Allgemeines » the midfielder left Old Trafford in 2004 and never played

LONDON, Ont. -- The London Knights elimination from their third straight Memorial Cup stung because it was their earliest exit of the three. The host team of the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup was a true contender among the four teams in it. With seven Knights forwards who helped the Knights win the last two Ontario Hockey League championships and with a team that scored over 300 goals this season, London was a threat to win the Cup on their third try in as many years. But the hosts were eliminated by the Guelph Storm in a 7-2 loss Wednesday. The Knights went 0-3 through the preliminary round and needed a win against their OHL rival to get into a tiebreaker game. "We thought for sure wed have a better chance of winning it this year," Knights forward Josh Anderson said. "We didnt have the bounces we wanted. Its too bad it had to end this way. "We wanted to have the Memorial Cup championship. I thought our organization really deserved one after the hard work weve been putting through these past three years. Looking at it now, Im glad I got the opportunity to come here and play for the London Knights." The Knights lost the 2012 final 2-1 in overtime to the host Shawinigan Cataractes. They fell in last years semifinal to the Portland Winterhawks in Saskatoon. The Storm were the first team since the Windsor Spitfires in 2010 to go 3-0 through the preliminary round. The OHL champions had already secured a berth in Sundays championship game after their second win. "It gives us confidence to know we can beat every team in the tournament," Storm forward Scott Kosmachuk said. The Val-dOr Foreurs, 2-1, and the Edmonton Oil Kings, 1-2, meet in Fridays semifinal in a clash of the Quebec and Western league champions. The winner faces the Storm for the Cup. Kosmachuk is a Winnipeg Jets prospect and led Guelph with a hat trick. Detroit Red Wings draft pick Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice. Marc Stevens and Dallas Stars prospect Jason Dickinson added a goal apiece for an explosive offence thats churned out 18 goals in three games in the tournament. The Storms Justin Nichols held off London when they pressed late in the first period and midway through the second. He made 45 saves for the win. Anderson, a Columbus Blue Jackets prospect, and Brett Welychka replied for the Knights. London mustered just four goals in three games. Two were scored by defencemen. The Knights were stopped on two penalty shots in the tournament and they scored once on 12 power-play chances. London outshot the Foreurs 51-28 in the first game of the tournament, but lost 1-0. "Its a bad time to get cold for offence and for scoring goals," Knights forward Max Domi said. London goalie Anthony Stolarz stopped 14-of-17 shots and was replaced by Jake Patterson early in the second when he inadvertently kicked the puck into his own net. Patterson allowed four goals on 21 shots. Guelph also ousted London from this years OHL playoffs on Apr. 11. The Knights had five weeks without a game, which may explain their lack of touch around the net. "Its not easy being off for that long and coming back and playing at the high level these guys have been playing through the whole thing and winning championships," Knights forward Bo Horvat said. "Weve been practising the whole time, but theres no excuses." Londons goaltending felt unsettled as well. Because of an eight-game playoff suspension in March, Stolarzs hiatus prior to the Cup was even longer. In his first game in seven weeks, he made 27 saves in the loss to Val-dOr. But the Philadelphia Flyers prospect was replaced by Patterson both Wednesday and after two periods of Sundays 5-2 loss to Edmonton. Wednesdays round-robin finale featured a pair of frightening knee-on-knee collisions, although the players in each case escaped major injury. Storm assistant captain Zack Mitchell was tossed at 6:56 of the first period for kneeing London defenceman Dakota Mermis. The CHL suspended his Storm teammate Chadd Bauman for the rest of the tournament Wednesday for the same hit on Val-dOr defenceman Guillaume Gelinas on Monday. Knights defenceman Nikita Zadorov took a tripping minor in a second-collision with Bertuzzi, who limped off the ice. But both Mermis and Bertuzzi stayed in Wednesdays game, whereas Gelinas was unable to play the following night against Edmonton. Londons frustration boiled over in the final minutes and Stevens scored Guelphs fourth power-play goal of the game on a two-man advantage at 17:14. The Windsor Spitfires of 2010 went 4-0 en route to the Cup that year. But the Spitfires opened the 2009 tournament with a pair of losses and ran the table to claim the trophy. For that reason, Guelph wanted London gone so the Knights couldnt come back to haunt them Sunday. "This team is a team that once they get this city and this building behind them, they can really do some damage," Guelph captain Matt Finn said. "We didnt want to let them back in because theyre a dangerous team. "We wanted to be the team that was 3-0 and knock London out of this tournament." LONDON - For just the second time in Manchester Uniteds 137-year history, the team plays at Cambridge on Friday.Its the latest trip into the unknown for Louis van Gaal, whose side overcame Yeovil in the third round of the FA Cup earlier this month but was humiliated by MK Dons in the League Cup in August.FA Cup fourth-round opponent Cambridge is 76 places in the football pyramid below United, which is fourth in the Premier League.Its always tough to play against teams that, in the mind of the players, are weaker, Van Gaal said Thursday. In our minds you are believing that we are playing against a weaker opponent but thats not like that. Its another opponent with another playing style with other players and we have to beat them.The Dutch coach has been doing his homework on the fourth-tier side, which United last played over two legs in the League Cup in the 1991-92 season.Cambridge play very direct, with long balls, Van Gaal said. They have five or six players above 1 metre 90 centimetres (6-foot-3) so for us its difficult to defend and thats why you have to prepare yourself very good. Its not so easy to beat Cambridge United.One face will be familiar with United fans: academy graduate Luke Chadwick. But the midfielder left Old Trafford in 2004 and never played with any of its current players.Its the first time Ive been involved in a game against them, really looking forward to it, said Chadwick, who made 39 appearances for United and won the 2001 Premier League.Its a great club here at Cambridge and we deserve this draw against a massive club ... well have the whole world watching on Friday night and theyll be able to show them how good they are.The game kicks off a weekend of FA Cup matches. Heres a look at some other games:___HESKEY RETUURNS: Liverpool fans will also come up against a familiar face when Bolton travels to Anfield on Saturday.dddddddddddd Emile Heskey won the FA Cup once while playing for Liverpool between 2000 and 2004.The striker made a surprise return to English football in December when he joined Bolton after a spell in Australia with Newcastle.Im 37, Im not a young lad, to go back and play at Anfield is a great thing, he said. The fans were wonderful to me while I was there. Ill hopefully get a good reception and play my heart out.___THE HOLDERS: The next step in Arsenals defence of the cup is a trip to Brighton on Sunday, with confidence high after a 2-0 victory at Manchester City last weekend.While preparing for the game, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is also trying to complete the signing of centre back Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal. But securing a British work permit for a Brazilian who has never played for his country could be a challenge.We are talking at the moment, can we find an agreement or not? I dont know, Wenger said. We are slowly progressing, but there is a chance. (Its) 50-50 at this moment.Wenger did sign promising 17-year-old midfielder Krystian Bielik from Legia Warsaw on Wednesday, a deal which did not require a work permit because Poland is in the European Union.___ELSEWHERE: The Premier Leagues top two both play second-tier teams. Leader Chelsea hosts Reading and Manchester City takes on Middlesbrough.Theres a tricky home game for Aston Villa, which hasnt scored in almost nine hours and hosts second-tier leader Bournemouth on Sunday. Villa was fined 60,000 pounds ($90,000) by the English Football Association on Thursday for failing to control their players at Leicester at a Premier League game earlier this month. 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