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Tuesday, August 31, 2021

{allcanada} Canada defeats U.S. in OT to win gold at 2021 women’s world championship

 

CALGARY, Alberta — Marie-Philip Poulin scored in overtime and Canada beat the five-time defending champion United States 3-2 on Tuesday night for its first gold medal at the women's hockey world championship since 2012.

Poulin, the Canadian captain, skated down the left side, took a pass from Brianne Jenner and sent it off the crossbar and post before going in. The goal was initially waived off and play continued in the sudden death 3-on-3 overtime until the buzzer sounded after a video review.

The Canadians rushed the ice and piled on top of each other in celebration of their 11th title at worlds.

"It's so weird how it happened," Canadian forward Sarah Fillier said. "We were all sitting on the bench, thinking we have to go finish this next 11 minutes off. But the buzzer went and we all jumped on. It's so crazy, but it's so cool." Canada fell behind 2-0 in the first period — for just its second deficit in the tournament. But the Canadians scored two goals, 2:29 apart, in the second to tie it.

Jenner scored on a power play when she corralled the puck in front of the net and brought it from backhand to forehand to get around the left pad of Nicole Hensley.

Jamie Lee Rattray tied it by redirecting Jocelyne Larocque's shot from the point. Rattray nearly won it with 90 seconds to go in regulation but her breakaway shot went off Hensley and deflected off the post.

"I think our team stuck with it from the start `til the end. We showed a lot of character," Canadian forward Melodie Daoust said. "Just to be able to celebrate from here, on home soil with our family and friends, I think it's amazing."

Five of the last seven world finals between Canada and the U.S. have gone to extra time, including 2011, '12, '16, and '17.

"That's why it's the greatest rivalry in sports," U.S. forward Amanda Kessel said.

Alex Carpenter opened the scoring for the United State for a third straight game. She batted her own rebound between the legs of goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens.

Carpenter scored her fifth goal of the tournament, all in the last three games, on a power play just 12:35 into the game.

The U.S had won eight of the previous nine titles, including 2019 when Canada didn't reach the final for the first time in the history of the tournament that began in 1990.

In the third-place game, Petra Nieminen scored her sixth goal of the event and Finland beat Switzerland 3-1.

Finland claimed its 13th bronze medal at the event. Switzerland was going for its second bronze — the first coming in 2012 against the Finns.

Tanja Niskanen needed just 99 seconds to put Finland on the board. Niskanen was left unmarked and skated to an open late to send it over the glove of Saskia Maurer for her first goal of the tournament. Finland started the second period in a similar fashion as Ella Viitasuo scored 54 seconds in on a shot off the post for a 2-0 advantage.

Nieminen gave Finland a 3-1 lead, three seconds into a power play late in the second period, by redirecting Michelle Karvinen's shot from the point.

Lara Stalder pulled Switzerland within 2-1 three minutes later, finishing a 2-on-2 opportunity after a key save by goalie Saskia Maurer at the other end.

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{allcanada} Canada's Bianca Andreescu wins opening match at 2021 U.S. Open

 

NEW YORK -- Canada's Bianca Andreescu had to pull out a third set to keep her perfect U.S. Open record.

Struggling with some physical issues, the 2019 champion went the distance Tuesday to beat Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.

Andreescu, seeded sixth, has been plagued by injuries since beating Serena Williams to win her U.S. Open debut as a 19-year-old and they popped up again as she played the last women's match of the first round.

After rallying to win the first set Tuesday, she needed treatment from a trainer in the second, looking upset as she hid her face in a towel at one point.

The Canadian appeared to be on the ropes when she was broken to fall behind 3-2 in the third set, but kept her composure to advance.

The Mississauga, Ont., native had 36 unforced errors in the two hour 48 minute match, but stuck around with seven aces.

Next up for Andreescu is American Lauren Davis.

Canada's Denis Shapovalov cruised into the second round of men's singles competition with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over Argentina's Federico Delbonis earlier Tuesday.

The seventh seed from Richmond Hill, Ont., fired 14 aces and won 90 per cent of first serve points.

Shapovalov did not face break point and broke Delbonis five times on 11 chances in a match that lasted one hour 48 mintues.

The Canadian outscored Delbonis 38-11 on winners and complemented his service game by claiming nine of 11 net points.

Shapovalov will face Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain in the second round.

