EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers returned to the ice Wednesday after 12 days off for the Olympic break, several of them with red faces either from sun tanning or the hard bike riding that was part of the mini training camp/conditioning session they were put through. Joe Pavelski Jersey . "It feels a lot shorter than it was," said veteran defenceman Andrew Ference, who spent part of the break with his family in Canmore, Alta., visiting former Olympians Thomas Grandi and Sara Renner. "But its a really good chance to get rid of all the little aches and pains." Ference said it has to be remembered that with back-to-back condensed seasons - last year because of the lockout - players need the break both mentally and physically. "The last calendar year I think I played 110 or 120 games, so its a much welcomed break." It was a break that came with the Oilers suddenly having found their game in the midst of another disastrous, non-playoff season. They went into the Olympic break having won five of their previous seven games - one of the losses was in overtime - and outscoring their opponents 18-12. Their previous 10 games before the break - the statistic the NHL keeps - showed them at 5-3-2, a record that put them in the middle of the pack, unlike the 29th place they are in with their overall record of 20-33-7. "It is tough from that aspect," forward Jordan Eberle said of the untimely break. "Some of the GMs around the league have been complaining, some of the teams were going well and then you get this break. Its almost like a new season starting. "But, for me personally, I feel you get re-energized, with a little more jump and a little more excitement to play, like you did in camp. I feel really energized and ready to play." Like many of the players, Eberle took a vacation away from the game, away from Edmonton and away from winter. But not away from working out. "Yeah I went away but I definitely worked out," he added. "I knew today was going to be a tough day. It was just a bit of a skate but most of the stuff was in the gym and it was tough." Ference said the players were put through a tough physical that included a hard bike ride but said everybody looked fine. "Nobody was puking." Veteran Ryan Smyth said it would have been nice to be playing in the Olympics again, but he appreciated the great family time he had in Mexico. And as a player turning 38 on Friday, he said "any time you get some rest for the body to recuperate, it will really help." While players made sure they stayed physically active and in shape, they were able to mentally turn off the game and enjoy some rare family time. "Your mind is a little off on vacation so you give yourself a break there," said Eberle, second on the Oilers scoring with 45 points. "But as far as your body you have to make sure youre still able to come back and play 22 games. So everyone took their mind away from the game, which is a good thing. "I went on vacation somewhere hot and your mind is so out of it that you think, wow, I have to come back and play hockey? But as soon as you get to Edmonton, see the snow on the ground, it changes pretty quickly. I got on the ice, felt pretty excited to get back. Its almost like a new season here." The Oilers resume play Feb. 27 at home against the Minnesota Wild. 20:11ET 19-02-14 Chris Tierney Jersey . "He came up to me and said, I want to train," said Toronto coach Ryan Nelsen. The 26-year-old midfielder is expected to play Saturday night when Toronto hosts D.C. United, returning to his Major League Soccer squad with mixed feelings about the Americans World Cup run -- sad that it ended when it did but proud of his teams performance. Joonas Donskoi Jersey .Voegele will next play Anna Schmiedlova of Slovakia, who saved 10 of 16 break points to defeat Annika Beck of Germany 7-6 (6), 6-4.Also, Marina Erakovic of New Zealand defeated eighth-seeded Caroline Garcia of France 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. http://www.officialsharksnhlshop.com/joel-ward-jersey/ . Costa Rica followed up its wins over Uruguay and Italy by holding England to a dour 0-0 draw on Tuesday, enough to finish first in Group D.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - New England Patriots defensive co-ordinator Matt Patricia didnt hesitate Tuesday when asked about Peyton Mannings arm strength three years after major neck surgery.I think Peyton Mannings arm strength is just fine, Patricia said on a conference call, as the Patriots began to prepare for a visit by Manning and the Denver Broncos Sunday. I think its pretty evident in his play that he makes all the throws necessary in order to score them a lot of points.Manning clearly had trouble throwing when he began his comeback and people have offered all kinds of opinions on him since.You can definitely see him push the ball downfield, Patricia said. He has some extremely fast receivers and big receivers that can push the ball, push the routes vertically. Obviously (Emmanuel) Sanders — you can really see him take off downfield and the ball get down to those guys.Overall, the Patriots have had success against Manning in his days with both the Indianapolis Colts and Broncos.Manning has gone 8-14 against New England — 6-12 in the regular season and 2-2 in the playoffs.In 18 games, he has thrown 41 of his record 510 career regular season TD passes against New England, but has also had 24 of his 222 interceptions. In the post-season, he has three TDs and eight interceptions against the Patriots.He lost his first two post-season games against New England, but has gone 59 of 90 for 629 yards in winning the last two - 32 of 43 in last seasons AFC title ggame. Brent Burns Jersey. . But even in those wins, Manning has thrown just two touchdown passes and three interceptions against the Belichick teams.Manning is having another great year as the Broncos come to New England 6-1 to face the 6-2 and streak Patriots.Hes good because he does everything good, said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Really, I dont think there are any weak points in his game. Hes very smart. He has a great understanding of concepts and timing, game management, clock management, situational football — third down, red area — great utilization of the field from sideline-to-sideline and attacking the deep part of the field, very accurate, great decision-maker, quick release.NOTES: The Patriots, who lost Jerod Mayo for the season to a knee injury, traded for their second linebacker in as many weeks when they picked up veteran Jonathan Casillas from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Terms were not disclosed. Last week, New England acquired Akeem Ayers from the Tennessee Titans and he debuted Sunday against the Chicago Bears, picking up a sack. New England also released offensive lineman Chris Barker.. The Patriots are bringing back 17 of the 22 players Sunday who played on all three title teams back for a 10th anniversary celebration of the last one. 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