{allcanada} Ray, Argos spoil Roughriders' season opener

 

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REGINA — Ricky Ray threw two first-half touchdowns and the Toronto Argonauts spoiled the Saskatchewan Roughriders' home opener with a 30-17 victory at Mosaic Stadium on Thursday.

The Argos scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game. After the Riders went two and out to start the first quarter, Larry Taylor returned a punt 57 yards to Saskatchewan's four-yard line. Ray found Andre Durie in the end zone for a touchdown on the next play.

On the ensuing possession, Darian Durant marched the Riders into Toronto territory, but came up short on a third-down rush and turned the ball over on downs on the Argos' 16-yard line.

Ray and the Argos again took advantage. Vidal Hazelton blew past the Saskatchewan secondary for a 56-yard touchdown reception to put the visitors up 14-0. Ray was 7-for-10 passing for 121 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He finished the game 13 for 22 for 186 yards.

The Riders cut that lead in half early in the second quarter when Durant hooked up with John Chiles for a six-yard touchdown reception. Durant completed 15-of-19 pass attempts for 166 yards and one touchdown in the first half. He ended the contest 31 for 40 for 310 yards.

Toronto restored a two-touchdown lead, and this time it was the defence that scored. Matt Black scooped up a fumble on a third-and-one sneak and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown. That made it 21-7 with two minutes remaining in the half.

The Argos led 21-10 at halftime.

Saskatchewan's Tyler Crapinga kicked two field goals (28 and 15 yards) in the game, while Lirim Hajrullahu kicked field goals from 27, 50 and 32 yards — all coming in the second half — for the Argos.

Durant was playing his first game after missing last season from a ruptured Achilles' tendon in the 2015 season opener. He missed the second half of the 2014 season with a torn ligament in his right elbow. Saskatchewan went 6-23 in games without Durant in the lineup.

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{allcanada} Canadian Henderson leads Portland Classic

 

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PORTLAND, Ore. — Defending champion Brooke Henderson of Canada shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the LPGA Cambia Portland Classic on Thursday.

Picking up where she left off from a year ago, when Henderson shot a 21-under 267 to win her first LPGA tournament, the 18-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., hit 16 greens and made nine birdies on a warm, cloudless day at the 6,476-yard Columbia Edgewater course.

Henderson said a combination of factors allows her to feel at home at Columbia Edgewater.

"I love tree-lined courses, and that's very much what this course is. With the bent grass, which is kind of what I grew up on, I really like it. It suits my eye," Henderson said. "Then winning here, that gives me those extra vibes and adrenaline, which I think will help as the week goes on. This golf course, being out here in the Northwest, in the beautiful temperature, I like wearing long sleeves and pants."

Angela Stanford, Demi Runas and Mariajo Uribe each shot 67 to trail Henderson.

Runas, whose best career finish is a tie for 25th, and Uribe are looking for their first LPGA victories. Stanford lost in a playoff in the 2003 U.S. Women's Open at Pumpkin Ridge, which has previously played host to the Portland Classic. Uribe and Stanford shot bogey-free rounds.

Stanford, who tied for fourth last week in Arkansas, is somewhat of a surprise among the leaders. She hasn't had much success at the Portland Classic, her best finish a tie for eighth in 12 tries.

"Poana greens are usually not very friendly to me. It's nice to watch the ball go in the hole here. I haven't always played well here, so I tried to just put that on the back burner and see if I could carry it over from last week, and it did," Stanford said.

Carlota Ciganda, Jaye Marie Green, Ayako Uehara and Daniela Iacobelli shot 68. Four strokes back at 69 are No. 18 Suzann Pettersen, Sarah Jane Smith, Lee-Anne Pace, Briana Mao and Jiayi Zhou.

Pettersen is a two-time Portland winner, claiming the 2011 and 2013 tournaments.

