Sled hockey (Solution No. 3,316)

Team USA: sled hockey in Sochi 

I got home Saturday to find more Team USA hockey on the television: this time from the Paralympics in Sochi.  And it was excellent hockey.  Puck control and solid goaltending led to a 5-1 win over Italy in USA’s first pool game.

Sled hockey is gaining popularity, in large part I think because it maintains all the character of the game, from the flashy stickhandling of the top centers to the dirty work done in the corners to the goalies complaining to the referee that they had the puck covered before it went in the net.

The players carry two sticks, each with a blade at one end for shooting and passing the puck, and a set of spikes on the other end for propelling themselves around the rink.  The players must have excellent upper body strength for skating, and core strength to bend and reach the puck.  Those are the same assets you need for checking, so the guys don’t shy away from the physical part of the game.  On the sleds, it’s like a cross between the NHL and NASCAR.

The officials for sled hockey are able-bodied, so they can retrieve the puck and get in between the players for face-offs.  From the ref’s perspective (I’d love to work a few sled games), it’s a lot like regular hockey.  Almost all the penalties are the same, though there’s an additional violation called “teeing” which is hitting another player with the front of your sled.  I had to look that up after I saw a signal I’d never seen before.  Congratulations to Johnathan Morrison, Derek Berkebile, and Brian Frerichs for getting the call to represent our officiating program at the international level.

Game 3 against Russia is tomorrow morning, then semifinals Thursday and (we hope) the gold medal game at noon Saturday.  Check your local listings and support our guys.

Solution to The Nation cryptic crossword No. 3,316

Link to puzzle: http://www.thenation.com/article/178672/puzzle-no-3316

Legend: “*” anagram; “~” sounds like; “<“ letters reversed; “( )” letters inserted; “_” or lower case: letters deleted; “†” explicit in the clue, “^” first or last letter or letters, “{“ relocated letter or letters; “§” heteronym, “¶” letter bank

Across

1a	E(XC)LUDE	ELUDE (“skirt”) containing (“covering”) XC (“90”)
5a	*A(CC)EPT	CC (“send a copy”) contained in (“in”) *TAPE (anagram indicated by “snarled”)
8a	*FIG(U)RE	*GRIEF (anagram indicated by “unbridled”) containing (“about”) ^U^nlucky (first letter indicated by “hint of”)
9a	HAS H (M)ARK	HAS (“fools”) + HARK (“pay attention”) containing (“to grasp”) ^M^agic (first letter indicated by “source”)
10a	THAT CHER	THAT (†) + CHER (“multitalented entertainer”)
11a	~MYS ELF	~MICE (“computer devices,” homophone indicated by “by ear”) + ELF (“toy maker”) Since I had the M I was trying to make “Mattel” work.
12a	*UTTERANCES	*NUTS CREATE (anagram indicated by “mixed”)
14a	<_VEEP<	<PEEV_e_< (“annoyance,” reversal indicated by “brought about,” omission of last letter indicated by “the bulk of”)
15a	AV IS	AV (“audiovisual”) + IS (“plays”)
17a	B(O(OK)K)EEPER	BEEPER (“pager”) containing (“ringing”) OK (“yes”) contained in (“in”) OK (“Oklahoma”) That’s a rare one: a double container where both containeds are the same.
20a	~PENCIL	~PENCE’L (homophone indicated by “when speaking”)
22a	GR(EAT) APE	NOSH (“eat”) contained in (“inside of”) GRAPE (“fruit”)
23a	*INTEGERS	*STEERING (anagram indicated by “wheels”)
24a	CHAN EL	EL (“train”) following (“in pursuit of”) CHAN (“Chinese detective”)
25a	<E MER GE<	<EG (“say”) + REM (“a type of sleep”) + tranc^E^ (last letter indicated by “ultimately”)< (reversal of the whole thing indicated by “facing west”)
26a	*ORPHEUS	*SHORE UP (anagram indicated by “unsteady”)

Down

1a	*EPI THE T	*PIE (anagram indicated by “minced”) + THE (†) + ^T^able (first letter indicated by “top”)
2d	COUNT(L)ESS	COUNTESS (“noblewoman”) containing (“welcomes”) ^L^adies (first letter indicated by “initially”)
3d	*URET HR A	*TRUE (anagram indicated by “mixup”) Excellent twist in the definition.
4d	*ETHER	*THREE (anagram indicated by “out of whack”)
5d	ASS(UM)ES	ASSES (“idiots”) containing (“suppressing”) UM (“hesitation”
6d	_CAMUS_	pere_C AMUS_es (hidden word indicated by “excerpt from”)
7d	PAR O LEE	LEE (“general”) follows (“supporting”) PAR (“standard”) + O (“zero”)
13d	_CEO_	fa_CE O_ff (hidden word indicated by “captivates”) Could also have been ACE, which is fine since you usually need to make a three letter entry harder some way.
14d	*VIENTIANE	*NATIVE IN (anagram indicated by “disoriented”)
16d	VI(<ETNA<)M	VIM (“energy”) containing (“stocks”) <ANTE< (†, reversal indicated by “up”)
17d	BE(LIE V)E	LIE (“story”) + V (“victory”) contained in (“interrupts”) VIE (“contest”)
18d	<K(NEE_)CAP<	<PACK< (“bundle,” reversal indicated by “up”) containing NEE_d_ (“requisite,” omission of last letter indicated by “nearly”)
19d	E}X{PRESS	E{M}PRESS (“ruler,” replacement of M (“second place”) with X indicated by “99 percent loss” (changing M (1,000) to X (10)))
21d	<~CHEER<	<~REACH<
22d	*G(US)TO	*GOT (anagram indicated by “drunk”) containing (“internalizing”) US (“American”)