Brian McGrattan had the puck

 YARMOUTH, N. .S. - Some of the worlds top young hockey players have gathered in Yarmouth, N.S., for the 2012 World Junior A Challenge. The tournament opens Monday when Russia takes on the Czech Republic, while Canada East meets the United States in the late game. Canada West, the defending gold medallist, and Switzerland play their tournament openers the following day. The 2012 World Junior A Challenge will follow the same format as previous years - the six teams will be separated into two groups of three teams. The group winners will receive an automatic bye to the semifinals, while the second-place and third-place teams will crossover for the quarter-finals. The gold medal game, which will be shown nationally on TSN2, the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada, is set for Sunday. The 2012 World Junior A Challenge marks just the second time in the tournaments seven-year history that it is being held east of Saskatchewan. Yarmouth joins Yorkton and Humboldt, Sask. (2006), Trail and Nelson, B.C. (2007), Camrose, Alta. (2008), Summerside, P.E.I. (2009), Penticton, B.C. (2010) and Langley, B.C. (2011) as host cities. Since the first World Junior A Challenge in 2006 in Yorkton and Humboldt, Sask., more than 100 NHL draft picks have played in the tournament, including 18 first-round selections (Beau Bennett, Alexander Burmistrov, Joe Colborne, Nikita Filatov, Mikhail Grigorenko, Dmitri Kulikov, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Hampus Lindholm, John Moore, Vladislav Namestnikov, Riley Nash, Dylan Olsen, Jordan Schmaltz, Jaden Schwartz, Brendan Smith, Kyle Turris, Andrei Vasilevski and Nail Yakupov). Every gold medal game at the World Junior A Challenge has featured at least one Canadian team. Canada West won gold at the first two tournaments, in 2006 and 2007, before taking the top prize last year; it also earned silver in 2008 and 2009. Canada East was silver medallist in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011, and claimed bronze in 2008. . Poland led 3-0 by halftime. Ludovic Obraniak scored in the 13th minute, then striker Robert Lewandowski and midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski scored in a two-minute span just before halftime. Marcin Wasilewski made it 4-0 in the 77th. . The team said Morrow suffered a left oblique strain. Hes listed as day-to-day. Morrow felt something was not right after he threw ball two on a 1-1 pitch to Bryce Harper. . Amid speculation that he could be considered to take over the Red Sox if Valentine is let go, the Blue Jays skipper said Friday night hes concentrating on his current job. .M. -- Johnny Tapia, the five-time boxing champion whose turbulent career was marked by cocaine addiction, alcohol, depression and run-ins with the law, was found dead Sunday at his Albuquerque home. .C. -- Fred Funk took a one-stroke lead over Larry Mize in the Greater Hickory Classic on Saturday, shooting his second straight bogey-free 6-under 66. NASHVILLE -- Another timely goal from Colin Wilson cooled off the Calgary Flames. Wilson scored a power-play goal at 3:31 of the third period to give the Nashville Predators a 2-1 victory over the Flames on Tuesday night. Wilsons third game-winning goal of the season ended Calgarys three-game winning streak, while halting Nashvilles three-game skid. "You want your power play to score goals and timely goals," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "We adjusted between periods. They had an all-out press against our power play in the second, so we made a slight adjustment and were able to execute it." Matt Halischuk also scored for Nashville (15-11-4) while Pekka Rinne had 35 saves. Curtis Glencross scored and Miikka Kiprusoff made 43 saves for Calgary (14-14-2). The Predators victory ended a stretch of six straight home losses to Calgary. Prior to Tuesday, Nashvilles previous home win over the Flames was Jan. 15, 2008. With Calgarys Brendan Morrison in the penalty box serving an interference minor, Nashville rookie Craig Smiths shot from the low slot was kicked away by Kiprusoffs left pad. Wilson skated in and converted the rebound on the short side for his eighth goal of the season. "Smith let a quick shot go and I was on the goal-line and the puck came right to me and I got it over his pad," Wilson said. "He has really quick legs and he gets from side to side really well, so if you are not going to beat him with the first shot, you have to get there for the second one." Nashville has scored at least one power-play goal in each of its past six games and 13 of its past 29 goals have come on the man advantage. Halischuuk scored the games first goal at 11:43 of the opening period. . Brian McGrattan had the puck on the right boards and sent the puck toward the Calgary goal. Halischuk, who was just to the right of Kiprusoff, corralled the puck and beat him on the short side for his sixth goal of the season. "I just tried to go to the net," Halischuk said. "Grats put it in front and I was able to put her in." Nashville carried most of the play in the first, outshooting the Flames 18-6. Two of Nashvilles shots were at a virtually open net, but Kiprusoff was able to get his right pad on attempts by David Legwand and later Martin Erat to keep the Flames within one. "The first period we were standing around watching," Calgary coach Brent Sutter said. "The plays we made were soft plays. We let them dictate the pace of the game in the first period." Glencross got the Flames even at 6:12 of the second. Starting from the Calgary blue-line, Glencross carried the puck into the Nashville zone and lifted a backhand over the glove of Rinne. "We had a pretty good second and third period I think," Glencross said. "Our 5-on-5 play in the first period was obviously what killed us. Obviously we werent ready to play." Rinne stopped Jay Bouwmeesters shot from the right point with 22.2 seconds remaining in the third to preserve the win for Nashville. Notes: Glencross has two goals in his past three games. ... Calgary LW Rene Bourque missed his first game of the season due to a flulike illness. ... Wilson has points in Nashvilles past three games. ... The Predators are 6-1-2 when tied after two periods this season. ' ' '