Hamilton's Alena Sharp is even after a 72. Charlottetown's Lorie Kane, Victoria's Naomi Ko, A.J. Eathorne of Penticton, B.C., and Quebec City's Anne Catherine Tanguay all shot 76. Samantha Richdale, from Kelowna, B.C., had a 5-over 77.

No. 15 Anna Nordqvist is among 12 players at 70. No. 9 Stacy Lewis shot even-par 72, as did Austin Ernst, the 2014 Portland champion.

Henderson, starting early in the morning on the back nine, was only 1-under through seven holes. But she birdied three of the next four holes, then finished on fire while playing the front nine, making consecutive birdies on holes 5 through 8. Henderson just missed a fifth consecutive birdie, sliding a 15-foot putt past the left side of the hole at the par-4 ninth.

It was a bogey at the par-4, 391-yard fourth that helped ignite Henderson's string of four consecutive birdies.

"That was a dumb hole ... a hole with my length I could have taken advantage of. The bogey bothered me a little. I knew I had two par-5s coming up, so I tried to focus on them," Henderson said.

In her last six rounds at Columbia-Edgewater, counting last year's Monday qualifier, Henderson is 32-under par, all six rounds in the 60s.

Last year, Henderson won the Portland Classic by eight strokes, and became the third youngest champion in LPGA Tour history. Since winning her maiden event, Henderson has soared to become No. 2 ranked, and two weeks ago won the Women's PGA Championship.

Henderson is attempting to become Portland's first back-to-back champion since Annika Sorenstam won the 2002 and 2003 tournaments.

The Portland Classic is normally played in late August, but moved up because the LPGA is taking three weeks off for the Olympics. The Portland stop is typically popular among the tour's best players, but with the U.S. Open scheduled for next week in California, only 13 of the world's top 50 entered this year.

The Portland Classic is the LPGA Tour's longest-running non-major, now in its 45th year. The purse is $1.3 million, with $195,000 going to the winner.

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{allcanada} Carrasco, Indians beat Jays for 13th straight

 

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TORONTO — Carlos Carrasco struck out 14 over seven-plus innings as the Cleveland Indians won their 13th straight game on Thursday night, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1.

Carrasco (4-2) continued the dominance that he displayed in his last start — a complete game shutout against Detroit — by going 7 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on three hits and walking two.

Cody Allen picked up his 17th save of the season by working a perfect ninth.

Rajai Davis and Jason Kipnis hit solo home runs to lead the Indians (48-30), who last lost on June 16 to the Kansas City Royals.

Josh Donaldson had a solo home run of his own for the Blue Jays (43-38), who started an 11-game homestand at Rogers Centre.

R.A. Dickey (5-9) rebounded from some early struggles to go seven innings, allowing eight hits while striking out four and walking one.

Davis led off the second inning with a home run, smacking the first pitch he saw into the seats just above the Blue Jays bullpen to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead.

Kipnis extended the lead to 2-0 in the third with a solo shot to right field for his 11th home run of the season.

Carrasco struck out the side in the third inning, getting Justin Smoak, Darwin Barney and Josh Thole all swinging.

Donaldson, the reigning American League MVP, got one back for Toronto in the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot to straight-away centre field.

It was Donaldson's 19th home run of the campaign. He's now reached base safely in 32 of his last 33 games.

Carrasco had retired nine straight Blue Jays up until the Donaldson homer.

Jose Ramirez had an RBI single in the sixth to make it 3-1 for the Indians. He drove in Mike Napoli, who led off the inning with a double to left field.

Dickey picked off Ramirez shortly after with a quick snap throw to first base.

Left-handed reliever Brett Cecil came on in relief of Dickey to pitch a scoreless eighth inning. The Blue Jays activated Cecil from the disabled list earlier Thursday. The 29-year-old had been out since May 15 with a muscle strain in his left arm.

