The Vancouver Sun from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • 55

SPORTS II D11 THURSDAY, 2013 URHAKINGNKWSiVANCOUVHRSUN.COM HOCKEY Young defencemen fitting in for Team Canada New Westminster native Brenden Dillon makes international debut at IIHF World Championship THE CANADIAN PRESS take on Norway later Wednesday. Germany blanked Austria 2-o, while the United States was to face Finland later in the Helsinki pool. Ruff continues to rotate his goaltcnders in the preliminary round, and will send Mike Smith of the Phoenix Coyotes back into Canada's net against Sweden. Smith, from Kingston, made 26 saves in regulation and stopped six of eight in a shootout in Canada's 3-2 loss to the Swiss on Sunday. "I got the nerves out of my system in the first one and felt pretty comfortable after the first period," Smith said.

"Hopefully I can continue that in the next game here." The hosts are expected to start Jhonas Enroth of the Buffalo Sabres in net. Enroth was coached by Ruff until Buffalo fired him in February. "Two years ago, he was the reason we got in the playoffs when Ryan Miller got hurt," Ruff recalled. Dillon and Robidas will face their Stars teammate and Swedish forward Loui Eriksson on Thursday. "He's got sneaky speed," Robidas said.

"He can get behind the defence and he has a quick release, quick on rebounds and stuff like that. We've got to be aware and make sure we know where he is on the ice at all times." The Canucks were eliminated from the first round of NHL playoffs early Wednesday morning Stockholm time. Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis won gold in 2007 and silver in both 2008 and 2009 with Canada at world championships. STOCKHOLM, Sweden -Brenden Dillon "went in to clobber a guy" during one of his first shifts at the IIHF World Championship and came up empty. "He turned the other way," the Canadian defenceman said.

"I was like 'how come you had so much If there's a "welcome to the NHL moment" for NHL rookies, that was Dillon's "welcome to international hockey" experience. The New Westminster, B.C., native, who plays for Dallas in the NHL, is one of three 22-year-old defenceman making his international debut for Canada at this year's world championship. Justin Schultz of the Edmonton Oilers and T.J. Brodie of the Calgary Flames are the others. Head coach Lindy Ruff says young NHL defencemen have it tough adjusting to the wider international ice surface.

One stride out of position can mean embarrassment. "If you get caught a little outside on the bigger ice, which we're not used to when you're back home you can make that recovery," he said. "Here, you find you've got an extra ways to go. Playing against players who are used to playing on the big ice for the most part, it's a little bit of a disadvantage for them." Philadelphia's Luke Schenn and Dillon's Stars teammate Stephane Robidas have the most international experience of the seven defenceman. HEAD INJURIES Brenden Dillon, of the NHL's Dallas year's IIHF World Championship in Stars, is one of three 22-year-old Stockholm, Sweden.

Edmonton's JACQUES B015S1N0TTHE CANADIAN PRESS defencemen making their international debuts for Canada at this Justin Schultz and Calgary's T.J. Brodie are the others. Along with Brian Campbell of the Florida Panthers, who has represented Canada in a world junior championship, they're logging the big minutes on defence. Jay Harrison of the Carolina Hurricanes has also played for Canada's junior team. Ruff doesn't have the luxury of easing his novice defence-men into the international game.

He's thrown them into the fire in Canada's two wins and a shootout loss to open the tournament. Dillon averaged just over 17 minutes, Schultz about 14 and but I think overall they've performed well." Canada (2-0-1) faces Sweden on Thursday and Belarus (1-2) on Friday in the Stockholm group. Switzerland (3-0-1) continued its unbeaten run Wednesday with a 7-1 win over Slovenia (0-3-1). The Swedes were to Brodie just under 13 per game. Schultz and Brodie each have an assist for their first international "If you break down the three games, they've all had real good moments," Ruff said.

"I think they've had some nerves in some of the games, BASEBALL Happ feeling better, but put on DL Alberta ban on peewee hockey hits ignites debate Arm 'A mm Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher J.A. Happ reacts after being struck in the head by a line drive from Tampa Bay's Desmond Jennings Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Fla. 5:1 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

Happ says he experienced an "immediate, loud ringing" in his ear when he was hit in the head by a line drive Tuesday night. The Toronto Blue Jays lefthander was released from hospital Wednesday morning after being hit on the left side of his head by a ball off the bat of Des-mond Jennings during Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Speaking to reporters at Tropicana Field, Happ says he remembers releasing the ball but not seeing it coming back at him. In addition to the ringing in his ears, Happ says he also felt intense pressure. Happ sustained a head bruise and cut to his the left ear.

He says he moved out of the way slightly, which likely pre- vented a more severe injury. "I got some stitches and there's a fracture in my skull behind my ear," he said. "But it's not serious or threatening." Happ said he also tweaked his knee when he fell. Doctors will see him Wednesday night to NBA nsr 1 1.11 ja iistaZL ALISON AULD THE CANADIAN- PRESS One of Canada's largest hockey associations will ban bodychecking for peewee players as momentum grows to have the disputed practice eliminated for adolescents who doctors say are suffering high rates of hockey-related concussions and fractures. Hockey Alberta announced it would do away with body-checking for 11- and 12-year-old players following a fractious debate that saw the resignation of Hockey Calgary's president after he suggested the practice be banned.

