GLOUCESTER - When summing up Rockport's 2007-2008 hockey season, one word comes to mind: Snake-bitten.

LYNNFIELD - The Manchester Essex girls basketball team used strong team defense, rebounding, free throw shooting and balanced scoring - four key ingredients come tournament time - to pick up a 41-35 win at Lynnfield.

Here in New England, game-winning field goals in big games have been the norm this decade thanks to two last-minute Super Bowl-clinching boots by former Patriot and eternal New England hero Adam Vinatieri.

Boys Hockey

GLENDALE, Ariz. - To this day, nearly eight years later, it pains Zak DeOssie.

PHOENIX (AP) - 23-17.

For starters your job is to get in front of a rock hard puck traveling at some times close to 80 miles per hour.

PHOENIX (AP) - Routed. Romped. Annihilated.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Randy Moss looked over the microphone at the dozens of reporters in front of him and his eyes widened.

GLOUCESTER - There would be no looking ahead for the Gloucester girls basketball team. The Fishermen (9-4) won their fifth in a row, 64-50 over visiting Revere. Next, Winthrop comes to Gloucester on Friday in a huge NEC showdown. If Gloucester can knock off the Vikings, they'll clinch a tournament berth and score its biggest win of the season.

MIAMI - Even Boston's other 'Big Three' was way too much for the Miami Heat to handle.

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Tom Brady's ankle has gotten more than its fair share of the media spotlight the last 10 days.

BOSTON (AP) - Glen Metropolit scored a pair of third-period goals and Tim Thomas stopped 37 shots last night to lift the Boston Bruins to a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators.

BOSTON - Around this time each winter, Joe Bertagna experiences a bit of an empty feeling.

PHOENIX, Ariz. - For any New England football fan born before 1975, the words "46 Defense" still bring on the shakes.

Now that the cold weather is back in earnest, it's time to get out on the ice, cut a few holes and jig up some fresh fish.

The Gloucester boys 4x800 relay team can now add another championship to their resume.

ATLANTA - Unless you are the Detroit Red Wings, there is plenty of work to be done just to get into the NHL playoffs before thoughts drift to making a run for the Stanley Cup.

NEW YORK - Roger Clemens' agent released an 18,000-word statistical report yesterday to rebut allegations the pitcher's career rebounded about the time he was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs.

GLENDALE, Ariz. - If Andre Tippett looked a tad uncomfortable while roaming through the media center and "radio row" at the Phoenix Convention Center yesterday, well, he was.

GLOUCESTER - It was just about the best compliment an opposing coach could have ever given Andrew Fulford.

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Tiger Woods joined the King, and left everyone else at the Buick Invitational feeling like paupers.

GLOUCESTER - This one lived up to the hype.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Even Stan Van Gundy wasn't sure what Hedo Turkoglu was doing.

GLENDALE, Ariz. - It's usually on Mondays. Bill Belichick, the head chef on Route 1 in Foxboro, brings out enough pies for 10 football teams.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Novak Djokovic started making peace with the crowd as soon as he lifted the trophy.

Everything was lining up perfectly for the Rockport boys basketball team in what has so far been a tough season. After beating Essex Aggie on Wednesday, picking up its first win the process, the Vikings looked like they were in control against visiting Triton last night and were about to embark on their first win-streak.

ATLANTA - In 1956, two years before breaking the NHL color barrier with the Boston Bruins, Willie O'Ree gave professional baseball a try in Waycross, Ga., more than 4 hours south of Atlanta.

WAYNE, N.J. - Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein share a friendship that belies the often acrimonious rivalry between their teams, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

To look at the most basic of his stats: 5-8, 202 pounds, the New England Patriots Kevin Faulk isn't that impressive as a football player.

FOXBORO - A poke to the face. Some late hits. A bunch of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

BOSTON - Kendrick Perkins scored on a putback with 16.6 seconds left, and Kevin Garnett poked the ball away from Sebastian Telfair as time expired yesterday night to give the Boston Celtics an 87-86 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

MELBOURNE, Australia - Roger Federer is the first to admit he pays a steep price for all his success. One by one, players try to knock him off, and with each match and each victory expectations grow.

"I think we're improving, but there's a long way to go," said Flanagan answering the aforementioned question in true Belichickian form, which always looks ahead and never behind.

Another day, another opposing player slinging arrows at the New England Patriots.

On Hockey

BOSTON - Marc Savard and Dennis Wideman each had a goal and an assist to lift the Boston Bruins to a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders last night.

FOXBORO - For once, not even the paparazzi could find Tom Brady.

GLOUCESTER - It was the same old story for the Rockport hockey team in yesterday's game against Trinity Catholic.

ROCKPORT - Rest easy Rockport boys basketball fans, your beloved Vikings will not be going winless this winter.

FOXBORO - The New England Patriots know firsthand how not playing a full 60 minutes in a football game can come back to haunt you.

New York City has Donald Trump, Central Park, 42nd Street, happy hours, 24-hour-a-day nightclubs, Broadway, Gisele Bundchen and the Statue of Liberty.

Gloucester forward Jeremy Fanning took a perfect centering pass from line-mate Brett Biondo in an early-season game against Beverly and put it in the back of the net with relative ease.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Famous for wanting to control his environment, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin realizes there's one thing he still has no power over: What people think and write about his quarterback.

In 11 days, we will find out if the New England Patriots can indeed add another chapter to their undeniable dynasty.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - It's bearing down on them, more ominous than Bill Belichick's defense, more insistent than a Tom Brady spiral. The New York Giants must prepare to fend off the onslaught of Super Bowl ticket requests from relatives, friends and total strangers.

MONTREAL - Tom Kostopoulos scored 14 seconds into the game and Maxim Lapierre got Montreal's fourth goal of the opening period with 3 seconds remaining, sending the Canadiens on to a 8-2 win over the Boston Bruins last night.