Also, Vancouver's Vasek Pospisil needed five sets before ousting Italy's Fabio Fognini with a come-from-behind victory.

The 28th-seeded Italian was up two sets before Pospisil found another gear and took the match 2-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (4) in three hours 17 minutes.

Next up for the Canadian is Ilya Ivashka of Belarus.

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{allcanada} Canada's Denis Shapovalov cruises into second round at US Open

 

NEW YORK — Canada's Denis Shapovalov cruised into the second round of men's singles competition at the U.S. Open with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over Argentina's Federico Delbonis on Tuesday.

The seventh seed from Richmond Hill, Ont., fired 14 aces and won 90 per cent of first serve points. Shapovalov did not face break point and broke Delbonis five times on 11 chances in a match that lasted one hour 48 mintues.

The Canadian outscored Delbonis 38-11 on winners and complemented his service game by claiming nine of 11 net points.

Shapovalov will face Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain in the second round.

Vancouver's Vasek Pospisil faced Italy's Fabio Fognini later Tuesday.

In evening action, 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., was set to face Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic in a women's first-round match.

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{allcanada} ‘The Christmas Promise’: Torrey DeVitto, Dylan Bruce, & Patrick Duffy Leading Hallmark Holiday Film

Torrey Devito, Dylan Bruce, and Patrick Duffy

Torrey DeVitto is making her small-screen return in the upcoming Hallmark holiday film The Christmas Promise, her first TV project since departing from NBC's Chicago Med in May. Dylan Bruce (Orphan Black, Midnight, Texas) and Patrick Duffy (Dallas, Step-By-Step) are also set to star.

DeVitto will portray Nicole in the film, a woman who learns to deal with grief with the help of her grandfather (Duffy) and a carpenter named Joe (Bruce), who she hires to renovate the home she was to share with her fiancé.

The Christmas Promise, for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, begins production this week in Vancouver. It will premiere on the network as part of its "Miracles of Christmas" programming though no premiere date has been announced as of yet.

It's the third film from producing partners Kathy Kloves and Risa Shapiro, following the successes of their previous Hallmark films Love At First Glance and It Was Always You, both scripted by Kloves. The Christmas Promise is also produced by Sunta Izzicupo and Front Street Pictures Inc. Fred Gerber directs from an original script by Kloves.

DeVitto starred as Dr. Natalie Manning in Chicago Med for six seasons before hanging up her scrubs. Prior TV credits include Pretty Little Liars, Army Wives, and The Vampire Diaries. Up next for DeVitto is the film Skelly, opposite Brian Cox and John Palladino. She is repped by Gersh and Insight.

Bruce is most notably known for his portrayal of Chris Hughes in CBS' As The World Turns and Paul Dierden in the sci-fi hit Orphan Black. He most recently appeared in Magnum P.I. for CBS and the 2020 film Search and Destroy. He is repped by Buchwald, Michael Bruno Group, and Morgan Myers-Cavanagh at Pacific Artists Management.

Duffy is a veteran actor who famously portrayed Bobby Ewing in both the original Dallas and its modern-day adaptation for TNT. His extensive credits include roles in Knots Landing, Step-By-Step, The Bold and the Beautiful, All Rise, and NCIS. He is repped by Pakula/King & Associates and Shelter Entertainment Group.

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{allcanada} Elks release OL Ruby due to a breach of COVID protocols

 

EDMONTON — The Edmonton Elks have released offensive lineman Jacob Ruby for breaching the team's COVID-19 protocols.

The Elks announced Ruby's release Tuesday, the last day of the team's 10-day isolation period for Tier 1 players, coaches and staff following an outbreak of COVID-19 among players.

The team did not say what Ruby had done, but said in a statement that the move was part of the club's "ongoing commitment to strictly following the CFL's COVID protocols."

Ruby signed with Edmonton in 2017 after breaking into the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes in 2015.

The Elks have been in isolation since the onset of a COVID-19 outbreak that affected 13 players. The outbreak led to the postponement of the Elks' Aug. 26 game against the Argonauts in Toronto.

The Elks said Tuesday that PCR tests collected Sunday and Monday were all negative, making it five consecutive days without a positive test.

Barring any positive tests, the team will hold meetings and a walkthrough on Wednesday and conduct a full practice on Thursday.

Edmonton's next game is Sept. 6 at Calgary.

