COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. -- Lindsey Vonn eased into her first day of downhill training, holding back on her opening run just so she could get accustomed to cruising at that rate of speed again. By her fifth and final pass at the U.S. Ski Teams speed centre on Wednesday, Vonn was charging so hard through the two-mile course that she bent over in exhaustion soon after finishing, trying to catch her breath. More and more, the four-time overall World Cup champion is feeling like her old self again as her surgically repaired right knee gets stronger. The knee felt "really good," Vonn said as she scrambled for the warmth of the lodge following the bitterly cold workout session. "Everything is good," said Vonn, whos preparing to defend her downhill title at the Sochi Olympic in three months. "I feel fresh and training hard. Everything is perfect." The 29-year-old Vonn shredded her anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in a crash at the world championships in Schladming last February, but has progressed much faster than anticipated. She even thought about competing at the season-opening race in Soelden, Austria, on Oct. 26, only to skip it to give her knee more time to recover. Asked if there were any regrets about sitting out that competition, Vonn said: "I was definitely disappointed. Its hard to say no for me. But I felt like I needed more time." These days, all of her decisions are based on one thing: Being in the starting gate at full strength for Sochi. Vonn will make her return to the World Cup circuit in Beaver Creek later this month, with boyfriend and pro golfer Tiger Woods possibly even showing up to cheer her on. "Well see," Vonn said, laughing. For the next few weeks, Vonn will be working on her speed events. She feels like she has her super-G dialed in and now turns her full attention toward the downhill. "My skiing in general is really, really good right now, especially in super-G," said Vonn, who captured an Olympic bronze medal in the super-G in Vancouver four years ago to go with her downhill title. "I just need to get a couple of more miles on the downhill." On her first run Wednesday, Vonn was caught off guard by how much velocity she was picking up on the hill, saying it took her a moment to adjust. She quickly got the hang of it, though, cruising through the course at about 75 per cent of her typical race speed. Vonn treated the morning workout almost like she would a training session at a World Cup stop. Run after run, she pulled a journal out of her bag and jotted down notes about her equipment. Once finished, she slipped into a different set of skis and headed back up the lift for another pass. "I just felt good ... for my first day of downhill," said Vonn, who lives in nearby Vail. "Yeah, it was good." The goal now? "Get faster," she said. "I need more miles." Ultra Boost Norge .Y. - The Buffalo Sabres reassigned forward Sam Reinhart to the WHLs Kootenay Ice on Friday. Nmd Sko Udsalg .com) - A chant of Zeke reverberated around AT&T Stadium before Ezekiel Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown. http://www.nmdnorgesalg.com/. He reps the 4-1-6The insecurity of Canadian basketball fans is not what it once was with the home grown talent making its way to the big leagues, but it is still nice to see the local kids remembering where they come from once they make their way south. Tubular Shadow Sko . TSN 1290s coverage begins with Hustler & Lawless at 3pm. Rick Ralph hosts the Official Jets Pre-game Show at 5pm. Nmd_r2 Sko Norge . The Thornhill, Ont., native, who is ranked 11th in the world, said hed hoped he would be ready when Canada begins its World Group first-round tie against Japan in Tokyo on Friday.WASHINGTON -- Troy Perkins wasnt overly pleased with the Montreal Impacts 1-1 draw at D.C. United on Saturday. "Were not happy," Perkins said. "Were not sad." That was the consensus in Montreals locker-room after United forward Eddie Johnsons 84th-minute strike negated a goal from red-hot Impact striker Jack McInerney at RFK Stadium. While Montreal (1-5-4) regretted giving up the lead, a point on the road on short rest gave the Impact reason for optimism as they try to escape the Eastern Conference cellar. The Impact were playing just three days after a 4-2 win over FC Edmonton, which earned them a berth in the Canadian Championship final. Montreals most recent league outing was a 3-0 home loss to Sporting Kansas City last weekend. "It felt a little bit like a disappointment, but its something to build on," Impact coach Frank Klopas said. "It was a question mark with some of the guys, playing midweek and a lot of travel, so it was good to see the effort that they put in as a whole." For McInerney, the 56th-minute goal was his fourth in his past four games in all competitions, and his fifth overall since joining the Impact in an April 4 trade from the Philadelphia Union. Stealing a bad first touch off the foot of United left back Cristian Fernandez, Impact winger Justin Mapp raced down the right side, cut inside and found McInerney in front for the simple finish. With 2013 MVP finalist Marco Di Vaio (20 goals last season) sidelined by a hamstring injury in recent weeks, McInerney has proven to be a more-than-viable backup plan. "Thats a striker for you," Klopas said. "Every twwo, three games, you want a guy thats going to score.dddddddddddd Hes been doing that, so thats something thats very positive. Hes always around the goal, and thats a very good sign." It was the third assist of a McInerney goal for Mapp, who played with him in Philadelphia from 2010 to 2011. "He (Mapp) is getting the ball in good spots and making it easy for me, so hopefully we can keep it going," McInerney said. United (4-3-3) enjoyed 57 per cent of the possession and twice struck the crossbar, while Montreal created a myriad of chances of its own. Speedy winger Sanna Nyassi found himself repeatedly denied by stellar stops from United goalkeeper Bill Hamid. When one of Nyassis rebounds fell to McInerney, the strikers second strike was denied by diving United right back Chris Korb. "Thats the best weve played -- possession, buildup, defending well," Perkins said. Johnson rose to nod home a Fabian Espindola cross at the far post with six minutes remaining. The goal was the first tally since an off-season trade from the Seattle Sounders for Johnson, who was snubbed this week from the U.S. national teams preliminary World Cup roster. The combination of Wednesdays win over Edmonton and Saturdays road draw left the Impact feeling positive heading into a trip to face the Colorado Rapids next Saturday at Dicks Sporting Goods Park. "At the end of the day, if we want to make a little run into the playoffs, we need to put those chances away," McInerney said. "It should have been 2-, 3-0. But I think we came in and we surprised a lot of people, so well take the point and move on." ' ' '