ABBOTSFORD, B. Drew Brees Jersey .C. -- Erik Haula made the best of his demotion. Haula, who was reassigned to Iowa by parent club Minnesota on Monday, scored twice and added an assist in Wilds 4-2 defeat of the Abbotsford Heat in American Hockey League action Thursday. The 22-year-old Finn now has seven goals on the season, including a goal in Wednesdays 6-2 loss to the Heat. "Hes been a great asset since the beginning," said teammate Kris Foucault, who had two goals of his own Thursday. "He wasnt putting pucks in as much before. But he came down from Minnesota and hes been unreal. Pucks seem to be going in for him right now and thats what we needed." Haula recorded two assists in six games during his first cup of coffee in the NHL and is hungry for more. "Im just trying to play confident and trust the process," said the 2009 seventh-round pick. "Im trying to do everything I can down here and work really hard. When you do the right things, things will go the right way." Johan Gustafsson made 28 saves for Iowa (9-13-1), who entered the game 25 points behind the AHL-leading Heat. "Its a confidence booster," said Foucault. "Were a team struggling with getting wins. We can look back on this game and say we took out the top team. So if were down one, going into the third period, we can remember this and use it to our advantage." Now the Wild will need to string some wins together if they want to climb in the standings. Theyve won more than two in a row just once this year and also had a six-game losing streak. "Theyre obviously a great team so it proves to us that we can play with any other team in the league," said Haula. "Now weve just got to stay consistent." Markus Granlund and Derek Smith scored for Abbotsford (20-7-2). Granlund now has an 11-game point streak, longest active run in the AHL. Joey MacDonald stopped 30 shots in the losing effort, just their third regulation loss in 20 games. "Our effort was there, but our execution on a lot of plays wasnt there," said the Heats Corban Knight. "We had some pretty good chances that we didnt capitalize on, and we made some pretty costly errors at bad times." The Wild took an early lead, just like Wednesday nights tilt, scoring in the opening two minutes. Haulas initial shot was stopped but Chad Raus rebound attempt was redirected by Foucault past MacDonald for his third goal of the season at 1:29. However, the Heat tied the game at 3:49 on a power play. Granlund had two cracks at a Knight rebound and finally chipped it over a sprawling Gustafsson for his 12th of the season. Smith gave the Heat the lead at 5:49. The veteran of 91 NHL games took a feed from Max Reinhart behind the net and one-timed it for his first AHL goal of the year. The Heat had a quality chance to build on their lead in the first with a lengthy two-man power play, but the Wild were able to keep most of the opportunities of the leagues second-ranked power play to the outside. "I didnt like our posture on the 5-on-3 at all," said Heat head coach Troy Ward. "Those guys werent special, and usually theyre pretty special. We didnt generate much there, and I thought that inevitably cost us. That was one of the first telling signs that we were starting to fall off the map a little bit." The Wild tied the game at 6:03 of the second period. Jon Landry chipped the puck over to Haula at the right side of the net. He had two whacks at the puck before finally burying it for his sixth of the season and second in consecutive games. Then the Wild regained the lead when Haula scored his second of the game in the final minute of the second. Zack Phillips stole the puck from Smith, wheeled to the slot and fired it on net, where Haula was there to pounce on the rebound. Foucault put the nail in the coffin when he picked up his second 16:58 of the third. He beat the defenceman wide right, got MacDonald to commit and then tucked the puck between the post and his glove, giving him his first multi-goal game in his three-year pro career. "I kind of blacked out," said Foucault when asked to describe the play. "It was a turnover and capitalized on it. Went in on a 2-on-1 and waited him out, and tucked in behind him." Earlier in the day the Heats parent club Calgary announced general manager Jay Feaster had been fired, but the club insists it didnt weigh on their minds during the game. "We were pretty focused on tonight," said Knight, who was acquired in a trade by Feaster in June. "The coaching staff did a good job of leaving that stuff out and just focusing on the 60 minutes tonight. I dont think that had an effect on us at all tonight." Vinnie Sunseri Womens Jersey . Sung Hyang Sim put North Korea ahead in the 54th minute. Canada, however, maintained pressure and tied the game late off an own goal where Kim Jong Sum put the ball just over her own line in the 86th minute. Zach Strief Saints Jersey . