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HOCKEY NOTESaturday, February 2, 4:36 AM(FIXING TYPO IN HEADLINE) *Hasek, Fedorov, Kapanen lead World to skills competition win* -------------------------------------------------------------- By Daren Smith SportsTicker Hockey Editor LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Dominik Hasek again came up big in the clutch and Detroit Red Wings teammate Sergei Fedorov captured the hardest shot event Friday night, leading the World team to a 12-11 triumph in the NHL All-Stars SuperSkills Competition. The outcome hinged on the final breakaway relay, but Hasek stopped 5-of-6 attempts, yielding just a goal to Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux. The Czech Olympian shared victory with Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche in the goalie competition after turning aside all three chances in the pass and score event. It is the third time Hasek has won the overall category. "It's always fun to win," Hasek said. "In the last one, I knew if I didn't give up more than one goal, we would win. There's no pressure, but you feel good about yourself. You stopped the best players in the world." Roy gave up a goal to Vancouver Canucks captain Markus Naslund but stopped the other five breakaways and all three pass and score chances. Fedorov and Sami Kapanen of the Carolina Hurricanes won the marquee individual events. On his second and final attempt, Fedorov fired a slap shot at 101.5 miles per hour to become the first player in the 12-year history of the skills competition to win two different events. He also was the fastest skater in 1992 and 1994. "I wanted to get one close to that speed," Fedorov said. "The first shot wasn't very good. The second one, it just felt right. The toughest part is standing around. You have to try to move around and stay loose." Kapanen joined Fedorov as a two-time winner of that event after completing a lap around the rink at 14.039 seconds. The Finnish Olympian also was fastest skater in 2000. "I was worrying about my time. I didn't feel fast," Kapanen said. "I think the ice was slow. It was sticky and hard. We had a hard time turning, digging in on the turns. It's the first time I've ever been over 14 seconds in that." Paul Kariya if the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim won the individual puck control event for the fourth year in a row, edging Alexei Zhamnov of the Chicago Blackhawks. Naslund and first-time All-Star Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames split the shooting accuracy event, both hitting 4-of-6 targets. That competition was wide-open this year after the retirement of eight-time champion Ray Bourque. "I felt some pressure when it was my turn. I was just trying to hit the net," Iginla said. "The first two missed and I got a little flustered. But I hit the third one and just got rolling." It is the fourth time in five years under this format that the World team has defeated the North American squad in the overall competition. But North America has enjoyed the last laugh with wins in three of the last four All-Star Games. The inaugural YoungStars Game was a coming out party for Atlanta Thrashers rookie Ilya Kovalchuk and proof that the NHL's next generation can play a game totally devoid of defense just as well as the established stars. The favorite for the Calder Trophy, Kovalchuk scored six goals and set up another to lead a team coached by ESPN commentator Barry Melrose to a 13-7 victory over a squad coached by former Los Angeles Kings winger Jim Fox. Kovalchuk, the top overall pick in last year's draft, scored three straight goals in the first period and added a highlight-reel shorthanded tally late in the second when he poked the puck by a defender at his own blue line, raced down the left side and snapped a shot over the left shoulder of 18-year-old goaltender Dan Blackburn of the New York Rangers. Kovalchuk also beat Blackburn on a penalty shot late in the third period and added an empty-net goal en route to winning most valuable player honors. "I took the game very serious," he said. "I just wanted to show what I could do." The game featured players under 25 years old in a 4-on-4 format with three 12-minute periods. It replaced the annual Heroes of Hockey old-timers game. st 02-02-02 04:32 et |