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{allcanada} Ticats' Williams, Lions' Williams and Bombers' Liegghio named top performers

 

TORONTO — Hamilton defensive back Frankie Williams, B.C. linebacker Jordan Williams and Winnipeg kicker Marc Liegghio are the top performers for Week 4 of the CFL season.

Frankie Williams accumulated 184 return yards, a key interception, a tackle and a knockdown as the Tiger-Cats defeated Montreal 27-10 Friday to pick up their first win of the season.

Williams intercepted a Vernon Adams Jr. pass early in the fourth quarter and returned it 39 yards. It led to a Dane Evans touchdown pass to Nikola Kalinic to give the Tiger-Cats a 19-10 lead.

Jordan Williams, the first-overall pick in the CFL Draft, recorded his first career interception and added eight tackles in the Lions' 24-12 win at Ottawa on Saturday.

Liegghio went a perfect four-for-four on field goals in his first pro start, including a 45-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining, in the Blue Bombers' 18-16 win Sunday over visiting Calgary.

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Monday, August 30, 2021

{allcanada} Blue Bombers sign veteran WR Roosevelt

 

WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed veteran receiver Naaman Roosevelt.

The native of Buffalo, N.Y., played with the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2015-19.

Roosevelt was Saskatchewan's most outstanding player in 2016 when he had 76 receptions for 1,095 yards in just 11 games.

He was named a West Division all-star in 2017 with 75 receptions for 1,035 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games.

He was most recently with the Montreal Alouettes in training camp before being released last month.

Roosevelt has 301 receptions for 4,134 yards and 20 touchdowns in 67 career CFL games.

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{allcanada} Canada's Auger-Aliassime, Fernandez into second round at US Open

 

NEW YORK — Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Fernandez have advanced to the second round of the U.S. Open.

Montreal's Auger-Aliassime, seeded 12th in the men's draw, won three tiebreaks in a 7-6 (0), 3-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (8) win over Russia's Evgeny Donskoy on Monday.

Earlier, Fernandez, from Laval, Que., moved on with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over on Croatia's Ana Konjuh.

Auger-Aliassime was down 8-7 in the tiebreak with Donskoy serving, but the 21-year-old Montrealer shifted momentum in the set with a pair receiving points.

Auger-Aliassime completed the four-hour marathon by converting his first match point chance when Donskoy missed on a backhand.

The Canadian fired 14 aces in the match to Donskoy's eight, but also had seven double faults to Donskoy's one.

Auger-Aliassime was effective when accurate. While he was good on just 59 per cent of his first serves, he picked up 83 per cent of those available points.

Donskoy saved four of the five break points he faced, while converting two of three break-point opportunities against Auger-Aliassime.

Next up for Auger-Aliassime is a match against world No. 116 Bernabe Zapata Miralles of Spain.

Earlier, Fernandez was opportunistic and more accurate in her match with Konjuh.

The native of Laval, Que., was good on 76 per cent of her first serves, winning 65 per cent of those available points.

Konjuh was accurate on just 63 per cent of her first serves. While she slightly outpaced Fernandez by winning 68 per cent of first-serve points, she won just 35 per cent of second-serve points, compared to 47 per cent for Fernandez.

Konjuh also committed 10 double faults, compared to just three for her opponent.

Fernandez made the most of her break-point chances, converting four of her seven opportunities. Konjuh had 10 break-point chances against Fernandez, but was only good on two.

Fernandez next faces Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. It will be the first meeting between the players.

Meanwhile, after making the main draw through qualifying, Vancouver's Rebecca Marino had her tournament come to an end.

Marino was ousted by fifth seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-2, 6-3.

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{allcanada} Report: Maple Leafs-Sabres Heritage Classic game in works for Hamilton

 

Plans are in the works for a March 13th outdoor Heritage Classic game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres at Hamilton's Tim Hortons Field, according to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.

Harrington reports the game, which was originally slated to be a matinee at Buffalo's KeyBank Center, was absent from the Sabres' two half-season ticket options released last week.

Per Harrington, logistics for the outdoor game, however, remain clouded due to uncertainty around the Canada-U.S. border situation and the need to compensate the Sabres for the lost home game.

Tim Hortons Field, the home of the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats, normally holds 24,000 fans but can be expanded to roughly 40,000 for special events.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL postponed last season's Winter Classic in Minnesota and the Stadium Series in Raleigh, N.C., but it did stage two outdoor games without fans between the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights and the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers at Lake Tahoe.

