KONIGSSEE, Germany -- It was an emotional first win for Canadian Justin Kripps. Cheap Shoes Website . Kripps, of Summerland. B.C., claimed his first career World Cup bobsleigh race as he and brakeman Bryan Barnett of Edmonton posted a two-run time of one minute 39.71 seconds in a two-man event Saturday. The victory comes after Krippss grandmother passed away Jan. 6, his 27th birthday. "I know Baba was there with me today," he said. Switzerlands Beat Hefti and Alex Baumann were second, 0.15 seconds back. Canadians Lyndon Rush of Humboldt, Sask., and Calgarys Lascelles Brown were third, 0.32 seconds behind their victorious teammates. American Steven Holcomb was seventh but still managed to capture the overall crown. He finished with 1,645 overall points, 35 more than Hefti. After posting the fastest first run, Kripps thought of both his grandmother and advice he received from Rush. "I had that great first run and couldnt stop thinking I could win this thing," said Kripps. "Lyndon pulled me aside and said Anytime trophies, medals, victories or anything gets in your head slap yourself and focus. "Im so glad he did that because Id be lying if that didnt keep coming into my thoughts." Rush followed suite with his first World Cup medal of the season. Calgarys Chris Spring and Jesse Lumsden, of Burlington, Ont., were eighth in 1:40.31. With the Sochi Winter Games upcoming, Kripps says anything is possible. "I dont have much experience in Sochi, but this win sure gives me confidence," he said. "I think this shows anything can happen in bobsleigh. "If I can put two good starts and two good runs together, who knows what may be." Cheap Shoes .C. - The Panthers will be without starting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei for Saturday nights NFC divisional playoff game against Seattle after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair a broken bone in his foot. Cheap Shoes Discount . With a victory seemingly slipping away late in the third quarter, his quick scoring flurry helped Golden State regain control early in the fourth. https://www.cheapshoesdiscount.com/ . Cincinnati has lost back-to-back games in overtime, wasting a chance to take a commanding lead in their division.KELOWNA, B.C. - On the heels of a pressure-cooker Sochi Olympic campaign, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford set a simple goal for this season — to enjoy skating, and not focus on winning.The joy was there Friday for Canadas pairs team. And a victory came with it.The two-time world bronze medallists won the short dance at Skate Canada International, bringing the Prospera Place crowd to its feet with their romantic rendition of Un Peu Plus Haut by Ginette Reno.Its a freedom, its a sense of freedom to our skating, thats really our goal this year, Duhamel said. It felt really great to go out there and really skate from our heart, and really let ourselves go.Thats the calmest Ive ever felt going into a Grand Prix, Radford said.The Canadians scored 72.70 points, while Chinas Sui Wenjing and Han Cong were second with 65.22, and Russians Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov were third with 64.14.Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., won the short dance, while Javier Fernandez of Spain won the mens short program in a field missing Canadas Patrick Chan, and Anna Pogorilaya of Russia was first in the womens short.Duhamel and Radford said looking back on last season, there was a huge amount of pressure on them as they carried medal expectations into Sochi.We always tried to convince ourselves that it wasnt there, but now being here and looking back, I can see just how much pressure there was, and how heavy our skating was, said Radford, who was seventh in Sochi with Duhamel.Were at this point in our lives and our career, were only coming to the rink because we enjoy it, Duhamel added. Last year we were scared. We would go on the ice feeling very scared. And fearful. And thats not fun.The two have struggled with their short program at Skate Canada in the past, but their only noticeable bobble Friday was on the side-by-side triple Lutzes — Duhamel narrowly avoided hitting the boards on her landing.I was really focused on taking my time when I went into the jump and waited until I was calm and everything was placed well and maybe I waited a little too long before putting my toe pick in, Duhamel said.The months after Sochi saw the 28-year-old Duhamel become engaged, get a new dog, a new car and a new condo. The two also worked on, and finally mastered, a rare quadruple throw Salchow, which theyll perform in their long program Saturday.In Kelowna, the two are enjoying a spotlight that hasnt always shone on pairs skaters.Every time we came here, it was Tessa and Scott (ice dancers Virtue and Moir) and Patrick (Chan). Its kind of been that way for the last four years, and we were that outside chance of having a bronze medal somewhere, said the 29-year-old Radford. Now I think weve done a good job of stepping into that limelight, especially with the quad (throw).We understand were one of the top teams throughout the disciplines in Canada, and I think we take that responsibility seriously and its exciting for us to have a little bit more focus on us, and especially on pairs in Canada. Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and her new partner Michael Marinaro of Waterloo, Ont., meanwhile, were sixth. Brittany Jones of Toronto and Joshua Reagan of Waterloo, Ont., were seventh.It was alright, Moore-Towers said — her frown said otherwise. Cheap Shoes 2020. We hit all of our big stuff but it was the little things that we let get away from us a little bit, so were disappointed in that, but overall it was a good start. Starting over is hard, and were learning that here.Moore-Towers was fifth in Sochi with Dylan Moscovitch, but the two split because Moscovitch didnt want to commit to Moore-Towers goal of skating in two more Olympics. She and Marinaro joined forces about five months ago.Its all hard, Moore-Towers said on working with a new partner. Reworking the elements is difficult, figuring out how each other does things is a little bit tricky. But its worth it, in the end. Well get there.Weaver and Poje, meanwhile, scored 68.61 to take an almost-nine point lead into Saturdays free dance.The Canadians said they were nervous skating last, as the No. 1-ranked team.However we were drawing so much energy from the amazing crowd, and we felt right at home in front of the Canadian audience, Weaver said. Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khaliavin of Russia were second with 59.62, while Americans Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue were third (59.29).Piper Gilles of Toronto and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., were fourth, while Elisabeth Paradis of Montreal and Francois-Xavier Ouellette of Laval, Que., were eighth.Fernandez, meanwhile, landed a beautiful quadruple Salchow to open his program but doubled his planned triple Axel to score 86.36 points, entertaining the crowd with his rock-and-roll routine to Ram Jams Black Betty.It was the first time Id ever performed Black Betty in a competition, said Fernandez, who wore a black T-shirt over black pants. I think I did a good job, I didnt do the triple Axel, and I had a little trouble in one of the spins, but the program had good energy and for the first time it was great.Takahito Mura of Japan was second with 82.57, while Konstantin Menshov of Russia was third with 81.70.Andrei Rogozine of Newmarket, Ont., was ninth, while Liam Firus of North Vancouver, B.C., was 10th.Chan, who is taking a season off from competition, had won four of the six previous Skate Canada Grand Prix events. The 23-year-old Fernandez, who lives in Toronto and trains with Canadian coach Brian Orser, beat Chan at the event in Windsor, Ont., in 2012.Rogozine, meanwhile, was a last-minute substitute after Kevin Reynolds of Coquitlam, B.C., withdrew due to his ongoing equipment trouble.Its just given me more opportunity to skate internationally, Rogozine said. My goal is still to try to aim for the top and be the best, so this is just a little boost on the path.Reynolds has had trouble finding skates that fit properly, and was already onto his fourth pair this season when he pulled out of the event.In womens singles, Pogorilaya takes a score of 65.28 into Saturdays long program. American Ashley Wagner was second with 63.86, while Alena Leonova was third with 62.54.Veronik Mallet of Sept-Iles, Que., was sixth, while Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., was seventh, and Julianne Seguin of Longueuil, Que., ninth. Skate Canada International is the second of six events on the ISU Grand Prix circuit. The top six competitors in each discipline qualify for the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona in December. ' ' '