ENGLEWOOD, Colo. cheap jerseys from china . - Sometimes, the shadow of Patrick Roy follows Semyon Varlamov around the ice. Breathing hard to catch up, too. At the conclusion of practice on Wednesday, the Colorado Avalanche coach tried to pull alongside his goaltender as he went through a cool-down session. Roy just wanted to track him down to tell Varlamov how pleased he was with the way hes been performing. After all, Varlamovs play in net has looked as efficient and effortless as, well, the Hall of Famer whos now coaching him. Off to a 7-1 start and among the league leaders in goals-against (1.76), Varlamov is thriving in the presence of Roy. "I think Varly, today, when I said how proud I was the way hes bounced back, he had a big smile," Roy said. "He was happy. I think as a player thats what you want to hear from your coach." Not just any coach, but Roy — one of the best to ever play the position. No pressure living up to his expectations. Thats the thing: Roy has been as much of a confidant as coach, which Varlamov appreciates. "This has been awesome," said the 25-year-old Varlamov after Wednesdays practice. "He can see something in a game, during a game, just some things I have to do better, what I did wrong, or something like that. Thats helped me a lot. I just have a lot of confidence." A year ago, Varlamov couldnt say that. He was struggling in goal - allowing three goals a game - and hardly looking anything like the type of franchise goalie the Avalanche thought they were acquiring when they sent a first-round pick to Washington in 2011. This season has been a big turnaround. That has to do with the arrival of Roy and a staff that included goalie coach Francois Allaire, who once mentored Roy. This summer, Allaire, Varlamov and backup Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who has two shutouts this season, spent a few weeks in Montreal honing their technique. More specifically, Allaire tweaked some minute things with Varlamovs form. Asked what precisely they worked on, Varlamov smiled and said, "I dont want to talk about that." Top secret? "Yep," he said. "But were still working on this different style a lot. Im still learning how to play that way, how coach wants me to play." Unlike past years, Varlamov isnt being asked to come up with the big save time after time, or to be the backbone of the defence. In Roys system, the defencemen are more aggressive on the offensive end and way more accountable for helping out Varlamov. "Hes not hanging out to dry like in the past with some of our old systems," defenceman Erik Johnson explained. "Its pretty cool to see Varly transition into an elite NHL goalie." Then again, forward Matt Duchene knew this day would arrive. Hes been touting the talent of Varlamov for years, but no one would listen because Colorado was so buried in the standings. "Ive been a huge fan of him since he came here," said Duchene, whos among the NHL leaders in goals with nine. "I love shooting on him at practice, because its always a challenge. "I think Varly feels more comfortable than ever right now. He knows hes not alone in this and that people are backing him up every night." This helps with Varlamovs confidence as well: He no longer feels so isolated. When he first arrived in the U.S., the Russian star spoke only broken English. By hanging out with the players in the locker room, hes steadily picked up the language to the point where he can hold a casual conversation with anyone. "Life is so much easier when you can speak with people," Varlamov said. "The boys did a good job of teaching me." Another challenge soon awaits Varlamov, one that hes trying not to think about but its getting more and more difficult: The 2014 Sochi Games in his home country. Hes hoping to be in goal for the Olympics. "Of course, thats a dream for every player growing up, to play for our national team," he said. "Its always so much fun to play for a national team. Its always something special, especially for me because Russian fans, Russian people, they pull for us. Its going to be very cool if I go and play there. "But I dont think right now about Sochi. I think only about how were playing here, with Colorado." cheap jerseys from china . Catch the interview this Friday on TSN at 5pm et/2pm pt. The appearance will mark Sonnens second time on the show in the last five weeks. The always outspoken fighter was as a guest on OTR in November, but when the interview took a contentious turn, Sonnen ultimately removed his microphone and walked off mid-interview. wholesale nfl jerseys . With a lengthy suspension looming, the New York Yankees star hit a two-run homer to left in the third inning of a 6-2 win over the Reading Fightin Phils. . -- Even though half the field had yet to play on Thursday, the first round of the 2013 RBC Canadian Open was largely decided by noon. [url=http://www.shopnflonline.net/Black-Friday-San-Francisco-49ers-Colin-Kaepern... Kaepernick Black Friday Jersey . -- The Oakland Raiders lost both of their starting running backs to injuries in the first half against the Washington Redskins.A recap of results from Queens Athletics & Recreation for September 29, 2011: Soccer (W)No. 3 Gaels breeze by RMC 5-0 KINGSTON, Ont. - Three first half goals put the Gaels (7-0-1) en route to a 5-0 victory over the Royal Military College Paladins (2-5-1) this Thursday afternoon at RMC. The Gaels wasted no time beginning their attack. Alexis McKinty of Burlington Ont., scored at the four minute mark, putting the Gaels in front. Jackie Tessier of Winnipeg added another seven minutes later and the pressure didnt stop there. In the 25th minute, Kelli Chamberlain of North Bay, Ont., put the game out of reach. The ball would not would not leave RMCs end as the Gaels entered half time with a commanding 3-0 lead. Queens dominance continued into the second with Breanna Burton of Ottawa scoring four minutes into play. Burton scored another in the 77th minute to make the final score 5-0 for the Gaels. Chantel Marson of London, Ont., and Sabrina Carew of Thunder Bay, Ont., recorded a shutout on the night. The Gaels are back in action this Saturday against Carleton Universty. Kickoff is set for 1:00pm at Richardson Stadium Soccer (M)Two first half goals lead gaels to a 2-0 victory over RMC KINGSTON, Ont. - A goal from MacArinze Ojiaku of Ottawa led the Gaels to a 2-0 victory over the Royal Military College Paladins this Thursday afternoon at RMC. On his second shot of the night, Ojiaku was able to connect, giving the Gaels the first strike of the match. The Gaels hung on to close out the first half with the one goal lead. During the first miinute of play in the second half, Eric Cappon of Kingston scored to give the Gaels some comfort room and a 2-0 lead. MLB Jerseys Black Friday Deals. The Gaels eased off their offensive attack and began focusing on maintaining their lead. The game finished with a final score of 2-0. The Gaels outshot RMC 6-4. The win gives the Gaels a record of 6-2-1 on the season. The Gaels hope to continue the success versus Carleton Univeristy this Saturday afternoon at Richardson Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:15pm. Basketball (M)Local basketball programs bring back the Triple Threat to fight cancer KINGSTON, Ont. - The Queens, RMC, and St. Lawrence mens basketball programs are pleased to announce they will be re-introducing the Triple Threat to fight cancer basketball games. The games will kick off this weekend as the Gaels will host the St. Lawrence Vikings at the Athletics and Recreation Centre with tip-off set for 8pm. Fans are encouraged to come out and support the cause as the game at Queens will be free to the general public with donations being accepted to help fight cancer. This will be the first chance for the local community to get a look at all three local teams as they prepare to kick-off their pre-season exhibition schedules. The complete Triple Threat schedule is as follows: St. Lawrence @ Queens - Saturday October 1, 8PMRMC @ St. Lawrence - Sunday October 2, 4PMQueens @ RMC - Monday October 3, 8PM The Gaels regular season play begins on Friday November 11th when they play host to the defending OUA champions Lakehead Thunderwolves. ' ' '