The NHL announced earlier this summer that Target Field will host the 2022 NHL Winter Classic between the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues on New Year's Day, and the Nashville Predators will welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nissan Stadium for the NHL's Stadium Series on Feb. 26, 2022.

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{allcanada} Canada's Fernandez into second round at US Open with win over Konjuh

 

NEW YORK — Canada's Leylah Fernandez advanced to the second round of the U.S. Open with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over Croatia's Ana Konjuh on Monday.

Fernandez was more opportunistic and more accurate than her first-round opponent. The native of Laval, Que., was good on 76 per cent of her first serves, winning 65 per cent of those available points.

Konjuh was accurate on just 63 per cent of her first serves. While she slightly outpaced Fernandez by winning 68 per cent of first serve points, she won just 35 per cent of second serve points, compared to 47 per cent for Fernandez.

Konjuh also committed 10 double faults, compared to just three for her opponent.

Fernandez made the most of her break-point chances, converting four of her seven opportunities. Konjuh had 10 break point chances against Fernandez, but was only good on two.

Fernandez next faces the winner of a match between 31st-seed Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan and Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.

Vancouver's Rebecca Marino faced fifth seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine later Monday, while in men's action 12th-seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on Montreal faced Evgeny Donskoy of Russia.

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{allcanada} Elks, Riders announce enhanced COVID protocols for home games

 

The Edmonton Elks and Saskatchewan Roughriders both announced enhanced COVID-19 protocols for attendance at home games on Monday.

Both clubs will require spectators to be fully vaccinated or to provide negative COVID-19 tests to be admitted into The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium and Mosaic Stadium, respectively.

The Riders are targeting a Sept. 17 game against the Toronto Argonauts for the new policy to go into effect, while the Elks' new protocol is set to begin with the team's Oct. 15 game versus the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

"In consultations with local medical health officers this past week, they voiced their support to begin requiring proof of vaccination at Roughrider games," Riders president Craig Reynolds said in a statement. "After speaking with our stakeholders, including the City of Regina - our stadium owner, REAL - our stadium operator, and the CFL, we decided that this is the right decision for our club and for our fans."

The Riders' release notes that children under the age of 12, who currently cannot be vaccinated, will be exempt from the protocol. The negative test used a proof of entry for partially or unvaccinated fans must be taken within 48 hours of the game.

Both the Elks and Roughriders will hold press availabilities later on Monday with more details.

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{allcanada} McDavid’s NHL MVP defense begins with defensive improvement

 

Connor McDavid did not take much time off after he and the Edmonton Oilers were swept out of the playoffs in the first round.

The unanimous NHL MVP returned to the ice in July and worked hard to improve his defensive game with an eye on building off a 105-point season in just 56 games. McDavid's preparations take another step this week, skating with more than a dozen other players at the annual BioSteel pro hockey camp, and becoming a better all-around player is his focus.

"This is one of those weeks where guys are really trying to ramp it up and dial in their details, and I'm no different," McDavid told The Associated Press. "I'm trying to keep the details where they need to be, and that way when it comes camp it's not just a light switch."

McDavid is widely considered the best player in the world but at 24 he said he feels he is just entering his prime. Last season he put up 21 more points than the next-closest player — teammate Leon Draisaitl — and had the best faceoff percentage of his career, yet there's still room to improve.

After another early playoff exit, the 2015 No. 1 pick said he thinks the the root of a deeper run is better play without the puck and in his own end. It's not easy to practice in summer skates that are more like shinny than postseason hockey, but McDavid has taken it upon himself to try.

"It's lots of battle drills, lots of little 1-on-1 things, scrimmage stuff -- just trying to stop on pucks, get into some battles and really focus on that," he said. "For me that's always kind of where the defensive game slips is when I'm not dialed into those details and stopping on pucks and supporting guys and doing all that."

According to analytics data, McDavid ranks 100% offensively at even strength and 66% on the defensive end. Still, he said, "There's always different things you can do offensively" — so don't think McDavid is satisfied with putting up 1.875 points a game, a mark only 21 players in the NHL's modern era have topped.

McDavid has been through this before after winning the Hart Trophy in 2017. Even after leading the league in scoring the following year, he knows more about himself and the details to improve on than four years ago.

"Back then, just being so young you just kind of do the same type of thing and just go out and think it's going to be the same for you," McDavid said. "Heading into my seventh year, you realize that you've always got to be building on your game, growing your game and working on a full, 200-foot game. ...

