{allcanada} Fernandez, Dabrowski headline Canadian lineup for Billie Jean King Cup Finals

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Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada's five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.

The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour's singles rankings. 

Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women's doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.

Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada's 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver's Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.

"Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis," Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. "Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way. 

"At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we'll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year's finals."

Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada's first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.

Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga's Martin Carpena Arena.

Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.

Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.

Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title. 

Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.

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{allcanada} Canada's Carol Zhao advances to second round of Korea Open

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Canada's Carol Zhao won her first main-draw match since May at the Korea Open on Monday.

Zhao, from Richmond Hill, Ont., downed world No. 332 Back Dayeon of Korea 6-4, 6-1 in the opening round of the WTA Tour 500 event.

The 272nd-ranked Zhao won two qualifying matches over the weekend to secure her spot in the main draw.

Zhao, 29, next faces No. 4 seed Diana Shnaider of Russia in the round of 16.

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{allcanada} Canucks sign G Ferguson to PTO

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed goaltender Dylan Ferguson to a professional tryout agreement on Sunday. 

General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the #Canucks have signed G Dylan Ferguson to a PTO.

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 16, 2024

Ferguson, 25, spent the 2023-24 season in the KHL with Minsk Dynamo, putting up a 9-9-0 record with a .904 save percentage and 2.51 goals-against average in 23 appearances. 

A seventh-round pick (194th overall) by the Dallas Stars in 2017, Ferguson was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights two days after being drafted along with a second-round pick in exchange for defenceman Marc Methot. 

He has appeared in one NHL game for Vegas and two for the Ottawa Senators, going 1-1-0 with a .929 save percentage and 2.81 GAA.

The Lantzville, B.C. native backstopped the ECHL's Fort Wayne Comets to the Kelly Cup in 2021. He has also appeared in 29 AHL contests split between the Chicago Wolves, Henderson Silver Knights, Toronto Marlies and Belleville Senators. 

Demko, Silovs statuses remain TBD

The Canucks' goaltending situation feels precarious with both Thatcher Demko and Arturs Silovs dealing with knee injuries.

Demko has been rehabbing an injured knee since last season's playoffs, which knocked him out in the first round. The Canucks made it to the second round before bowing out in seven games to the Edmonton Oilers.

Meanwhile, Silovs was unable to compete for Latvia in qualifying play for the 2026 Olympics due to knee inflammation. 

On Sept. 6, Canucks president Jim Rutherford said little when asked about the status of his two goaltenders. 

"Fair to say that we will wait until they get their training camp physicals," Rutherford said.

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{allcanada} Canada advances to Davis Cup Final 8, thanks to Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime

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Canada progressed to the Final 8 of the Davis Cup on Sunday, sweeping aside Great Britain 2-1 before a home crowd in Manchester, thanks to singles wins by Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime.

Great Britain needed to sweep the 2022 champions in order to advance, but instead, it was Canada that emerged as Group C winners, having gone undefeated (3-0), beating Finland and Argentina beforehand. Canada's match record was 7-1.

Shapovalov started Sunday's tie with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Daniel Evans. Auger-Aliassime followed that up with a 7-6 (8), 7-5 win against Jack Draper, who previously defeated the Montrealer in a match in Cincinnati last month that ended in controversy.

"Yeah, I'm definitely very happy to get the win. Obviously, Daniel [Evans] is an extremely tough player, he's a tricky opponent, he fights so well. You saw that in the second set, he was clawing his way back," said Shapovalov in a statement from Tennis Canada. "But I don't think I've ever played a cleaner first set in my life, so I'm definitely happy with the level I was able to bring, and I'm super happy to be able to get this win." 

The Final 8 tournament will take place in Malaga, Spain in November.

The U.S., Germany, Spain, Australia, Argentina, and Italy have also secured spots in the final, with either the Netherlands or Brazil getting the final invite.

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{allcanada} Armstrong scores, surging Whitecaps beat slumping Earthquakes

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VANCOUVER — Stuart Armstrong scored his first Major League Soccer goal and the Vancouver Whitecaps continued their hot streak Saturday, blanking the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0.

Fafa Picault also found the back of the net for the 'Caps (13-8-6) and Ryan Gauld contributed a pair of assists.

Vancouver is now unbeaten in its last four games across all competitions and sits fifth in the MLS Western Conference with less than a month to go in regular-season play.

The loss officially eliminated the last-place Earthquakes (5-21-2) from post-season action.

Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka stopped both shots he faced to collect his seventh clean sheet of the year, while Daniel made 9 saves for the Quakes.

Vancouver was the dominant side from the start on Saturday and did not relent across the match, outshooting the visitors 19-5 and controlling 54.1 per cent of possession.

The 'Caps came tantalizingly close to scoring several times early on Saturday.

Captain Gauld curled a ball into Picault in the 22nd minute and the Haitian striker headed the ball down toward the net, only to see Daniel catch a piece of the shot with his forearm and redirect it out of harm's way.

Gauld and Picault connected again in the 35th minute on a Vancouver corner. Gauld swung a ball in and Picault jumped up from the pack to send a glancing header in past the San Jose 'keeper for his ninth MLS goal of the season.