Toronto started a rally in the eighth inning when Barney hit a one-out double that ended Carrasco's night. Bryan Shaw came on in relief and struck out pinch hitter Russell Martin before walking Ezequiel Carrera. Devon Travis struck out to end the threat.

Tyler Naquin hit a triple in the ninth that scored Davis to give Cleveland a three-run cushion.

Travis extended his hitting streak to seven games with a one-out single in the bottom of the first.

The second baseman now has hits in 15 of his last 16 games. Travis is the third quickest Blue Jay to reach 100 hits, doing so in 93 career games. Alex Rios was the fastest, collecting 100 hits in 85 games.

Notes: Announced attendance was 41,365. . . Ryan Tepera was optioned to triple-A Buffalo to make room for Cecil on the Blue Jays roster. . . Toronto's Marcus Stroman (6-4, 5.33 ERA) faces Cleveland's Josh Tomlin (9-1, 3.32 ERA) in a Canada Day matinee Friday.

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{allcanada} ‘Beauty and the Beast’ series finale: Kristin Kreuk knows how it ends

 

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When their love story is ending, what's a beauty and her beast to do?

Kristin Kreuk already has the answer for herself: She's gone back to school. The actress was pretty much going from series to series — the Canadian teen drama "Edgemont" to the "Superman" prequel "Smallville" to "Beauty and the Beast," which currently is in its fourth and final season Thursdays on The CW. Filming was completed months ago, so now that Kreuk has a break from work, she's pursuing the secondary-school degree she didn't have time for earlier.

However, with the last episodes airing, she hasn't left police detective Catherine "Cat" Chandler and her now-husband Vincent (Jay Ryan) behind just yet. "The good thing about them is that they're very much a team," Kreuk tells Zap2it.

"I think that last season, they went through some ups and downs. This season, they don't have those same kinds of relationship roadblocks. They're together and they're in it. Because they're Vincent and Catherine, they're still stubborn and they argue, but they're really together, fighting … or even to find out what they're fighting against."

Other ongoing relationships in the series are destined for their finales, and Kreuk — who also gets a producer credit for the show's concluding round — notes Catherine and her police partner-turned-boss Tess (Nina Lisandrello) are "definitely going through a lot this season. Catherine's married and Tess is going through her own relationship stuff, and their careers are in different trajectories. They're going through a big transition."

So are Catherine and her younger sister Heather (Nicole Gale Anderson), and Kreuk deems that "one of my favorite parts of the show. I love their dynamic, and they have a lot of emotional stuff this season. There are a couple of big moments where Catherine really relies on her sister for maybe the first time, and it brings them very close. Especially toward the end of the season, there's a lot that goes on with the two of them."

Fan reaction to the end of "Beauty and the Beast" has been fairly steady, from Kreuk's perspective, since it first was announced. "I think everyone's pretty disappointed," she says, "because they've invested so much in the show. That being said, I think most people understand why, and I think it's going to be a good season for them. I hope the people who have struggled with the ups and downs of the (main characters') relationship will feel very satisfied by the end."

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{allcanada} Raonic, Bouchard named to Canadian tennis team for Rio

 

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TORONTO – Milos Raonic will headline Canada's four-athlete tennis team at the Summer Olympics in Rio this August.

The world No. 7 from Thornhill, Ont., will compete in the men's singles competition along with No. 44 Vasek Pospisil of Vancouver. Based on their combined ranking, they have also qualified to team up for the doubles event.

Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., the world No. 48, qualified for the women's singles competition.

Canada was awarded an additional doubles entry by the International Tennis Federation on Thursday, granting a final qualification place to Bouchard and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski of Ottawa.

"We are extremely proud to be sending this team to compete in Rio as it is the strongest we've ever had," Tennis Canada president and CEO Kelly Murumets said in a release. "We expect tennis to be one of the marquee events at the Olympic Games and this stellar player field certainly reflects that.

"We know that these athletes will represent our country with pride and passion as part of Team Canada and we are so looking forward to seeing them give their all on the court."