"It takes some growing up to kind of realize that. I've definitely gone through that process."

McDavid has also gone through the process of losing in the playoffs — or not making it at all. From Steve Yzerman to Alex Ovechkin, history is full of young star captains whose teams couldn't get it done in the postseason before breaking through, and McDavid is conscious of the fact that the time to get over the hump should be sooner than later.

"Everyone individually kind of understands what it takes to win the playoffs, but I think collectively just to understand how hard it is to win in the playoffs, how every little detail matters, every little play," he said. "These are all lessons that we've had to go through and we've obviously gone through them probably a little slower than we should have, but we're definitely getting there."

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Sunday, August 29, 2021

{allcanada} Emphatic win for Whitecaps over RSL in first game under new interim coach

 

VANCOUVER — Midfielder Ryan Gauld scored one goal and set up two others as the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated Real Salt Lake 4-1 Sunday night to win their first Major League Soccer game under interim coach Vanni Sartini.

Forward Brian White in the 53rd minute and defender Florian Jungwirth in the 69th also scored for the Whitecaps, who won their third consecutive game and extended their unbeaten streak to nine matches (4-0-5) before a crowd of 7,503 at BC Place.

Vancouver also took advantage of a Real Salt Lake own goal in the 33rd minute to improve their record to 6-7-8.

Anderson Julio score for Real Salt Lake in the 90th minute.

Real Salt Lake, also playing its first game under a new head coach, dropped to 7-8-6. It was RSL's second consecutive loss and the fourth in six games.

The Whitecaps fired head coach Marc Dos Santos Friday after an upset 4-3 loss to Pacific FC of the Canadian Premier League in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship. Phil Dos Santos, Marc's brother and an assistant coach with the club, was also relieved of his duties.

Sartini, the team's director of methodology, took over as acting head coach. Assistant coach Ricardo Clark and goalkeeper coach Youssef Dahha kept their jobs.

Former assistant Pablo Mastroeni took over the role of interim head coach for Real Salt Lake after it was announced Friday that Freddy Juarez and the club had parted ways.

The Whitecaps went ahead 1-0 midway through the opening half when Gauld sent the ball into the box on a corner kick. It hit RSL defender Marcelo Silva and deflected past the fingertips of goalkeeper Andrew Putna.

Early in the second half, Vancouver forward Cristian Dajome hammered a shot from a sharp angle. Putna made the save but White put in the rebound for his third goal in three MLS games.

Gauld scored in the 64th minute on a header off a cross from defender Javain Brown. Jungwirth made it 4-0 when he headed in a corner kick from Gauld.

RSL came close in the 42nd minute when Noah Powder's rocket of a shot from distance hit the post then landed at the feet of forward Justin Meram. Facing nothing but open net Meram's put his shot over the top of the goal.

Midfielder Russell Teibert came close to giving Vancouver the lead in the 18th minute. The Whitecaps captain attempted a cross into the box that deflected off the leg of RSL defender Justen Glad, forcing Putna to make a save.

NOTES: Capacity at BC Place Stadium for the game was around 13,000 with fans required to wear masks. …. Vancouver's last loss was a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Salt Lake on July 7. … Vancouver has scored six first-half goals this season with Dajome leading the way with two. … The Whitecaps played without midfielders Caio Alexandre (left foot fracture) and Michael Baldisimo (right foot irritation), striker Lucas Cavallini (left knee sprain) and defenders Erik Godoy (left calf strain), Cristian Gutierrez (left quad strain) and Jake Nerwinski (right knee). … The Whitecaps played their first eight homes games at Real Salt Lake's Rio Tinton Stadium in Sandy, Utah, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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{allcanada} Last-minute Liegghio field goal gives Blue Bombers thrilling win over Stamps

 

WINNIPEG — Marc Liegghio couldn't have asked for a better CFL debut.

The rookie Blue Bombers kicker nailed a 45-yard field goal with 37 seconds left in his first pro start and Winnipeg defeated the Calgary Stampeders 18-16 on Sunday.

"That's a first game you dream of," said Liegghio, a 24-year-old Western University product who hails from Woodbridge, Ont.

"I never thought my first game would come to that. I'm just glad I made all my field goals and helped the team get the win in the end. I missed that first (point after) early on and I wanted to make sure I was gonna be perfect from that point forward.

