Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 107

ASBURY PARKPRESS I SUNDAY, DEC. 16,2001 PLUS Baseball 3 Scoreboard 14 OUT OF THE SHADOW Suddenly the Nets are a team to beat. Tbey meet the Knicks today. 2 RALLY OCFRA Marlboro, after a slow start, beats Holy Spirit, 49-31. 7 KNIGHTS ON A ROIL Rutgers wins eighth straight, beating Maryland-Baltimore County, 61-51.

13 Cardinals Giants if mm mm Last-minute TD by Toomer ends 3-game skid Brodeur gets 300th on big day Devil is 18th goaltender to have that many wins By KARA YORIO STAFF WRITER OTTAWA Martin Brodeur's big day couldn't have gone any better. He was named to the Canadian Olympic team and then was DEVILS 2 sPectacular en route SENATORS 0 to his nis 300th ca' reer victory in the NHL. He didn't just win. Brodeur won in style, making 39 saves and earning his first shutout of the season and the 52nd of his career as the Devils beat the Senators 2-0 last night at the Corel Centre. Petr Sykora and Jason Arnott scored for New Jersey.

"It was a good day," Brodeur said. "I think it's the 15th (of the month) too payday. It's a big day." Brodeur earned his paycheck last night. He became the 18th goalie in NHL history to reach the milestone, which only two have attained in fewer games. Jacques Plante is first, winning 300 games in 524 games and Andy Moog is second reaching the goal in 543.

For See Devils, Page H5 Rangers get back to basics, beat Buffalo. Page H4. Joji LAI ttsrop rrdl Air? CHr3 Devils goalie Martin Brodeur (below) and Rangers Eric Lindros and Theo Fleury named to Canadian Olympic hockey team. By ERNIE PALLAOINO STAFF WRITER EAST RUTHERFORD The Giants spent a lot of time after the game yesterday talking about confidence, winning, and which breeds which. At an earlier date, this chicken-or-egg debate might have spawned an interesting discussion.

But now, with their postseason chicken in the roaster and the playoff egg scrambled beyond realistic hope, it was sufficient for most that they pulled off their last-minute, 17-13 comeback victory over an eminently beatable Arizona Cardinals squad. A 6-7 record and the snapping of a three-game losing streak still doesn't buy the Giants much in the NFC East race, not with first-place Philadelphia and second-place Washington playing each other today. So call it more a sense of relief that permeated the locker room after Amanl Toomer's 4-yard touchdown catch with 25 seconds left. That reception countered the leaping touchdown grab by Cardinals tight end Tywan Mitchell over Jason Sehorn and Shaun Williams 3Va minutes earlier. "Any win, anything you can do positive builds confidence for us," left tackle Lomas Brown said.

"You know, we expected to beat them. If we lost, it would have been devastating. "But in that last drive, it really showed. We put one of our best drives of the year together. We have to be expected to do that against that team." And yet, it took a 70-yard drive from Collins after nearly a full game of drops, missed passes, and flubbed runs to put them away.

Five completions for 61 yards in See Giants, Page H8 Page H5. 2 Jovanovic gets the call Dover Township bobsledder makes Olympics on USA 1 By CHRIS BALDWIN STAFF WRITER His coach came running up with the congratulations worthy of an Olympic feat. All his teammates wanted a high five. Pavle Jovanovic just knew his obsession was one I i l- i PETER ACKERMANChief Photographer Amani Toomer (left) gets a hug from teammate Tiki Barber after scoring the game-winner with 2 5 seconds left huge leap closer. Jovanovic a 24-year-old Toms River High School East graduate has been named to the U.S.

Olympic bob-sledding team, completing a stunning five-year journey. Just don't expect Jovanovic to cele Dramatic win just a diversion from a bad season Mi um: ftli fJJJJlD iiKi Pavle Jovanovic mm -1. EAST RUTHERFORD oments after Kerry Collins had thrown the decisive touchdown pass, enough, so was the bottom line: The Giants' 17-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals yesterday guaranteed them nothing beyond a badly needed diversion from a harsh reality. There just aren't enough fourth quarters left to allow the Giants to forget what has become of their season. The NFL schedule is merciless that way.

The league simply won't grant reprieves to those who find themselves too late, no matter how dramatically they might plead their case. The Giants showed some guts yesterday and produced some See Handleman, Page H8 BILL HANDLEMAN he and guard Ron Stone were hugging each other as if they'd just won something, as if they'd vanquished some bitter rival or saved their season or something. While the emotion was real brate it too long. "The coaches were all into the congratulations," Jovanovic said last night. "But honestly, I wasn't as excited as I thought I'd be.

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