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{allcanada} Bouchard, Raonic advance to third round at Wimbledon

 

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LONDON — Eugenie Bouchard downed local favourite Johanna Konta and Milos Raonic blew past Andreas Seppi on Thursday to highlight a successful Day 4 for Canadian tennis players at Wimbledon.

Bouchard, from Montreal, beat 16th-seeded Briton Konta 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 to move into the women's third round. After being dominated in the second set, Bouchard broke Konta in the second game of the decisive set and controlled the match from there.

Bouchard won on her first break point opportunity when Konta returned her serve a few inches long.

The Canadian will next face 19th-seeded Slovak Dominika Cibulkova in the third round. Bouchard has won both career meetings with Cibulkova, including a win in the semifinals of the Hobart Open earlier this year.

Raonic moved into the men's third round with a 7-5 (5), 6-4, 6-2 win over Seppi.

The sixth seed from Thornhill, Ont., won a dogfight with Seppi in the first set before taking control of the match, taking his first match point opportunity with an ace.

Raonic, whose serve has been booming at the All England Club, fired 25 aces to Seppi's two. Raonic had 27 aces in his first-round win over Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta.

The Canadian, who has yet to drop a set at Wimbledon, will next face 27th-seeded American Jack Sock in the third round. Raonic has won seven straight matches against Sock, including a third-round victory at the Miami Open earlier this year.

Both Raonic and Bouchard were named to Canada's Olympic tennis tournament on Thursday.

In men's doubles, Toronto's Adil Shamasdin and British partner Jonathan Marray upset fourth-seeds Jean-Julien Rojer of France and Horia Tecau of Romania 6-2, 7-6 (3). They will face the German pair of Jan-Lennard Struff and Dustin Brown in the second round.

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{allcanada} Cecil rejoins Jays bullpen after stint on DL

 

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TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays activated left-handed reliever Brett Cecil off the disabled list on Thursday.

The 29-year-old Cecil is 0-5 with a 5.23 earned-run average in 16 appearances this season. He had been out since May 15 with a muscle strain in his left arm.

Cecil last pitched 2/3 of an inning on May 14 against the Texas Rangers, allowing one hit. Cecil's soreness in his left triceps occurred in the seven-pitch outing, a 6-5 loss.

The Jays optioned reliever Ryan Tepera in a corresponding move.

The Toronto bullpen has struggled this season and has the fourth-worst ERA in the American League at 4.38.

Cecil was stellar for last season's American League East winning Blue Jays, appearing in 63 games and posting a 2.48 ERA and 0.96 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched).

Tepera appeared in five games for Toronto this season and is 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA.

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{allcanada} Phil Kessel to party with Stanley Cup in Toronto

 

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The next time Phil Kessel comes back to Toronto, he might bring his friend Stanley with him.

"I probably will end up bringing it back there. Nothing for sure yet, nothing's been decided, but I think there's a good chance that'll happen," Kessel told Joey Vendetta on Sportsnet 590 The Fan on June 15.

"I have a lot of friends in Toronto. That's kinda where I spend most of my time now."

Well, Kessel's Cup date with Toronto is now official, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reported Thursday. (And Dion Phaneuf assures us he'll be there, too.)

The player also vowed to return for Drake's OVO Fest on the August long weekend.

Kessel, a native of Madison, Wisconsin, spent six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Since being traded from the Maple Leafs to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Canada Day, Kessel described his life as a whirlwind.

And when the weather calmed, No. 81 was left hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time in his wild career. In putting up a team-high 10 goals and a team-high 22 points en route to the championship, the 28-year-old winger jumped into the Conn Smythe conversation and quieted his naysayers.

"A lot of change in my life. Obviously, I wouldn't change this for anything," Kessel said. "It's the best hockey I've ever had, and it's unbelievable."