"It's a pretty exciting feeling hitting a game-winner and I'm gonna remember this moment forever."

Liegghio had actually attempted a 35-yarder and missed, but the Bombers (3-1) were called for a time-count violation so he got a second shot from 45 yards and watched the ball sail through.

Making his pro debut in place of injured Tyler Crapigna, Liegghio also connected on field goals from 50, 42 and 37 yards out. He missed the convert after an Andrew Harris touchdown.

Calgary veteran kicker Rene Paredes had a chance to win the game with two seconds remaining, but he missed a 52-yarder – his first miss of the season.

Paredes had booted a 33-yard field goal with 1:49 remaining to give his team a 16-15 edge before Winnipeg came back for Liegghio's memorable kick. Paredes also made field goals from 35 and 39 yards out, putting him at 12 of 13 on the season.

Harris, making his CFL season debut after missing the first three games with a calf injury, finished with 17 carries for 81 yards and one touchdown in front of 22,806 fans at IG Field that cheered after his first run.

"When you get the ball in your hands and you still feel like you can do the things you've been doing, it's always a great feeling," Harris said.

He was also impressed with Legghio.

"It's amazing. That's a lot of pressure," Harris said. "It's got to be one of the highest-pressure positions on the team. Putting him in that situation, and he knows his counterpart, Paredes, has got a big leg, too.

"He did an amazing job. He was cool, calm and collected. I'm definitely proud of what he did today, and he's going to build off that."

Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros completed 16-of-25 pass attempts for 243 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Stampeders (1-3) rookie quarterback Jake Maier threw a Calgary club-record 17 straight completions. He finished 30 of 39 for 307 yards with no TDs and no picks.

Making his second start in place of injured veteran Bo Levi Mitchell (broken leg), Maier was a perfect 16 of 16 through the first half, added another completion early in the third and then had a pass go incomplete.

Maier didn't want to talk much about the record, but said the proud moment was one he shares with his teammates and coach.

"It has to do with everybody," Maier said. "I know that's cliche for me to say, but it's absolutely true. Once the ball leaves my hand, it's up to the guy on the other end to make the play.

"Like I told somebody earlier, I mean a lot of it has to do with play calling and how efficient and how locked in coach (Dave) Dickenson was in his game plan and getting the ball out of my hands, making the reads easy."

Calgary running back Ka'Deem Carey rushed eight times for 66 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown.

"That's why I'm not down, because I really feel like our team is getting better and we're fighting," Dickenson said.

Winnipeg led 6-3 after the first quarter. Calgary was up 13-9 at halftime and had a 13-12 edge after three quarters.

"Sometimes things like this can be great for a team, especially early on," Maier said. "I think it makes us battle-tested. It's not always going to go your way.

"It comes down to a yard, it comes down to maybe one turnover, it comes down to a kick, it comes down to a big incompletion that gets us off the field."

A Calgary roughing-the-passer penalty helped get the Bombers close enough for Liegghio's winning kick.

The Stamps had 10 penalties for 104 yards, compared to Winnipeg's eight flags for 70 yards.

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{allcanada} Spooner, Daoust lead Canada to dominant quarterfinal win over Germany

 
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CALGARY — Linemates Natalie Spooner, Sarah Fillier and Melodie Daoust continued to be a productive trio for Canada at the women's world hockey championship.

The three women combined for four goals in the host country's 7-0 quarterfinal win Saturday over Germany.

Spooner scored twice and had an assist. Daoust's goal and two assists gave her a team-leading four goals and six assists in five tournament games, ahead of Spooner with four goals and five assists.

Fillier, the youngest player on Canada's roster at 21 years old, had three goals and two assists.

The Canadians awaited the outcome of a quarterfinal between Finland and the Czech Republic to know if Switzerland or the Czechs will be their semifinal opponent Monday.

Fillier, Ashton Bell and Marie-Philip Poulin each had a goal and an assist, and Brianne Jenner also scored for Canada.

Spooner, Daoust and Fillier are a new combination in Canada's attack.

"It's no secret Daoust plays with good poise and patience and has great hands and distributes the puck well," Canadian head coach Troy Ryan said.

"Natalie Spooner does a lot of the down-low work and is prepared to occupy good space in front of the net. Sarah Fillier is a finisher that plays the game with speed.

