It's a strange concept in sports to think there's nothing hurt by losing.

In a round-robin pool play tournament, however, the Jamestown Raiders could afford one after earning their second convincing victory, 5-1, in the Western New York State Championship Large School Club Division on Saturday morning.

After skating out to a 2-0 lead, the Raiders saw it vaporized and left the ice at the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena with a, 5-2, loss coming at the hands of the Iroquois/Alden Chiefs.

''We're in good shape,'' Jamestown coach Bruce Hokanson said. ''We're in the semifinals and win or lose that game, it didn't matter. We don't know who we play yet-you need a mathematician to figure out who plays whom.''

When all of Saturday's games went final, the tie-breakers and goal differentials were worked out, the opponent for the Raiders was discovered.

It's a team they've seen a few times this year and one that will certainly be seeking a little bit of revenge.

City Honors/Cardinal O'Hara will take to the rink at 7:30 a.m. to face Jamestown with a berth in the championship game at stake.

''The games that matter are tomorrow,'' Hokanson said of today's slate. ''Yeah we lost, but it's not the worst thing in the world. Now all we have to do is go 2-0.''

Saturday afternoon's game with Iroquois-Alden started with a bang for the Raiders. They showcased too much speed, too much quickness and covered too much ice for the Chiefs to keep up with them.

A few big hits from the Iroquois-Alden defenseman were all the Chiefs could hang their hat on. Eddie Dorunda endured a vicious hit in the offensive zone for the Raiders that led to a power play opportunity.

His teammates didn't disappoint.

Steve Rabent controlled the puck behind the net, waiting for a teammate to get in position. Captain Bryce Hanson did just that, had a perfect arm slot for a one-timer and Rabent supplied the pass.

It was 1-0 Jamestown at the 13:39 mark of the first period.

''In the first two periods of the game, we got one goal on a power play,'' Hokanson said. ''It was a pretty play for us and Hanson ended up scoring. I thought the competitive nature of the team was great.''

Iroquois-Alden started the second period with a 5-on-3 power play, putting the Raiders in a precarious position. The penalty kill defense of Jamestown killed off both power plays, and it was still a 1-0 hockey game.

At 12:28, Erik Bruder scored the second goal of the game for Jamestown when Steve Frangione and Brandon Durnell found the senior from Randolph to give the Raiders some breathing room.

From there, the intensity flat-lined and Iroquois climbed its way back into the game.

The first goal was scored on a power play for the Chiefs while the second was added with 2:33 remaining in the period after a defensive miscue led to a breakaway for an even-strength equalizer.

''We were winning the shots on goal category, 19-15, after two periods and it ended up 24-24,'' Hokanson said. ''The game was pretty even and everyone played well.''

The game-changing goal wasn't the first one of the third period that put Iroquois up 3-2. It was the next score, 30 seconds later from Patrick Quinn that put the Chiefs in front 4-2. In a blink of an eye, The Raiders were trailing by two goals.

''After that second goal of the third period, they just got a ton of energy from it and we obviously didn't,'' Hokanson added.

For Iroquois-Alden, Mike Dessoie finished with a game-high four points.

At the end of the day, the Raiders had plenty to still look forward to. A berth in the semifinals was the goal going into the weekend and now they will look to capitalize on that opportunity, starting with a first-round contest with City Honors/Cardinal O'Hara.

In Jamestown's first game of the day against Eden/Lake Shore, Mike Merenick, Rabent, Bruder, Collin Kennedy and Alex Wissman each scored a goal in a 5-1 win.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

' To Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas, the 2012 Olympic Games in London hold added meaning. The gymnastics competition will take place in the same venue where an imperfect landing forced Bross to settle for silver instead of gold in the all-around at the 2009 World Championships.

"You can't really dwell on the past too much," Bross said. "After it happened, I kind of put it behind me and moved on to what comes next."

So what would it mean to return to London in 2012 and nail her floor exercise?

"Oh my God," she said after practicing at the DCU Center this week, "it would be amazing. I love the arena, we had a great time competing there and I would love to do it again."