"Our players' safety is the foundation in making this decision," Rob Virgil, Hockey Alberta's board chairman, said in a statement Wednesday, i "There is overwhelming evidence that bodychecking is the single most consistent risk factor for injuries and concussions in youth ice hockey." i The announcement comes, as several provincial hockey associations prepare for their annual general meetings, where many plan to discuss whether bodychecking should continue to be allowed at the peewee level. I Hockey Nova Scotia will debate the issue this weekend when a group of physicians, including a pediatric neurologist, a pediatric brain surgeon and a sports physiotherapist, will make the case to ban body-checking at the peewee level with the hope that it could eventually be extended to bantam hockey. Dr. Andrew Lynk, a Nova Scotia physician and the incoming president of the Canadian Paediatric Society, is co-ordinating the presentation and says he will lay out the growing body of medical evidence that supports a ban on checking for young kids. know that kids with one concussion seem to be susceptible to getting secondary concussions, so it can actually end or shorten your hockey career," he said from his office iii Sydney.

"At that age, the adolescent brain is making huge changes so it is a sensitive time, for sure." MIKE CARLSONTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS General managers discussed the issue during their meetings in November and MLB presented several ideas at the winter meetings weeks later. MLB staff have said a cap liner with Kevlar, the material used in body armour for the military, law enforcement and NFL players, is among the ideas under consideration. The liners, weighing perhaps 5 ounces or less, would go under a pitcher's cap and help protect against line drives that often travel over 100 m.p.h. 3:42 left in the first half before going on an absurd 62-20 run. It was that one-sided.

Miami shot 60 per cent to Chicago's 36, outrebounded the Bulls 41-28, and enjoyed a huge 28-7 edge in points off turnovers. The only stat that Chicago dominated: Technicals, where the Bulls outpaced Miami 6-3. For much of the first half, it was everything one would expect from a Bulls-Heat game, especially after Chicago took Game 1 on Monday night. It was physical Udonis Haslem sent Nate Robinson flying on the game's first possession and Marco Belinelli hammered Wade on the ensuing Miami trip, one that ended with Wade getting the first of the game's nine technical fouls. Heat scorch Bulls 115-78 to even Eastern Conference semifinal series Chicago assessed six player technicals in romp by reigning champs determine the severity of that injury.

He was placed on the 15-day disabled list rather than the seven-day concussion DL. Toronto filled Happ's roster spot by bringing up right-hander Edgar Gonzalez from Triple-A Buffalo The frightening incident left players on both teams shaken and revived questions about whether Major League Baseball is doing enough to protect pitchers, who often find themselves in harm's way on the mound victory in Heat post-season history, topping a 35-point win over Orlando on April 24, 1997. Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson were ejected in the fourth quarter for Chicago, and the league will almost certainly review some of the things said and done in a game that was close for the first 20 minutes before turning into an embarrassment for the Bulls and an embarrassment of riches for the Heat. The Bulls were called for six player technicals, the most by any team in a playoff game since Boston had that many against Indiana in 2005. The Heat had three technicals assessed, a season-high.

Game 3 is Friday in Chicago. Norris Cole scored 18 points for Miami, which got 15 from Dwyane Wade and 13 from Chris Bosh. The Heat led 42-38 with TIM REYNOLDS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Alberta's hockey association has peewees players. Lynk says he has treated kids who have had concussions on the ice, with some sidelined for months or dropping out of hockey altogether. They suffer from dizziness, poor concentration, degraded sleep and can lose IQ points.

"We think we could save a lot of little brains from getting injured unnecessarily and still develop into fine, elite hockey players," he said. The association's board will review the material over the weekend and decide Sunday whether it too should eliminate bodychecking at that level, said Hockey Nova Scotia spokesman Garreth MacDonald. He said they will also look at increasing the opportunities for kids to play non-contact hockey at other minor levels, much like the way it is done in recreational hockey. "There have been some requests from the medical community and from some parents to review this issue," said MacDonald. "We're just looking to make the game as fun and as safe as ANDREW VAUGHANTHE CANADIAN PRESS banned bodychecking for possible for our players." The Greater Toronto Hockey League, the largest amateur league in the world, proposed last month to raise the age bodychecking can start to 13 from 11.

It suggested it could also eventually move toward banning bodychecking in some bantam divisions, which include kids aged 13 and 14. Debate over when to allow players to start hitting has inflamed emotions on both sides of the argument for years, but gathered steam after research came out of Alberta last year. It showed there was a threefold increase in the risk of injuries for peewee players who check in Alberta, compared to those in Quebec where body-checking is not allowed until bantam. The paper, which represents the Canadian Paediatric Society's position on bodychecking, said it should be banned at all recreational levels, delayed until age 13 for elite players and not allowed at all for girls. MIAMI So much for that notion of the Miami Heat being in trouble.

Sure, they've lost home-court advantage in these Eastern Conference semifinals. But an absolute domination of the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night made the reigning NBA champions look like the clear-cut team to beat in this title race once again. Ray Allen scored 21 points in only 19 minutes, LeBron James finished with 19 points and nine assists and the Heat led by as many as 46 points on the way to a 115-78 victory on Wednesday in Game 2 of their series, now knotted at one game apiece. It was the largest margin of.