long79333's blog: "opped 31 shots in defeat. Belleville had a number of quality chances on DAgostini in the first two periods before Berisha converted on a perfect tic-t"

MONTREAL -- Canada has high hopes that the same players who upset Spain two months ago can do it again against Italy in the Davis Cup quarter-finals. World No. 16 Milos Raonic will lead Canada into the April 5-7 best-of-five series at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver. He will be joined by Davis Cup veterans Frank Dancevic and Vasek Pospisil and doubles ace Daniel Nestor, Tennis Canada announced Tuesday. They will be up against an Italian squad similar in strength to the No. 1-ranked Spanish side they beat 3-2 in February. It was missing top singles stars Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer. "The Italians have good depth as a country," Davis Cup captain Martin Laurendeau said on a conference call. "The Spanish team in Vancouver and the Italian team we find are similar enough that we can plan accordingly. "The tables set for us to do it again. That will be our challenge." Like Spain, the Italians are best on slower clay courts, but in Vancouver they will be faced with a lightning-fast, indoor hardcourt that is Raonics favourite surface. The six-foot-five power server went 2-0 in singles against Spain. "The last Davis Cup that (Italy) played indoors was on a clay court," said Laurendeau. "Given a choice, I think the Italians would play on clay. "We hope the surface plays to our advantage." Italy will counter with world No. 19 Andreas Seppi, current No. 2 doubles team Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini as well as No. 59 Paolo Lorenzi. Fognini is also a highly ranked singles player at No. 36. The Italians beat Croatia in the first round. Canada, which reached the Davis Cup quarter-finals for the first time, has moved up to eighth in the International Tennis Federation rankings while Italy is ninth. The only surprise on Laurendeaus team was that Ottawa native Jesse Levine, who recently switched from U.S. to Canadian nationality, was not on it. At No. 97, he is the only Canadian besides Roanic in the top 100. Levine will be in Vancouver as an alternate, along with Filip Peliwo and Adil Shamasdin. "We prepare five guys to play," Laurendeau said. "Jesses part of our five guys. "If anything happens, Jesses the guy to go in. But for now, hes the fifth guy." Raonic pulled out of a match this week with strep throat, while Nestor has been dealing with a strained calf, but both are expected to be fit for Davis Cup duty. Levine looks to have been bumped by the strong play of Dancevic both at the last Davis Cup tie and in recent tour matches. Raonic, of Thornhill, Ont., is the highest-ranked Canadian mens singles player of all time. He has had a successful start to the season, winning his third straight SAP Open title at San Jose, Calif., and reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open. Dancevic, from Niagara Falls, Ont., has competed for Canadas Davis Cup team every year since 2002, except when he was hampered with a back injury in 2008. He holds a 13-5 record in Davis Cup matches played on home soil. He upset Spains Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in the first-round tie. "Frank played a perfect match at the last Davis Cup and since then hes had some good wins, so he earned a chance to play against Italy," said Laurendeau. Vancouvers Pospisil will be playing his eighth tie for Canada. He was a key contributor to Canadas return to the World Group in 2011, going 6-1 in the three ties he played. Torontos Nestor holds the Canadian Davis Cup records for most years played (21), most wins (44), most doubles wins (29), and most ties played (43). Nestor holds 80 ATP World Tour doubles titles, which is fourth on the all-time list, including a career Golden Slam (all four Grand Slam trophies and an Olympic Gold medal). Laurendeau said another bonus will be the boisterous fan support in Vancouver. "Vancouver is a great tennis town," he said. "They showed that last time. "We talk about the surfaces, but the crowd is also a big factor." The winner will move on to the semifinals in September to face the winner of a tie between Serbia and the United States. Both countries have already qualified for World Group action in 2014 because of their first-round victories. Other quarter-finals have France at Argentina and the Czech Republic at Kazakhstan. cheap elite nfl jerseys . Nova, the losing pitcher Tuesday night against the Chicago White Sox, said he felt something in his shoulder while making a sixth-inning pitch to Alexei Ramirez, the final batter he faced in the Yankees 7-3 defeat. cheap nfl youth jerseys . Sporting KC goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen punched away Ferraris header in added time as Montreal struggled to a 0-0 draw Saturday. The Impact picked up their first point in three games since ending a five-game winning streak which had put the expansion team into playoff contention. http://www.cheapjerseysfreeshipping.biz/ .J. -- The New York Giants backfield went into "next guy up" mode Friday as Brandon Jacobs was deemed doubtful for Sundays game against Seattle with a sprained left MCL. cheap nfl womens jerseys . -- Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb had his right foot in a walking boot on Monday to protect a turf toe injury and said he had "no idea" whether he would be able to play in next Sundays home game against the St. cheap nfl jerseys . -- Landon Donovan scored his first two goals of the season and added an assist to help the Los Angeles Galaxy beat the Portland Timbers 3-0 on Saturday night in Major League Soccer.The Ottawa 67s took another step toward rebuilding on Monday, trading defenceman Cody Ceci, winger Steve Janes and a third round draft pick in 2015 to the Owen Sound Attack in exchange for 16-year old rookie defenceman Jacob Middleton and 18-year old forward Joseph Blandisi. "We wish Cody and Steven all the best for the rest of this season and in the future," said 67s head coach and general manager Chris Byrne. "They both have made great contributions to our team and we thank them for their service."  On Saturday, the 67s traded forward Tyler Graovac to the Belleville Bulls for Sergey Kuptsov, two draft choices, and a conditionnal pick.dddddddddddd Middleton was chosen 8th overall by the Attack in last Mays OHL Priority Selection Draft. In limited action this season, he has one assist this season. Over the holiday break, he played for Team Ontario at the World U-17 Championships along with his new 67s teammate Dante Salituro. "Middleton is a hard-nosed defenceman with skill, who can play in all situations," said Byrne. Blandisi was a 6th round draft pick by the NHLs Colorado Avalanche last June. He had 25 points in 37 games with the Attack this season. "Blandisi is a strong two-way player with a good touch around the net," added Byrne. ' ' '