goal, leading the Calgary Flames to a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.

Lance Bouma got his first NHL goal and Curtis Glencross had his team-leading 17th of the season for the Flames. Mikka Kiprusoff finished with 27 saves.

Iginla sent the sold-out crowd at Scotiabank Saddledome into a frenzy with his milestone goal at 8:33 of the third period that gave the Flames a 2-0 lead. The Calgary captain came down the right wing and sent a pass in front that went off the skates of two Minnesota players and in past Wild goalie Nicklas Backstrom.

There was a brief pause as fans wondered if another Flames player had deflected the puck in, but the crowd erupted soon after into a standing ovation and every Calgary player spilled off the bench to congratulate Iginla.

Iginla became the 42nd player in NHL history to reach the milestone and the 15th to do it with one team.

Chants of "Iggy, Iggy" soon filled the building and as the ovation continued, Iginla stood up on the bench and acknowledged the crowd with a wave. He took another skate around the arena after the game, again acknowledging the crowd, after being named the game's first star.

Dany Heatley scored for Minnesota, spoiling Kiprusoff's shutout bid with less than 7 minutes remaining.

Scoreless after two periods, Bouma got the Flames on the scorebard at 2:02 of the third. He scored after Backstrom stopped Lee Stempniak's shot from the right wing with his blocker. The puck caromed right out to Bouma breaking in from the left wing and the 21-year-old fired it into the open side.

The goal snapped a scoreless streak of over 128 minutes for the Flames.

Bouma, recalled earlier in the day from Abbotsford of the AHL to replace the injured Brendan Morrison, was playing his first game this season for the Flames. He appeared in 16 games for Calgary last season.

With the building still buzzing after Iginla's goal, Glencross scored at 11:15 to make it 3-0 and put the Flames well on their way to a needed victory.

The Flames were 0-4-1 in the final five games of their season-high seven-game road trip, including a 9-0 drubbing at Boston on Thursday night. The injury-riddled club currently has eight players sidelined and was also without without Rene Bourque, who served the second game of his five-game suspension.

Heatley scored with 6:19 left, but the Wild got no closer as Calgary outshot Minnesota 36-28.

The Wild entered the night with just one victory in their last 11, including a winless skid of 0-5-1 away from home.

Calgary, playing at home for the first time since Dec. 23 because the Saddledome was hosting the world junior hockey championships, improved to 7-0-1 in its last eight games on home ice.

NOTES: Iginla's first regular-season goal came in his first regular-season game, Oct. 5, 1996, against Vancouver. ... Minnesota D Clayton Stoner (groin) returned after missing five games. ... With D Scott Hannan out of the lineup, Clay Wilson made his season debut after being called up from Abbotsford. ... Of the injured, D Mark Giordano (hamstring) is back practicing and considered the closest to returning. Injured on Nov. 29, Giordano has missed 20 games. ... Also in the lineup for Calgary was C Blair Jones, acquired Friday in a trade with Tampa Bay. ... Brent Sutter earned his 100th win as Flames coach. ... Kiprusoff's 294th victory ties him with Mike Liut for 28th all-time.


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