http://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/soria Rob Soria is the Edmonton Oilers' correspondent for OurHometown.ca. Rob was born and raised in Edmonton and is the author of the Edmonton Oilers blog - OilDrop.ca. He has been a dedicated follower of the game and its history for years but his focus remains on his hometown Edmonton Oilers. http://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0242.phphttp://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0242.phpAfter rebounding from a less then stellar start, Team Canada managed to blow their quarterfinal matchup against Slovakia, falling by a score of 4-3. An ill advised kneeing major to captain Ryan Getzlaf, late in the final frame, led directly to the game winner. The victory sends the underdog Slovaks to the semifinals and the favoured Canadians home from the 2012 World Hockey Championships empty handed. Thu, 17 May 2012 09:00:26 -0500http://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0241.phphttp://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0241.phpMany have attributed the lack of excitement and scoring chances in the NHL playoffs to teams willing to do anything to block shots. While that does play a part, it is a very small one at best. That being said, there are two glaring reasons as to why these playoffs have reached the point they have...first round upsets and poor on ice officiating. It's that simple. Wed, 16 May 2012 13:00:51 -0500http://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0240.phphttp://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0240.phpTeam Canada closed out their preliminary round scheudle with a 5-1 win over Belarus on Tuesday morning. Ryan O'Reilly led the scoring parade with a pair of goals and Duncan Keith picked up to more assists, making him Canada's top point man with eleven points. With t win Canada finished atop Group H with a 6-0-1 record but will have to wait and see who their quarterfinal opponent will be come Thursday. Tue, 15 May 2012 12:38:06 -0500http://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0239.phphttp://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0239.phpThe Edmonton Oilers are at the stage where they need to take a step forward in 2012-2013. With that being the case the question becomes, what will they do with the 1st overall pick? It's a tough call and one that could be made even harder if the likes of Nashville Predators defenceman Shea Weber or Columbus Blue Jackets centre Ryan Johansen were made available. Mon, 14 May 2012 07:56:32 -0500http://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0238.phphttp://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0238.phpBack in 2007-2008 the Edmonton Oil Kings were re-born, as junior hockey returned to the City of Champions. Fast forward five years and those same Oil Kings are now Western Hockey League champions, after defeating the Portland Winterhawks 4-1 in Game Seven of the WHL final. The win puts Edmonton into the 2012 Memorial Cup, that kicks off on May 18th in Shawinigan. Mon, 14 May 2012 00:35:19 -0500http://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0237.phphttp://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0237.phpWhile goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was the star attraction against the Ottawa Senators in their opening round winner take all battle, it was Brad Richards and Michael Del Zotto who stole the show in the New York's 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals. The win puts the Rangers into the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1997. Sun, 13 May 2012 01:38:52 -0500http://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0236.phphttp://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0236.phpKazakhstan may have nearly pulled off the upset of the tournament when they forced Team USA into overtime on Friday but there would be no such drama against Team Canada, on day nine of competition at the 2012 IIHF World Hockey Championships. Captain Ryan Getzlaf and defenceman Ducan Keith led the way with three points each and goaltender Devan Dubnyk stopped all twenty-two shots he faced, leading Canada to an easy 8-0 victory. Sat, 12 May 2012 17:14:09 -0500http://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0235.phphttp://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0235.phpWhile it may have worked during the Washington Capitals first round upset of the Boston Bruins, would their head coach Dale Hunter actually try and go to the well one more time? Would he try and limit captain Alex Ovechkin's minutes in Game Seven against the New York Rangers? For the sake of hockey fans everywhere, let us hope that is not the case and we are treated to a classic matchup.. Sat, 12 May 2012 09:36:19 -0500http://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0234.phphttp://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0234.phpAfter yet another poor start, Team Canada decided to turn it on midway through the second period and were rewarded with a critical 5-3 victory over Finland. Evander Kane potted the winner early in the third and the trio of John Tavares, Jeff Skinner and Jordan Eberle all scored for Canada, who now sit atop Group H with a 4-0-1 mark. Sat, 12 May 2012 01:48:01 -0500http://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0233.phphttp://www.ourhometown.ca/sports/RS0233.phpThrough four games of preliminary round action at the 2012 IIHF World Hockey Championships, Team Canada has faced NHL caliber netminding in only one of their games, that being their 5-4 OT loss to Team USA. While Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard was less then stellar against the Canadians in that see-saw affair, you can bet on the level of play from the opposition goaltender to take a major step forward against the Finns and Kari Lehtonen. Fri, 11 May 2012 13:13:08 -0500