Reiseplan » 152 yards on 23 carries. He wasted no

NEW YORK -- Hockey rarely gets much attention in Norway, a skiing-obsessed nation that turns to soccer when the snow melts. Mats Zuccarello is changing that. Zuccarello is only the seventh player from Norway to make it to the NHL, and hes the first to make it to the Stanley Cup finals. Now, "Zucca" has Norwegians staying up late to watch New York Rangers games and checking the stats to see if he scored. "A lot of Norwegians have fallen in love with Zuccarello," says Roy Kvatningen, sports editor for Norwegian online paper Nettavisen. "First and foremost because hes successful at what he does. He won the scoring title in Norway, he won the scoring title in Sweden, and now hes playing on the biggest stage in the world. "Hes also got a cool name and a good personality: confident, but down to earth." Former teammates of Zuccarello and his mother are being interviewed by Norwegian media. Downhill skier Kjetil Jansrud and players on the national soccer team have sent him congratulatory messages. In his fourth NHL season, all with the Rangers, Zuccarello notched 19 goals and 40 assists in 77 games. He added four goals and seven assists in 20 post-season games to help New York get to the finals for the first time in 20 years. "Some people, like my close family and friends that have been following me since I was young, are really excited," he said. "I told everyone its a huge opportunity for me to play, but at the same time nothing is won yet." The affable 26-year-old winger hopes his success will build up hockey at home, but he knows it will take a lot more than that. "I would love to be a role model for younger players back home and create some more buzz around hockey," he said. "Hopefully this can help. If I was Norwegian or not, I would be equally happy to play in the Stanley Cup finals." Norway finished last in the Sochi Olympic hockey tournament. Zuccarello believes a greater commitment is needed within the country before success outside of it can be reached. "We have 25 rinks. There is no ice in the rinks during the whole summer," he said. "... How are you supposed to be a good hockey player when you go four months with no ice?" Zuccarello says Norway hasnt made a commitment to hockey since Oslo hosted the 1952 Olympics. "Nothing," he said in a frustrated tone. "We have one new rink in Norway that is not from 52. They have renewed it a little bit, but our main rink in Oslo was built in 52, and thats not good enough. Its got to start from the top. Its going to cost money, but the government has money. Youve got to use it to get new rinks, get people excited to go to a hockey game with new seats. Norway is considered the "little brother" in hockey circles to Sweden and Finland. Sweden has 10 times as many rinks than Norway, Kvatningen said. Zuccarello was fortunate to attend a hockey-centric high school and then played three seasons in Norways elite league. From there he went to Modo in Swedens premier league before signing a free agent deal with the Rangers in 2010. He watched the Stanley Cup finals as a youngster in the early morning hours. The first one he recalls was the Colorado Avalanches victory over Florida in 1996 when he was 8. The Avalanche, with Swedish star Peter Forsberg, was Zuccarellos favourite team. They won that series in a four-game sweep -- ending it with Uwe Krupps goal in triple overtime. "I remember waking up. I was going to school, I turned on the TV and Uwe Krupp scored the overtime winner," Zuccarello said. "I didnt think it was live. I thought it was taped." He might be about to create a lot of sleepless nights for grown-ups and kids alike back home once this series against the Los Angeles Kings begins Wednesday. Family members and friends are planning to make the trip to New York to see him play live in Games 3 and 4. They will have to make room for other Norwegian tourists who are looking to make the trek, too. "I know already that more Norwegians have been travelling to New York to catch a game at Madison Square Garden," Kvatningen said. "Even if theyre not hockey fans, its a great experience for Norwegians to go over there and see a small Norwegian guy getting celebrated." Jason Zucker Jersey . Venable and Jeremy Hermida drove in three runs apiece, and the Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2 on Sunday to snap a nine-game losing streak. Devan Dubnyk Jersey . Hughes, 30, is a former Major Leaguer with the Baltimore Orioles, having played in 14 games with the Os in 2010. He played with Class AA Binghamton of the Eastern League in the New York Mets system last season. http://www.authenticwildpro.com/Mikko-koivu-wild-jersey/.C. -- The RBC Cups semifinal participants were decided by a pair of overtime games. Jared Spurgeon Jersey . Louis Blues were workmanlike, methodical and -- most of all -- effective on Monday night. Minnesota Wild Jerseys . After not scoring 40 points in the opening quarter in the last five seasons, the Rockets have done it five times this season and twice in the last three games.Cedar Falls, IA (SportsNetwork.com) - Northern Iowa running back David Johnson has made a career of playing his best games in the biggest games. The All-American senior saved one of his better performances for the first round of the FCS playoffs Saturday night - totaling four touchdowns and 236 yards from scrimmage - in leading the Panthers to a 44-10 rout of Stephen F. Austin at the UNI-Dome. UNI (9-4) advanced to a second-round matchup at fifth-seeded Illinois State (10-1) next Saturday in an all-Missouri Valley Football Conference rematch. The Panthers were the only team to beat ISU in the regular season, 42-28 on Nov. 1 in Cedar Falls. Johnson, an NFL prospect, finished with 152 yards on 23 carries. He wasted no time in taking over the playoff game, breaking free for a 73-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage. He also scored on a 1-yard run in the final minute of the quarter, then caught a 70-yard touchdown pass froom Brion Carnes in the second quarter as UNI built a 30-7 halftime lead.dddddddddddd. Johnson capped the Panthers opening drive of the second half with a 6-yard scoring run. A pair of SFA turnovers helped UNI to three Michael Schmadeke field goals in a six-minute span of the first quarter. The third field goal gave the junior 27 this season, an FCS single-season record that surpassed the 26 made by Nevadas Tony Zendejas in 1982 and UNIs Brian Mitchell in 1990. Carnes only completed five passes, but four of them went for more than 30 yards in a 205-yard effort. He also rushed for 46 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Johnson versus Johnson showdown of running backs didnt materialize as Stephen F. Austin senior Gus Johnson, who entered the game with 1,601 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns, finished with 82 yards on 20 carries. He scored the only touchdown for his Southland Conference squad. 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