increasing but at the same time I could appreciate the perform

Denver, CO - The Colorado Avalanche announced a pair of signings on Friday. Forward John Mitchell was inked to a three-year contract extension and goaltender Reto Berra was kept in the fold with a three-year deal. Mitchell has registered seven goals and 23 points in 65 games this season for the Avalanche. The 29-year-old signed with Colorado in July of 2012 and tallied 10 goals and 20 points last season. "John is a proven NHL player who has been a very good addition to our team the past two seasons," said Avalanche executive vice president of hockey operations Joe Sakic. "He can play in different situations and we feel his presence and his versatility will continue to strongly benefit our team moving forward." A fifth-round draft pick of Toronto in 2003, Mitchell spent parts of three seasons with the Maple Leafs and one season with the Rangers before joining the Avalanche. Berra was acquired from Calgary on Mar. 5 in exchange for a second-round pick in this years draft. The Swiss native posted a 9-17-2 record in his first NHL season for the Flames. "As I mentioned when we acquired Reto, we strongly believe in his abilities," said Sakic. "He has size and skill and will help solidify our goaltending position for years to come." The 27-year-old was taken by St. Louis in the 2006 draft, but spent his entire professional career in Switzerland prior to this year. Berras contract likely means that current backup Jean-Sebastien Giguere will either retire or catch on with another club next season. Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys .com) - James Harden put the Houston Rockets on his back and willed them to an overtime victory on Thursday. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . Berkman almost left the game last off-season before signing with the Texas Rangers. He then had another injury-plagued season and was limited to 73 games. http://www.chinanflwholesalejerseys.com/ . Then youve got to worry about the other up and coming teams in the two weaker divisions in the "Junior Circuit". Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap .55 million euros (US$18.6 million) to Spanish tax authorities on Monday to cover any potential irregularities in its signing of Neymar, all the while maintaining its innocence of the fraud charges levied against it. Wholesale Adidas NHL Jerseys . The Spanish champions decision not to sign a defender during the January transfer window may have backfired after Valencia took advantage of a lethargic, uninspired effort by its hosts at the Camp Nou, where former Spain coach Luis Aragones -- who previously coached the Catalan side -- was honoured after his death on Saturday.ARE, Sweden - The harder the slope, the faster Marcel Hirscher goes.While his main rival Ted Ligety and others struggled in freezing conditions, Hirscher set the fastest times in both runs to win a giant slalom race under floodlights on Friday. In the process, he became only the fifth Austrian skier to reach 25 World Cup wins.He posted a combined time of 2 minutes, 30.18 seconds, with Ligety 1.22 seconds behind in second place.If it is soft (snow) Im not skiing really brilliant. I like it here, it is cold, minus 10 degrees (Celsius), Hirscher said. I always have that feeling in Scandinavia it is winter here, and not like we have very often (elsewhere) — down the slope on the left and the right, cows eating grass.Revelling on the rock-hard slope, Hirschers second run of 1:12.32 was more than five seconds quicker than his first.The slope was in a perfect shape with bib No. 30. Because normally there are so big ruts in the slope already, that there is no chance to get the best time in the second run, he said. Its an unbelievable feeling to dance on skis like I did today.Ligety recorded only the fifth quickest time in the second run but the American still managed to climb a spot after having third following the first leg.I think I lost over a second and a half on the top split over the two runs, Ligety said. Definitely need to clean up parts of my skiing but overall I think I skied pretty well.German skier Stefan Luitz leapfrogged countryman Fritz Dopfer to take third place.Torontos Phil Brown was the top Canadian in 20th.Earlier, overall World Cup leader Tina Maze of Slovenia won the womens giant slalom.Contenders generally struggled on the Olympia course on their second runs: Luitz had the eightth best time while Dopfer only the 14th.ddddddddddddNot so Hircher, who has podium finishes in all four races he has competed in so far this season, coming second in a slalom race in Levi, Finland, last month and taking third place last weekend at Beaver Creek, Colorado.Were skiing in the World Cup and not childrens races, he said. It would be really great if we always have conditions like we had today.In Beaver Creek, Ligety won despite being fourth after his first run, but this time he could not match Hirscher.Marcel skied unbelievable, Ligety said. Its only so much fun when you see the green light (winning margin) increasing and increasing but at the same time I could appreciate the performance.The race was moved from Val dIsere to Sweden because of a lack of snow in the French Alps, while the womens race was switched from Courchevel.Ligety must wait a little longer before moving up on the all-time list of giant slalom winners. He is level in second place on 23 wins with Switzerlands Michael von Gruenigen. Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark leads with 46.The 30-year-old Ligety had a rough start to the season, finishing 10th in Soelden and 18th in slalom at Levi, Finland, on Nov. 16. The following week, he had four metal screws inserted into his left wrist after a training accident.In giant slalom and speed it doesnt really affect me, Ligety said.Frenchman Thomas Fanara was fifth ahead of countryman Alexis Pinturault.Overall World Cup leader Kjetil Jansrud, who has won three races so far, was one of several racers who failed to finish their first runs.Hirscher closed the gap on Jansrud in the overall standings. The Norwegian has 412 points while Hirscher has 340 and Ligety 246. ' ' '