The Penguins' "third line" of Nick Bonino, Carl Hagelin and Kessel — a trio comprised entirely of castoffs from other teams — led the team in production, but Kessel was quick to share credit with other members of the club.

"Everything worked out perfectly. Everything has to align to win the Cup. We had young guys step up, we always had four lines rolling, we had veteran leadership," Kessel explained.

"Look at guys like Matt Cullen — he played unbelievable. Without a guy like that and [Eric] Fehr, we're never where we are."

When the HBK line stepped to the microphone during the Penguins' Cup parade later in the day, it was all about Kessel.

Bonino: "What a pleasure it was to play with the legend Phil Kessel."

Hagelin: "It's a true honour. No one's better than Phil. Phil the Thrill."

A clean-shaven Kessel steared clear of the mic, embarrassingly shook his head, then raised Stanley once more.

Amidst his remarkable playoff performance, Kessel found out he would not be added to Team USA — a straight-up snub to the eyes of many.

On Wednesday, Kessel said his teammate, Kris Letang, the guy who scored the Cup-winning goal, should have been invited to September's tournament.

"He should be on Team Canada. He should be up for awards. He was that good this year," Kessel said. Letang was not a finalist for the Norris Trophy.

"He's an unbelievable player. Obviously, he's our leader on the D core. He plays 25 minutes or 30 minutes a night. Without a guy like that, you have no chance, right? He carried us for a lot of the year."

With his girlfriend and family in town, Kessel continued to party with the Stanley Cup Wednesday, as the Penguins embark on their championship parade through Pittsburgh.

He compared his last two NHL cities.

"Obviously [Pittsburgh] is a lot different from Toronto. Toronto is a great city, and it's a sports city. So is Pittsburgh. It's a different feel," Kessel said. "The people here have been great, we have a great group of guys here, and it's a pretty special year."

So, Phil, any message you have for the people of Toronto?

"I always like to thank them. In my time there, they always treated me great," Kessel said.

"I love the city there. I'll always cherish my time there."

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{allcanada} Flames buy out final year of Raymond contract

 

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Left wing Mason Raymond had the final season of his contract bought out by the Calgary Flames on Thursday.

The 30-year-old forward had four goals and five points in 29 games in 2015-16. He was placed on waivers Wednesday. When he cleared waivers at 12 p.m. EST on Thursday, the Flames exercised the buyout.

Raymond had a $3.15 million salary-cap charge for 2016-17, according to Generalfanager.com. With the buyout he will count $1.05 million on the salary cap in 2016-17 and 2017-18. He signed a three-year contract with the Flames on July 1, 2014 after he scored 19 goals in 82 games in 2013-14 with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 542 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks, Maple Leafs and Flames, Raymond has 115 goals and 251 points.

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{allcanada} Oilers to buy out last year of Korpikoski's contract

 

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Forward Lauri Korpikoski was placed on unconditional waivers by the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday for the purposes of a contract buyout.

Korpikoski, 29, was owed $3 million, with a salary cap charge of $2.5 million for the 2016-17 season, according to General Fanager. The Oilers will be charged $500,000 for next season and $1 million on their salary cap for the 2017-18 season.

Korpikoski signed a four-year, $10 million contract with the Arizona Coyotes in before the 2013-14 season and was traded to the Oilers for forward Boyd Gordon on June 30, 2015. Korpikoski had 10 goals and 22 points in 71 games in his only season in Edmonton.

The veteran left wing has 78 goals and 181 points in 540 NHL games with the Oilers, Coyotes and New York Rangers. 

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{allcanada} Oilers' McDavid shocked by Hall's departure: report

 

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Connor McDavid lost more than a teammate when the Edmonton Oilers traded Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. He lost a roommate too.

"It's definitely a shock," McDavid told the Edmonton Sun. "… Change is exciting, but at the same time it's upsetting to see a teammate, a dear friend and my roommate go. It's a little bit of a different feeling right now."