Competing against some of the world's top gymnasts in such meets as today's Tyson American Cup, the only U.S.-based, elite-level international invitational, will help prepare the 16-year-old Bross for that day. Today's event begins at 11:30 a.m.

"I could have made it easier on her in the worlds," Bross' coach Valeri Liukin said, "and get rid of the skill in which she fell, but she needed to grow up. She needed to understand: To be a world champion, you can't just play around."

Liukin doesn't talk about gold medals with Bross, but he realizes they lurk in the back of her mind.

"I wouldn't be working with her if she didn't have that big dream," Liukin said.

Liukin coached his daughter, Nastia, to the all-around gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Nastia, who hosted the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup at the DCU Center last night, is thrilled at the progress Bross, her longtime training partner, has made working with her dad.

"It kind of proves that he's not able to coach just one person," Nastia said.

The 5-foot Bross started gymnastics at 5, after watching them on television and tumbling in her living room. She's overcome her share of broken bones and a dislocated right knee that required surgery in 2008 and sidelined her for five months.

Bross' best event is the balance beam, but her favorite remains the floor exercise.

"You get to go out there," she said, "and you don't have to worry about being on a foreign beam or holding a bar. You just get to go out there and show everyone what you can do."

Alexandra Raisman, a 15-year-old sophomore at Needham High, will be the other American female gymnast in the competition. Raisman trains at Brestyan's American Gymnastics in Burlington, the same club where 2008 Olympic silver medalist Alicia Sacramone of Winchester belonged.

Raisman estimated that she'll have at least 15 family members and friends on hand for her senior-level debut. Raisman said she didn't feel any added pressure competing so close to home, but her coach, Mihai Brestyan, admitted that she probably would, but in a positive way.

Raisman takes two classes online, but attending Needham High gives her a break from practicing in Burlington for 2-1/2 hours each morning and four hours every night.

"I like it," she said, "because it's kind of a little distraction to get away and then if you have a bad workout you can just go to school and clear you mind and you can come back and it will be fine."

Raisman began gymnastics with Mommy & Me classes at age 2 and has improved so much that Needham High has stopped trying to persuade her to compete for the school gymnastics team. She's simply too good.

Nastia Liukin won the Tyson American Cup in 2006 and 2008. Other Tyson American Cup past champions include: Carly Patterson, Mary Lou Retton, Nadia Comaneci, Bart Conner and Tim Daggett, the West Springfield native who will analyze today's competition live on Universal Sports from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. and on NBC Sports from 1-3 p.m.

Nastia Liukin denied reports that she was dating Evan Lysacek, gold medalist in figure skating in the Vancouver Games.

"We're good friends," Liukin said.

Lysacek's coach, Frank Carroll, grew up in Worcester, but Lysacek didn't travel here to watch the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup last night.

"He's doing 'Dancing with the Stars' now," Liukin said.

Eight female and eight male gymnasts will compete in the all-around today.

Bross and Raisman will compete against Elsa Garcia of Mexico, Jessica Lopez of Venezuela, Ariella Kaeslin of Switzerland, Dominque Pegg of Canada, Elisabeth Seitz of Germany and Yuko Shintake of Japan.

Lopez was first-team All-America in vaulting and second-team All-America on beam for the University of Denver in the 2009 NCAA championships. Kaeslin was fifth in vaulting at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Jonathan Horton and Chris Brooks, both from Houston, will represent the U.S. in the men's competition against Maxim Devyatovsky of Russia, Jorge Hugo Giraldo of Colombia, Fabian Hambeuchen of Germany, Daniel Keatings of Great Britain, Flavius Koczi of Romania and Koji Yamamuro of Japan.

Horton, the reigning U.S. all-around champion, won a silver medal on the horizontal bar at the 2008 Olympics and captured the Tyson American Cup in 2006 and 2007. Brooks won the 2010 Winter Cup Challenge all-around competition. Hambuechen is the defending Tyson American Cup all-around champ and 2008 Olympic horizontal bar bronze medalist. Keatings was the 2009 World all-around silver medalist. Giraldo is a two-time Olympian.

Tickets range from $35-$125 and are available at the DCU Center ticket office.