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week.The author of one of Canadas defining moments at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics is "99 per cent" certain hes retiring. Jon Montgomery, the gold-medal winning skeleton racer who celebrated his victory by chugging from a pitcher of beer handed to him by a fan, says his failed attempt to qualify for the Sochi Games will in all likelihood mark the end of his sliding career. "Im done. As a competitive athlete, this is the end of the road for me," Montgomery said in a telephone interview with The Canadian Press on Thursday, before later adding: "I would say 99 per cent of me is certain that I am done. "You wont see me (racing) next year or the year after and Im 99 per cent sure you wont see me trying to gain a spot for (the 2018 Winter Olympics in) Pyeongchang." The 34-year-old Montgomery was one of the stars of the Vancouver Games, memorably drinking from that pitcher on national television as he walked through a crowd of rabid Canadian fans in Whistler, B.C. But the Russell, Man., native struggled to find consistency on a new sled in the leadup to Sochi and missed out on a chance to defend his title in Russia. "Physically Im at the top of my game. Im going out faster than Ive ever been in my career but its a bit of a sacrifice to make sure that I dont get hurt," he said. "I dont know what sort of long-term damage Ive done to my brain but in terms of getting a concussion — which is a really distinct possibility, or a brain injury — I need to make the right choices based on my family." Montgomery said even had he made it to Sochi and topped the podium a second time, the emotions from Vancouver would have been difficult to repeat. "Nothing can ever replace your first Olympic gold medal," he said. "To have done that on home soil with friends and family and countrymen by my side ... you just cant top that." Although he wanted desperately to represent Canada again, Montgomery said hes been watching these Games intently. "Its the human drama that takes place in front of us every day during the Olympics," he said. "Its unbelievable. I enjoyed being part of it as an athlete and (enjoy) being part of it as a fan." Montgomery took the 2011-12 season off and found it difficult racing on the new sled he helped build from scratch when he returned to the track. He had used his previous sled for eight years, but felt it was necessary to go with new technology in order to defend his Olympic gold in Sochi. In the end, he never got that chance. "It was really frustrating because you had achieved a certain level of performance that you were used to being able to get back to week in and week out," said Montgomery. "Coonsistency is a huge part in our sport. Stanley Jean-Baptiste Saints Jersey. You have to be very athletic to push the sled, but its more of a game of skill and touch. "Its about that feel and that muscle memory, that finite muscle control, and thats what I was struggling with — to get that feel and that touch back to my sliding game." Montgomerys path to Sochi was always going to be difficult after he failed to earn one of the three mens spots on Canadas World Cup team. He instead raced on a lower circuit where point values for results are lower, but was promoted to the World Cup team in January. He needed at least a fourth-place finish in his final race to get a third Canadian sled into the Olympics, but wound up a heart-breaking seventh. That disappointment aside, Montgomery is adamant he did everything possible to give himself the best chance at success. "I can say until the day I die that there wasnt anything that we didnt address," he said. "I built a gym in my home garage with equipment that I felt was necessary for me to get quicker, bigger, faster, stronger and that paid off. "With the equipment development end of things, unfortunately we didnt realize the goals that we had set for ourselves — we fell a little bit short. "It was mostly timing. An opportunity to get comfortable with the equipment that wed built was really where we fell short. But as far as making the choices and decisions we made, zero regrets." Montgomery became somewhat of a folk hero after the 2010 Games and was in Calgary on Thursday to promote Proctor & Gambles "Thank You, Mom" campaign for the 2014 Olympics. He and his mother, Joan, starred in a video highlighting how she helped him through some tough times early in his career prior to the Olympic gold medal. She played a similar role again when her son failed to qualify for Sochi. "My mom was there to help me pick myself up and move on with some purpose and dedication towards what happens next in life," said Montgomery, who hosted the first season of CTVs "Amazing Race Canada" last year and has signed on again for a second instalment that begins shooting in the spring. That television career will keep Montgomery in the public eye, but he will likely always be known as the Canadian Olympic champion who chugged beer with a gold medal around his neck. "Lots of great memories, lots of good friends and a lot of pride in what we were able to accomplish for ourselves as individuals and for us as a country," he said. "I havent given a formal (retirement) announcement. "I havent gone to a press conference and cried like Wayne Gretzky yet, but if that day comes Ill probably do that too." ' ' '