"They made sense, at least on paper. Both Daoust and Natalie are great with young players, so we knew that would help Sarah come along and gain confidence as the event went on."

Spooner says each woman brings complementary skills to the table.

"The good thing about my job is I am around the net so I get to knock in some of the garbage and tip a few pucks in," she explained.

"I've actually never had the chance to play with Melo before, so that was a new one. She definitely faked me out the first few times in practice. I thought she was going to shoot it every time. We're all so different and it's working for us."

Canadian goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer faced just three shots for her shutout.

Germany's Franziska Albl stopped 22 shots over two periods of work. Sandra Abstreiter made 23 saves in the third.

Poulin returned to Canada's lineup Saturday. The captain sat out a 5-1 win over the United States to conclude the preliminary round after taking a hard shot in the chest earlier in the tournament.

Canada topped Pool A at 4-0 and met third-placed Germany (2-2) in Pool B. As the highest-seeded semifinalist, Canada meets the lowest-seeded semifinalist Monday.

The medal games are Tuesday at WinSport's Markin MacPhail Centre.

Injuries whittled the German side down to 16 skaters in what was already going to be an uphill battle against Canada.

Nina Christof, Laura Kluge and Sonja Weidenfelder sustained various hurts in a preliminary-round loss to Japan and defender Carina Strobel was also scratched Saturday. Forward Anne Bartsch fractured her wrist before the tournament began.

Germany's ranks thinned further when defender Lena Dusterhoft was slapped with a game misconduct early in the third period for checking from behind.

"I think we said that we just wanted to leave it all out there," assistant captain Anna Reich said. "These players that unfortunately got injured in the games before, they would have done the exact same thing for us.

"So we knew that we just wanted to play our hearts out for them."

Fillier scored on a goal-mouth feed from Spooner at 13:34 of the third. Daoust produced Canada's first power-play goal of the tournament on a feed from Poulin during Dusterhoft's major.

Poulin swept a pass from Victoria Bach under Albl's glove at 15:31 of the second period after Spooner notched her second from the high slot at 8:01.

Jenner and Spooner both scored on rebounds and Bell earned her first of the tournament banking the puck off Albl in the first.

In Saturday's other quarterfinals, the U.S. downed Japan 10-2 to advance. The Americans get either the Finns or the Swiss as a semifinal opponent.

Hilary Knight led the Americans with two goals and an assist to become her country's all-time world championship points leader with a career 80.

Switzerland edged Russia 3-2 in overtime to reach the semifinals for the first time since winning bronze at the 2012 world championship in Burlington, Vt.

Laura Zimmerman scored the OT winner for the Swiss.

Since players, team personnel and officials arrived Aug. 10 in Calgary, no one had tested positive as of Friday among the 2,806 COVID-19 tests administered, the International Ice Hockey Federation said Saturday in a statement.

Hockey Canada kept the option of selling tickets for the playoff round open when the tournament began, but the organization and the host committee ultimately decided against it.

Up to 120 family members are allowed into a dedicated section of the arena.

Hungary (1-3) and Denmark (0-4) won't be relegated from Pool B.

The IIHF wants to realign relegation and promotion because lower-division world championships weren't held during the pandemic.

The IIHF also intends to introduce a women's championship into Olympic years starting next August.

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{allcanada} Senators sign goalie Filip Gustavsson to 2-year deal

 

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The Ottawa Senators signed backup goalie Filip Gustavsson to a two-year contract Sunday.

The Senators said the first year is a two-way deal worth $750,000 in the NHL and the second one way with a value of $825,000.

The 23-year-old Swede was 5-1-2 with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage in nine games for Ottawa last season. He was 5-7-1 in 13 games for Belleville in the American Hockey League.

The Senators selected Gustavsson 55th overall in the 2016 draft.

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{allcanada} Ehlers scores, Denmark qualifies for 2022 Olympics

 

Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets scored the insurance goal with 3:12 to play to help Denmark to a 2-0 win against Norway in the final qualification round for the 2022 Beijing Olympics at Jordal Amfi in Oslo, Norway, on Sunday.

It's the first time Denmark has qualified to play in the Olympics.

Ehlers, a forward, scored after taking a pass from forward Frans Nielsen, an unrestricted free agent who played for the Detroit Red Wings last season.

Slovakia and Latvia also secured Olympic berths on Sunday. Slovakia defeated Belarus 2-1 at Ondrej Nepala Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Latvia defeated France 2-0 at Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia.

