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NEWARK, N.J. -- The New Jersey Devils have signed defenseman Ben Lovejoy, center Vernon Fiddler and re-signed three players in a big start to free agency.General Manager Ray Shero announced the moves on Friday, adding that defenseman Jon Merrill and forwards Beau Bennett and Devante Smith-Pelley were re-signed.Lovejoy got a three-year, $8 million contract that will count $2.67 million against the salary cap through the 2018-19 season. Hell make $2.5 million next season and in 2017-18 and $2.75 million in the final year of the contract.Fiddler, who played in all 82 games for the Dallas Stars last season and had 12 goals and 10 assists, got a one-year contract worth $1.25 million.The 32-year-old Lovejoy won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played in all 24 playoff games and had two goals and four assists.In coming to New Jersey, Lovejoy is reunited with his former general manager in Pittsburgh (Shero) and his minor league coach John Hynes, the Devils current head coach.Lovejoy said he had a lot of teams offering him contracts.The Devils were a situation where I was comfortable, Lovejoy said. I told teams all along that I didnt need to hit a home run. I wanted to come to a place where I felt wanted, where I was comfortable. I wanted to live and play on a team that was good, and I think the Devils were a perfect spot for me.The Devils did not give Merrill, Smith-Pelley and Bennett qualifying contract offers on Monday, but Shero was confident he would re-sign them.The 24-year-old Merrill received a two-year contract that will pay him $1 million this season and $1.275 million in 2017-18. He has appeared in 165 games with the Devils, scoring five goals and 25 assists. This past season, he had one goal and four assists in 47 games.Smith-Pelley, who was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in late February for former first-round pick Stefan Matteau, also got a two-year contract that will pay him $1.25 million this season and $1.35 million in 2017-18.Smith-Pelly set career highs with 14 goals and 11 assists in 64 combined games this season. He had eight goals and five assists in 18 games with New Jersey.I came in right away and the coaches put a lot of responsibility on me, Smith-Pelley said in a conference call. I thought I responded pretty well and it was a good spot. Ive bounced around with a couple of teams the past couple of years, I got some traction here and have a chance to stay at a spot thats (good).Bennett got a one-year, one-way, $725,000 contract. He was acquired last weekend from Pittsburgh for a 2016 third-round pick at the draft.Lovejoy replenishes New Jerseys blue line after the Devils traded Adam Larsson to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday for left wing Taylor Hall. Hall gives the Devils their best scoring threat in years.The Devils also signed defensemen Karl Stollery and Andrew MacWilliam and right wing Carter Camper to a one-year, two-way contracts worth $575,000 each at the NHL level.MacWilliam, 26, spent last season with Manitoba (AHL) scoring one goal and 14 assists in 72 games.Camper, who will turn 28 on July 6, spent last season with Hershey (AHL), getting nine goals and 25 assists in 64 games.Stollery, 28, spent last season with San Jose (AHL) getting six goals and 18 assists and 65 penalty minutes in 67 games.Norman Powell Raptors Jersey . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session. Custom Toronto Raptors Jerseys . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. http://www.nbaraptorsonline.com/Authentic-Tracy-Mcgrady-Jersey/ . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. Fred VanVleet Jersey . The scientists believe the small earthquake during a Marshawn Lynch touchdown was likely greater than Lynchs famous "beast quake" touchdown run three years ago, which also came against New Orleans during a playoff game. OG Anunoby Raptors Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand.LINCOLN, Neb. -- Mike Riley wanted a change of scenery when he left Oregon State for Nebraska the first week of December 2014. One vision he thought he had left behind was the one of the Oregon Ducks beating his team year after year.Right after he accepted the job in Lincoln, he said, someone told him the Ducks were on the schedule in 2016 and 17.The first game of the home-and-home series is Saturday at Memorial Stadium, and Riley says hes excited about it -- maybe because he figures he can be more competitive with the Ducks now that hes at Nebraska.We didnt fare all that well through the many years with them, Riley said, but it was a great rivalry and we saw changes in both programs as we went forward. It was one of those deals where you didnt necessarily like it, but you had to admire the work that was going on in that program.Riley lost his last seven meetings against the Ducks , who went 80-14, won four conference titles and played in two national championship games from 2008-14.The Oregon team his Huskers will face is not quite as imposing. The No. 22 Ducks (2-0) are coming off a 9-4 season, and while their offense has continued to ring up big numbers, their defense was one of the nations worst in 2015 and has been shaky so far under new coordinator Brady Hoke.Nebraska needs a win to show its on the rise under Riley, who went 6-7 in his first season with a bunch of close losses and has pulled away in the second halves of blowout wins over Fresno State and Wyoming.It is a good opportunity because this is a national team, a team thats been good for a long time, and itll be a great opportunity for us to get a big win, and thats what were after, Riley said.Oregon needs a win to show its not slipping. The Ducks finished last season ranked No. 19 and were No. 24 in this years preseason poll.Especially with the preseason rankings and current rankings, we have an underdog feel, and I love that, and the guys love that, quarterback Dakota Prukop said. Were working well with that.Things to know about the matchup:PAC-12 VS. BIG TENSince 2000, Oregon is 6-3 against opponents from the Big Ten and Nebraska is 12-10 against current members of the Pac-12.ddddddddddddOregon is playing Nebraska for the first time since 1986, when the Huskers were in the old Big Eight. The Huskers have won five of six meetings with the Ducks.PREPARING FOR NOISEThe Ducks plan to use silent counts on offense to counter the noise of Nebraskas 350th consecutive sellout crowd.Prukop, the first-year starter who is a graduate transfer, played before about 20,000 at Montana State, and his first two games at Autzen Stadium in Eugene drew about 54,000. Ive never been in front of 90,000, Prukop said. Im sure therell be a big difference at Nebraska.TURNOVER BATTLEPrukop has thrown no interceptions in 61 attempts, and Nebraskas defense is tied for second in the nation with seven picks. The Ducks have lost two fumbles, both by Charles Nelson on punt and kick returns. Nebraskas Tommy Armstrong Jr. has been intercepted once, and the Huskers have lost no fumbles.ROYCE ROLLSOregons Royce Freeman is 129 yards from moving past Kenjon Barner as the schools No. 2 career rusher. Freeman needs 1,588 yards to overtake LaMichael James at the top of the chart. Freeman, who set a single-season record with 1,836 yards last season, comes to Lincoln averaging 147 a game.TIES THAT BINDOregon coach Mark Helfrich and Nebraska offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf have known each other since they were contemporaries as star high school and small college quarterbacks in the Beaver State. Nebraska special teams coach Bruce Reads father, Don Read, was Oregons head coach from 1974-76.And both schools have Tom Osbornes . Oregons Osborne is a longtime assistant, Nebraskas is the College Football Hall of Fame coach and then a congressman.We always say `The Tom Osborne around here, Helfrich said, adding that Nebraskas Osborne set a lot of standards during his 25-year career.We know whose stadium were going into, Helfrich said.---Online:AP college football website: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '