RIO DE JANEIRO -- Drenched with sweat and nearly out of breath, exhilarated American fencer Gerek Meinhardt tried to explain how his mens foil team won an Olympic medal for the first time in 84 years.We feel like we belong here, Meinhardt said.Before Meinhardt could utter another word, teammate Alexander Massialas cut him off.We dont think. We do belong here, Massialas said.It was hard to argue otherwise after the Americans won bronze Friday, the third medal for the U.S. mens fencing team at the Rio de Janeiro Games. Massialas and Meinhardt led the way as the U.S. defeated Italy 45-31 following a tough loss in the semifinals.Russia won the mens team foil gold, its sixth fencing medal at the Rio Games. Russia rallied from five points down to beat France 45-41, capturing its third gold medal in fencing so far.Massialas and Meinhardt dominated the Italians with a three-match stretch in which they outscored their opponents 20-1. The win was especially sweet for Massialas, whose poor performance in the final moments of his previous match kept his team from fighting for a gold medal.The U.S. began its day with a 45-37 win over Egypt, putting the Americans just a win over Russia away from the final.The Americans had the Russians right where they wanted them, too, up 40-39 and with the top-ranked Massialas set to close the bout.But Alexey Cheremisinov stunned Massialas with a series of quick blows, and the U.S. fell 45-41.I only have my teammates to thank because I was down after that match. It was probably one of the worst team matches Ive ever fenced, and I felt like I let my whole team down, Massialas said. There were no droopy heads except for mine. All they did was try to pick my head up.With roughly four hours to kill between bouts, the Americans went on their phones and discovered what they called a series of mean tweets about their performance against the Russians.Instead of bringing them down, Miles Chamley-Watson said the criticism brought the team closer together -- even joking that the haters were motivators.The effort that ultimately led to a medal truly was a team effort.Chamley-Watson fenced about as well as he ever has in the preliminary rounds. Race Imbodens only bout in the Olympics was a win over individual champion Daniele Garozzo in the bronze-medal match, and Meinhardt outscored his opponents 13-1 in his final two bouts.And it was only fitting that Massialas, just hours after losing to Russia, would score the 45th and final point.Its more than a medal at this point, Massialas said.While the U.S. womens fencing team broke through in 2004, when Mariel Zagunis won the first of two individual gold medals, the men had yet to do so until the Rio Olympics. The foil team finished fourth four years ago at the London Games.This time, the Americans were able to finally celebrate.They made the most of it, too, jumping into the stands and wrapping themselves in American flags on the piste.For the first time, the U.S.A. is a powerhouse in fencing. It never has been before, Imboden said. For us to come together and have each others backs, it just proves that its not a fluke anymore.Authentic Custom Rangers Jersey . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. Rangers Jerseys China . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. http://www.customnhlrangersjersey.com/ . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. Wholesale Custom Rangers Shirts . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Cheap Custom Rangers Jersey . The incident occurred at 19:56 of the second period of the Kings 4-2 road win over Edmonton on Sunday. Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum.BOSTON -- Boston CollegeLast season: 7-25Nickname: Eagles.Coach: Jim Christian.Conference: Atlantic Coast.Whos gone: G Eli Carter, C Dennis Clifford, G Matt Milon, G Sammy Barnes-Thompkins.Whos back: G Jerome Robinson, who was second on team with averages of 11.7 points and 3.0 assists and totals of 70 assists and 32 steals but missed nine ACC games with a broken wrist. F A.J. Turner, who was fourth on the team in scoring (5.8 points) and rebounding (3.6). F Garland Owens, the only returning senior and one of two players to start all 32 games last year. F Ervins Meznieks, who played for the Latvian team that finished fifth in the under-20 European Championshiips.ddddddddddddWhos new: F Connor Tava, a transfer from Western Michigan, where he missed all of last season recovering from a broken foot. F Mo Jeffers, a shot-blocking transfer from Delaware. Freshman G Ty Graves, who led High Point Christian Academy to a 24-6 record and the North Carolina Class 3-A championship game.The Skinny: The Eagles went winless (0-18) in the ACC last season and finished the season with a 19-game losing streak. Then they lost their top two scorers and their leaders in assists, blocks, rebounds and steals. ' ' '