According to the Sun, McDavid lived in Hall's house last season, McDavid's first in the NHL. Their other roommate, forward Luke Gazdic, was not given a qualifying offer Monday and will become an unrestricted free agent Friday.

McDavid and Hall each was the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft (McDavid in 2015, Hall in 2010). Each forward also has dealt with a long-term injury (McDavid to his collarbone last season, Hall to his shoulder in 2012).

"I want to express thanks for all that he's done for me because he's done so much," McDavid, 19, said of 24-year-old Hall. "I'll never really know how I can repay him, or if I'll ever be able to, for what he's done for me this year.

"He's a guy who took me under his wing right away. It's hard to explain how much that means to me."

Edmonton acquired 23-year-old defenseman Adam Larsson in the trade.

"For sure we will have a different dynamic," McDavid said. "Whenever you trade away a key piece of your organization, somebody who's been there for a long time, it has to change everything. … We'll definitely be a little bit different, but everything is definitely pointed in the right direction. We added a defenseman, which we definitely needed, and we'll see what happens in free agency.

"It's exciting, but like I keep saying, it's upsetting to see Taylor go."

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{allcanada} Weber won't try to be Subban for Canadiens

 

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BROSSARD, Quebec -- Shea Weber was captain of the Nashville Predators for six seasons, one of the most accomplished defensemen in the NHL and a perennial Norris Trophy contender who has somehow never won one.

Yet following the blockbuster trade that sent him to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman P.K. Subban, it was not the massive void Weber would be leaving in Nashville that was a question.

It was how he would be able to replace one of the most popular players in Montreal.

"I'm not P.K. Subban, I'm not going to try to be," Weber said. "I'm going to bring my hard work and attitude and try to bring this team some wins. The biggest thing I want to do is win. I know that they've got a good base there, obviously one of the best goaltenders in the world, some top-end forwards, and I'm just excited to be joining that group."

Of course, the Canadiens don't want Weber to be Subban, otherwise they wouldn't have made the trade. General manager Marc Bergevin was happy to add the leadership, toughness, size and booming slap shot Weber brings to the Canadiens.

And although Canadiens fans were expressing their outrage over the trade on social media, they were the biggest reasons why Weber was excited to continue his career in Montreal.

"I'm looking forward to how passionate the fans are," he said. "When you go in [to Bell Centre], what everyone talks about when you look at the schedule is, 'When do we play in Montreal?' Guys look forward to going there because they know it's going to be loud, it's packed, and the fans are just very, very passionate."

Weber was the first Predators draft pick to become captain when he was named to the position after the 2009-10 season. Nashville entered the NHL in 1998, and Weber was drafted five years later, in the second round (No. 49) of the 2003 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut Jan. 6, 2006, and it didn't take very long for Weber to become the face of the Predators in a non-traditional hockey market.

He went through many lean seasons in Nashville and is now leaving just as the Predators appear primed to be a contending team for years.

"It was emotional thinking about all I've been through," he said. "I really grew up there. It's been 11 years I spent there, so it would be not human of me to say I'm not going to miss it. But at the same time, it's in the past now and I've got to look at what's ahead of me and the situation I'm going to in Montreal. They're looking to win and they're looking to do all the right things to put a winning team together, so I'm excited to be a part of it."

In light of how much time Weber spent in Nashville, his final game in a Predators uniform was extremely disappointing. The Predators lost 5-0 to the San Jose Sharks in Game 7 of the Western Conference Second Round, and Weber was on the ice for every San Jose goal.

"Of course you think about it, you look back," he said. "But that's one game, that doesn't sum up a career nor a year. It was a tough game, it was a tough game for a lot of people. It happens in every sport where it just happens that night is not your night. Things don't bounce, those split-second decisions you make out there are the wrong ones, and everything just seems to stockpile on you. Earlier on, it might have affected me a little bit more, but I think I've come to realize that you have to learn from it and hopefully improve and become better from it."

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