NHL participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympics has not been finalized.

There is a pause in the NHL schedule from Feb. 7-22 if the League reaches an agreement with the NHL Players' Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation for NHL players to participate in the upcoming Olympics. Talks continue on outstanding issues, including securing appropriate COVID-19 insurance.

The NHL and NHLPA retain the authority to decide not to participate in the Olympics should COVID-19 conditions worsen or otherwise pose a threat to the health and safety of the players, or for any other reason that may warrant such a decision. If NHL players don't participate, the League will release a revised schedule that, to the greatest extent possible, will adopt the dates and games from the schedule announced July 22.

The 12-team ice hockey field in the 2022 Beijing Olympics has been set: Denmark, Latvia and Slovakia join Canada, the United States, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland; each had previously qualified. China rounds out the field, having automatically qualified as the host country.

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{allcanada} Jets trade for Schmidt, Dillion to add depth at defensemen

 

2020-21 season: 30-23-3, third in Scotia North Division; lost in second round of Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Key arrivals

Nate Schmidt, D: The 30-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on July 27 for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Schmidt scored 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 54 games last season. … Brenden Dillon, D: The 30-year-old was acquired from the Washington Capitals on July 26 for a second-round pick in the 2022 draft and a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Dillon scored 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in 56 games last season and one goal in five playoff games. … Riley Nash, F: The 32-year-old signed a one-year contract July 31 after scoring seven points (two goals, five assists) in 37 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets during the regular season and no points in two games for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs last season.

Key departures

Mason Appleton, F: He was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft after scoring an NHL career-high 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) in 56 games last season. … Derek Forbort, D: He signed a three-year contract with the Boston Bruins on July 28 after scoring 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 56 games and averaging 20:45 of ice time per game. … Tucker Poolman, D: He signed a four-year contract with the Canucks on July 28. He had one assist in 39 games and averaged an NHL career-high 18:18 of ice time per game. … Jordie Benn, D: He signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Wild on Aug. 27 after scoring 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 39 games for the Canucks and Jets last season.

 

On the cusp

Ville Heinola, D: The 20-year-old was the No. 20 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He didn't score a point in five games for the Jets last season, but scored 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 19 games for Manitoba of the American Hockey League and 14 points (one goal, 13 assists) in 19 games for Lukko in Liiga, the top professional hockey league in Finland. … Dylan Samberg, D: The 22-year-old was selected in the second round (No. 43) of the 2017 NHL Draft and scored seven points (one goal, six assists) in 32 games for Manitoba in his rookie pro season. … David Gustafsson, F: The 21-year-old was selected in the second round (No. 60) of the 2018 NHL Draft. Gustafsson had no points in four games for the Jets and 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 22 games for Manitoba.

What they still need

A veteran backup goalie. The Jets appear set to begin the season with Eric Comrie playing behind Connor Hellebuyck. Selected in the second round (No. 59) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Comrie is 3-5-0 with a 4.08 goals-against average and .873 save percentage in nine games (eight starts) for the Jets, Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils. He was claimed off waivers from the Devils on Feb. 18 and will get a chance to establish himself during a second tenure in Winnipeg. But if it doesn't work out, the Jets may look elsewhere.

They said it

"I just really liked how this is shaping up, how this Jets team is being put together. We have a great team, we have a great group of forwards, a fantastic goaltender, and now our defense is looking like a defense that could, in my opinion, help you win and go help you win the whole thing, and that's what we want." -- defenseman Nate Schmidt

Fantasy focus

Forward Pierre-Luc Dubois struggled to maintain fantasy relevance with 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 41 games for Winnipeg last season and three assists in seven postseason games. That said, Dubois should be a fixture in the top six this season, has fantasy bounce-back appeal and should score closer to his point total from 2018-19 (61 in 82 games) with likely exposure to at least one valuable forward in Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Connor or Blake Wheeler. -- Rob Reese

Projected lineup

Kyle Connor -- Mark Scheifele -- Blake Wheeler

Paul Stastny -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Nikolaj Ehlers

Andrew Copp -- Adam Lowry -- Kristian Vesalainen

Jansen Harkins -- David Gustafsson -- Riley Nash

Josh Morrissey -- Nate Schmidt

Brenden Dillon -- Neal Pionk

Logan Stanley -- Dylan DeMelo

Connor Hellebuyck

Eric Comrie

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