WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin stretched out his arms in celebration, teammates mobbed him along the boards and jubilant fans launched their hats onto the ice.This was the performance they had waited to see.Ovechkin scored his first hat trick this season and 16th of his 10-year NHL career to lead the Washington Capitals over the St. Louis Blues 4-3 on Wednesday night.In the process, the three-time MVP and six-time goal-scoring champ showed the attitude that echoed his best seasons.He played with excitement again, Capitals coach Barry Trotz said of Ovechkin, whose 12 goals now tie him for second in the league. I think sometimes we say hes not scoring enough and all that. . Ive been reducing the minutes a little bit and spreading them out. Hes fresher and I think it will pay off in the long run.The 31-year-old Ovechkin played fewer than 16 minutes but had a goal in each period to move one hat trick ahead of Floridas Jaromir Jagr for the most among active players.Ovechkins second multi-goal game this season also propelled the Capitals to their third win through four games of a five-game homestand.Sometimes you just feel right away when you have an opportunity to shoot the puck, Ovechkin said, and obviously feel the puck on your stick and just go out there and use the momentum.Capitals linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov also scored and added an assist for Washington, which held a lead throughout the final two periods.The biggest thing is they were moving their feet and they were making plays, and they were decisive in what they were doing, Trotz said of the line that also included Andre Burakovsky.Vladimir Tarasenko got his eighth and ninth goals of the season for St. Louis, which scored twice in the final 75 seconds. Alex Pietrangelo added a late goal for the Blues, who had won four straight.The Blues fell behind after a first period in which they committed four penalties, the last of which led to Ovechkins first goal.When you dont use your legs, you end up using your stick, and thats whats happened, St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. Theres too many of them early in the game. It sends the wrong message to the rest of the team.Ovechkin had already scored twice before Kuznetsovs goal made it 3-1 early in the third. And after a replay review found Ovechkin not to be guilty of being offside, he sent the home crowd into a frenzy only 24 seconds later.From a faceoff in the Caps end, he got the puck near his own blue line on the left and pushed forward quickly. With a man open to his right, Ovechkin instead unleashed a ferocious shot at full stride that caromed off goalie Carter Huttons glove and into the top left corner.Its fun to watch when hes making the shot and when hes feeling it, Kuznetsov said. Its tough to stop him.On a power play in the first, Ovechkin took Kuznetsovs feed and rifled a wrist shot that skimmed off and over Huttons left shoulder.Ovechkin made it 2-0 in the second when he took John Carlsons cross-ice feed and fired a slap shot from a similar spot inside the left faceoff circle off the goalies blocker.Game notes Ovechkin is one power-play goal shy of becoming the 18th player in NHL history to reach 200. ... Tarasenko has 13 points in his last 10 games. ... Capitals C Lars Eller (upper body) returned after a one-game absence, but RW T.J. Oshie (upper body) missed his second game. ... Washington outshot St. Louis 10-2 during the first period.UP NEXT:Blues: Begin a five-game homestand against Minnesota on Saturday.Capitals: Close a five-game homestand Friday against Buffalo. Cheap Running Shoes Online Outlet . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. Wholesale Running Shoes Australia . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. http://www.cheaprunningshoesaustralia.com/ . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. Cheap Running Shoes Wholesale . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. Clearance Running Shoes Online . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. MISSOULA, Mont. -- After a slow start, Montana quarterback Brady Gustafson threw for three touchdowns, ran for two more and helped Montana beat Saint Francis 41-31 on Saturday night.The season opener for both teams turned in the second half, when Gustafson had a hand in all five of his teams touchdowns.He threw scoring passes of 11, 16 and 74 yards -- the last to Keenan Curran -- as Montana rallied from a 17-13 deficit.In the first half, Gustafson had three turnovers, and his two fumbles set up the Red Flash for a Lance Geesey field goal and a Zack Drayer touchdown pass to Marcus Alston.They did a great job defensively against us, Montana coach Bob Stitt said of St. Francis. Offensively we didnt take advantage of a lot of things. We had some things we couldve got, and it took a little talking at halftime to get after it.Gustafson put the Grizzlies ahead for good, 20-17, with his 11-yard pass to Justin Calhoun with 2:23 left in the third quarter.Straight up, flat out, I didnt play to the best of my ability, said Gustafson, who threw for 353 yards -- 242 in the second half. No nerves, I have to play better, and we will get better.Saint Francis used an 86-yard kickoff return from Lorenzo Jerome to set up a 1-yard run by Drayer with 9:59 left in the third quarter just moments after Gustafsons 12-yard scoring run put the Grizzlies up 13-10.Jerome, who had two interceptions, added a 79-yard kickoff return for aa score in the fourth quarter.ddddddddddddGustafson then added his second TD run, a 1-yard sneak, to cap a 70-yard drive. Montana had 520 total yards; the Red Flash had 253, with 73 coming on a scoring pass from Drayer to Junior Ajayi with 2:15 left.Montana recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.Marcus Bagley had 95 yards rushing for the Red Flash. Drayer was 13-of-25 passing for 184 yards with two scores and one interception.Theyre going to win a lot of games, Stitt said. They gave us everything we wanted. It was a struggle.THE TAKEAWAYSAINT FRANCIS: The Red Flash pushed the favored Grizzlies to the limit behind strong play from receivers Kamron Lewis and Junior Ajayi, running back Marcus Bagley and return man Lorenzo Jerome.MONTANA: The second season under Coach Bob Stitt started slowly put finished strong, with quarterback Brady Gustafson accounting for all five TDs for the Grizzlies, who are ranked No. 13 in the FCS.UP NEXTSAINT FRANCIS: The Red Flash, out of the Northeast Conference, take to the road again, for a game at No. 24 Towson of the Colonial Athletic Association.MONTANA: The Grizzlies also head on the road to face a more familiar foe in Northern Iowa, ranked No. 5 in the FCS. It will be the schools sixth meeting, including a pair of playoff games. ' ' '