Vorschau » criticism Friday for dropping out of the mens

Four days after being praised as a hero for helping Russia win its first gold at the Sochi Olympics, Evgeni Plushenko was taking criticism Friday for dropping out of the mens figure skating. Plushenkos strong performance in the team event brought wide accolades for his determination to overcome injury. But on Thursday he withdrew before the mens short program, complaining of severe spinal pain during the warmup. Plushenko was Russias only men singles skater in Sochi. He won the slot in a closed exhibition skate that cut out Maxim Kovtun, who beat him in the Russian nationals. Among his critics was longtime rival Alexei Yagudin, the 2002 Olympic gold medalist. He told the R-Sport news agency he supports "people who go to the end." "I think Zhenya will understand my words," he said, using the familiar version of Plushenkos name. "We always competed through the pain." The choice of Plushenko as the sole Russian man was debatable. Although he was the dominant skater the past 15 years, with an Olympic gold and two silvers before coming to Sochi, he is 31-years-old and underwent back surgery a year ago. When he was selected, advocates argued his long international experience made him a stronger choice than the 18-year-old Kovtun. Decision comes under fire But that came under sharp questioning Friday. "You should go when its time," Ruslan Nugmatullin, a former Russian national soccer goalkeeper said on Twitter. "Kovtun earned the right to participate in Sochi2014." Alexei Urmanov, the 1994 Olympic gold-medal winner, suggested that Plushenkos hubris backfired. "Its on the conscience of Zhenya, the team and the federation," he was quoted by R-Sport. To some politicians, Plushenkos withdrawal was a blow to Russias national pride. "Perform through the pain for the honor of the country," Igor Lebedev, a parliament member from the nationalist Liberal Democrats, said on Twitter. Elena Vaitsekhovskaya, the figure skating correspondent for Russias Sport-Express newspaper, seemed weary not only of the intrigue behind Plushenkos selection but also of the appearances of his flamboyant wife, Yana Rudkovskaya, in the mixed zone to support him. "All of this was reminiscent of an incompetently directed stage show," she wrote. "It became harder and harder to sympathize with the athlete." "The one-man show in Sochi has concluded. Real sport has begun," she said in the newspapers Friday edition. But more complaints may still come. "After Sochi, the federation will have to answer for its choice," nationalist lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky said. Ronde Barber Youth Jersey . -- Fantasy football owners and Denver Broncos fans can rest easy: Peyton Manning is back. Mike Alstott Youth Jersey . 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Mat Bodie also scored for Union, which came into the tournament as the nations top-ranked team for the first time in program history after winning the ECAC tournament for the third straight season. Kevin Sullivan added three assists and Daniel Carr had two for the Dutchman (29-6-4). Chris McCarthy had two goals for Vermont (20-15-3), which was making its first NCAA appearance since 2010. Union is 13-0-1 in its last 14 games. The Catamounts took eight penalties, and Union converted three times on special teams. The Dutchmen got on the board 4:15 into the game with a short-handed goal. Hatch went almost end-to-end unimpeded, skating down the right half-wall before cutting into the slot and beating goalie Brody Hoffman to the glove side. "That really got the bench going," Bodie said. "Special teams often dictate who wins and I thought our special teams did it tonight." --- CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Mark MacMillan deflected a shot into the goal with 1:44 to go, rallying North Dakota to a 5-2 victory over top-seeded Wisconsin on Friday night in the NCAA tournaments Midwest Regional. No. 3 North Dakota (24-13-3) will face second-seeded Ferris State in the final Saturday. Ferris State beat Colgate 1-0 in the other semifinal. The seven-time national champions got an at-large berth when Wisconsin (24-11-2) beat Ohio State for the Big Ten title, eliminating the Buckeyes. North Dakota then knocked out its long-time rival with three late goals. MacMillan deflected Brendan ODonnell shot from the right wing into the net -- the goal was upheld onn review -- to break a 2-all tie.ddddddddddddRocco Grimaldi scored a pair of empty-net goals in the final minute. --- PROVIDENCE 4 QUINNIPIAC 0 BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Jon Gillies made 37 saves and third-seeded Providence beat second-seeded Quinnipiac 4-0 on Friday night in an NCAA East Region semifinal. Mark Jankowski, Anthony Florentino, Shane Luke, and Trevor Mingoia scored for Providence (22-10-6). The Friars led 1-0 after the first, and scored three second-period goals. Providence is making its 10th tournament appearance, but the first since 2001. It was the Friars first win in the tournament since 1991. The Friars will play top-seeded Union on Saturday in the regional championship game. Quinnipiac finished the season 24-10-6. This was in just the third NCAA tournament for the Bobcats, who lost to in-state rival Yale in last years national championship game. Quinnipiacs Michael Garteig made 22 saves. --- FERRIS STATE 1 COLGATE 0 CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Gerald Mayhew scored a power-play goal midway through the first period, and C.J. Motte made it stand up by turning away 35 shots Friday, leading Ferris State to a 1-0 victory over Colgate in the NCAA tournament regional semifinals. The second-seeded Bulldogs (29-10-3) advanced to the Midwest Regional final by pulling off their sixth shutout of the season, their fifth with Motte in goal. Colgate (20-14-5) had more shots on goal, but couldnt get one past the junior goaltender, who made two impressive stops during a power play in the third period. He also made a glove save on Spiro Goulakos slap shot with 1:37 to go. Colgates Tyson Spink was called for cross-checking with 57.9 seconds left, allowing Ferris State to finish it off on a power play. ' ' '