YAROSLAVL, Russia -- They came by the tens of thousands to mourn, from world leaders to ice hockey stars to ordinary Russians, with flowers and tears and aching hearts. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Authentic Jersey . An estimated 100,000 people flocked to a memorial ceremony Saturday in the western city of Yaroslavl for the victims of the Russian plane crash that devastated a top ice hockey team. "For the first time in my life, I had trouble entering an ice arena," Vyacheslav Fetisov, a former NHL star who is chairman of the Kontinental Hockey League, said at the ceremony. "Its an inexplicable tragedy." Mourners including Prime Minister Vladimir Putin poured into the teams arena to lay flowers near coffins containing remains of players and staff of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team. Many were draped in the teams red, white and blue colours. Wednesdays crash of a chartered Yak-42 jet killed 43 people and was one of the sports worlds worst aviation disasters. Of the 45 people on board, 36 were Lokomotiv players, coaches and team officials, including many European and former NHL players. The crash shocked Russia and the entire hockey community but emotions were especially raw in Yaroslavl, where the teams consistently strong performance in the Kontinental Hockey League was a source of great pride. The team had been heading to Minsk, Belarus, to play its opening game of the KHL season. "Its hard for me to talk because I loved the team so much," said Slovakian national hockey team coach Vladimir Vujtek, who had previously coached Lokomotiv. The sombre-faced Putin walked slowly across the arena, laying flowers at each of the coffins, and several KHL ice hockey squads travelled en masse to Yaroslavl to attend the ceremony. President Dmitry Medvedev visited the crash site a day after the disaster, but didnt attend Saturdays ceremony. Many fans had criticized Medvedev for using the arena for an international conference this week, a move that forced the team to fly out of town in the first place. Fetisov on Saturday renewed a KHL pledge to help rebuild the Lokomotiv team. KHL chief Alexander Medvedev said earlier this week that each team in the league should volunteer up to three players for a new Lokomotiv squad. He said some 35 players had already volunteered. Two men who survived the crash -- player Alexander Galimov and crew member Alexander Sizov -- remained in critical condition Saturday, both in medicated comas in Moscow. Hospital officials said Galimov had burns over 90 per cent of his body. Russian crash investigators deciphering the planes flight data recorders say all the planes three engines were operating up until the moment it crashed into the Volga River bank shortly after takeoff. The experts have come to no conclusions yet about the cause of the crash. Authorities checked fuel supplies at the Tunoshna airport, but Russias top aviation authority said Saturday the data recorders gave no indication that bad fuel was the cause. Aviation authorities also launched safety checks on all the approximately 60 Yak-42 jets still in service in Russia. The Rostransnadzor transport safety watchdog on Saturday grounded another Yak-42 jet belonging to the owner of the crashed plane, the Moscow-based Yak Service. The agency said the jet that was to fly Saturday from Izmir, Turkey, to Moscow had an engine component with an expired lifetime service card, posing a threat to flight safety. The crashed jet was built in 1993 and one of its three engines was replaced a month ago. Rostransnadzor earlier this week grounded three of another six Yak-42s it had checked due to unspecified flaws. Experts blame Russias poor aviation safety record on an aging fleet, weak government controls, poor pilot training and a cost-cutting mentality. Taylor Hall Jersey . Gregor Blanco doubled, singled and drove in three runs, and the surging San Francisco Giants beat the New York Mets 6-4 on Sunday for their fifth straight win. "Theres nothing I can complain about," manager Bruce Bochy said. The Giants completed their fourth sweep of the season. Jordan Eberle Oilers Jersey . The team said Bryce Harper and Adam LaRoche also had operations this week. Harper had the bursa in his left knee repaired after it had hampered him last season.With two thrilling wins on Friday, the eighth-seeded Kentucky Wildcats and second-seeded Michigan Wolverines kept their championship dreams alive, and will now square off in the Midwest Region final on Sunday evening. Watch Kentucky vs. Michigan live on TSN at 5pm et/2pm pt. The winner will move on to the Final Four, a place both squads are very familiar, to battle Wisconsin next Saturday. Kentucky used a determined second-half comeback to down intrastate rival Louisville on Friday night. The Wildcats trailed until the final minutes of regulation, where they grabbed a slim lead and held on to advance. It was the opposite story for Michigan, which played Tennessee in the Sweet 16 two days ago. The Wolverines held a large advantage throughout the contest, but the Volunteers kept chipping away until it was a one-possession game. Michigan didnt let Tennessee complete the comeback though, thus setting up this showdown with the Wildcats. Kentucky leads the all-time series between these two programs, 4-2. The last time the squads met, Michigan pulled out an 81-78 overtime victory back in 1993. John Caliparis Wildcats struggled to find their identity this season, especially down the stretch. But the young squad, made up of mostly freshman and sophomores, got hot at the perfect time, and has beaten teams like defensive powerhouse Kansas State, top-seeded and previously unbeaten Wichita State, and defending national champion Louisville in this tournament. It was a gritty performance versus the Cardinals on Friday, and required some skillful free-throw shooting, particularly in the second half when they went 14-of-16 at the stripe. Freshman star Julius Randle provided yet another double-double in the win, notching 15 points to go with a team-best 12 rebounds. Dakari Johnson and Aaron Harrison each tallied 15 points in the win, and Andrew Harrison tacked on 14 for the Wildcats. Some Louisville foul trouble also helped Kentucky, as Montrezl Harrell and Stephan Van Treese both exited for the Cards after fouling out late. On a team that has a roster full of potential, but very little experience, Randle has stood out as not only a top NBA prospect, but as the teams leader and go-to scorer. Teddy Purcell Authentic Jersey. He averages a double-double heading into this game, netting 15.1 ppg while bringing down a team-high 10.7 rpg. His .708 free-throw percentage was a big help down the stretch against Louisville. James Young, who fouled out against the Cardinals, is second on the team in scoring with 14.1 ppg, although Aaron Harrison is also averaging 14.1 ppg. His twin brother Andrew Harrison checks in with 11.1 ppg, adding a team-best 144 assists to his stat line. As a team, UK is putting up 75.4 ppg while allowing 66.5 ppg. At one point, Michigan held a 15-point lead in the second half before Tennessee mounted its comeback attempt. The Vols climbed to within one with six seconds left, but Michigans Jordan Morgan drew a foul, which gave the Wolverines a chance to create a bit more separation. Thanks to four players who scored in double figures, the Wolverines were able to fend off the surging Vols, whose Cinderella-like run came to an end in the Sweet 16. Morgan appropriately led the team in scoring with 15 points, adding a team- high seven rebounds in the process. Nik Stauskas had a below-average day shooting (5-of-12 from the field, 3-of-8 from 3-point range), but still chipped in 14 points in the win. Glenn Robinson III added 13 points for Michigan, and Caris LeVert contributed 10 with five assists. As a team, the Wolverines hit 55.1 percent of their total shots. With his 14-point effort on Friday, Stauskas saw his team-leading scoring average take a slight dip. He still nets 17.3 ppg, also adding team-bests in 3-point shooting percentage (.448) and assists (115). Robinson III checks in at second on the roster in scoring with his 13.1 ppg, and LeVert adds 13 ppg. Imagine what the Wolverines would be capable of if they had a healthy Mitch McGary, although Morgan has been nothing less than stellar in this tournament playing the role of the teams big man. Morgan averages a team-high in rebounding (5 rpg), and nets a club-best 69.4 percent of his field goal attempts. As a team, the Wolverines are scoring 74 ppg while giving up 64.8 ppg. cheap jerseys from chinacheap jerseys ' ' '