The home side came dangerously close to taking a 2-0 lead into the locker room when Pedro Vite touched a ball to Gauld at the top of the area in the 45th minute. The Scottish attacking midfielder launched a blistering shot that skimmed just over the crossbar.

Vancouver outshot the visitors 8-3 across the first half and held a 5-2 edge in on-target shots.

Early in the second half, the woodwork played spoiler once again when Picault's header pinged off the crossbar, denying the 'Caps a two-goal lead in the 51st minute.

San Jose briefly appeared to level the score in the 68th minute when an unmarked Ousseni Bouda collected the ball, froze Takaoka and tapped a shot into the Vancouver net. A linesman quickly raised the offside flag and waved off the tally.

Daniel kept San Jose's deficit to a single goal with a pair of solid stops in the 82nd minute.

First, the Brazilian 'keeper dove sideways on his line to tip away a bomb from 'Caps midfielder Alessandro Schopf. He was tested again on the ensuing corner and jumped up to send a header from Picault over the crossbar.

Three minutes after coming on as a substitute for Schopf, Armstrong gave Vancouver a two-goal cushion in the 87th minute. Vite dished a short pass to Gauld, who tapped it toward his countryman, Armstrong, who blasted a shot into the top of the net for his first strike in a Whitecaps' jersey.

The 32-year-old Scottish midfielder signed with Vancouver on Sept. 3.

NOTES

Vancouver played without leading scorer Brian White for a third consecutive game as the American striker works his way back from a concussion. … Gauld's assist marked his 15th goal contribution (six goals, nine assists) in his last 15 Whitecaps games across all competitions. … An announced crowd of 21,309 took in the game at B.C. Place.

UP NEXT

The Whitecaps kick off a two-game road swing Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo. The Earthquakes host the Seattle Sounders the same night.

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{allcanada} Toronto FC downs Austin FC to pick up three much-needed points in MLS playoff push

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TORONTO — Needing three points to keep their playoff push alive, Toronto FC's Jonathan Osorio and Deandre Kerr stepped up with first-half goals against Austin FC on Saturday with goalkeeper Sean Johnson doing his bit at the other end.

A 76th-minute goal by Austin's Owen Wolff made for a nervy ending but TFC hung on for a 2-1 win.

While Toronto (11-15-3) remains on the Major League Soccer playoff bubble in eighth place in the Eastern Conference (the eighth- and ninth-place teams in each conference square off in a wild-card playoff with the winner facing the top seed in the conference), other results went their way.

Seventh-place Charlotte, 10th-place Atlanta and 11th-place Philadelphia all lost while ninth-place D.C. United tied.

Toronto midfielder Alonso Coello called it "a game we had to win."

"It's a big win … To see that fight tonight was important," added coach John Herdman.

Austin (9-12-7) came into the game in 11th place in the West, two points below ninth-place Minnesota. The Texas side has won just one of its last six league games (1-4-1).

Austin outshot Toronto 7-6 (6-2 edge in shots on target) in the first half but found itself trailing 2-0 at the break as Toronto took advantage of its chances and the visitors didn't in their first-ever visit to BMO Field, before an announced crowd of 25,538.

Toronto had a dream start, catching Austin on the counterattack in the seventh minute. A sliding Austin player dispossessed an onrushing Kerr, who had been set free by a long ball from Coello, but the ball bounced to Osorio, who beat goalkeeper Brad Stuver with a rising shot.

It was the Toronto captain's second goal of the season in league play and his 65th for TFC in all competitions. Only Sebastian Giovinco (83) and Jozy Altidore (79) scored more in Toronto colours.

TFC went ahead on another counterattack in the 30th minute after an Austin giveaway. Osorio found Richie Laryea outpacing his marker and the wingback unselfishly sent a perfect low cross across goal for Kerr to knock home for his third of the season.

Wolff, the son of Austin head coach Josh Wolff, made it interesting with his late strike. The 19-year-old U.S. youth international, controlling a long ball, beat defender Raoul Petretta and then waited out Johnson before slotting it home for his first of the season.

Toronto survived a nervy six minutes of stoppage time as Austin pressed for the equalizer. Austin outshot Toronto 14-9 (8-3 in shots on target) and had 52.5 per cent possession.

The win evened Toronto's home record at 7-7-0, while Austin slipped to 3-8-3 on the road.

It was a costly evening for Austin with defender Brendan Hines-Ike, midfielder Jhojan Valencia and star attacker Sebastian Driussi allpicking up cautions to miss Wednesday's game with Los Angeles FC due to yellow-card accumulation.

Toronto defender Shane O'Neill will miss Wednesday's game against visiting Columbus for the same reason. Toronto could be short mid-week, too. The hope is veteran centre back Kevin Long, who missed Saturday's game after tweaking his hamstring in training, will be good to go.

Toronto has five games remaining, including three more at home as it looks to return to the post-season for the first time since 2020 when it lost to Nashville after extra time at the first hurdle.

It is a challenging road.

TFC hosts Columbus, the New York Red Bulls and Inter Miami while playing away at the Colorado Rapids and Chicago Fire. All but Chicago are in playoff positions.

The only previous meeting between Toronto and Austin was in May 2023, when Zardes scored a 91st-minute winner to give Austin a 1-0 win over visiting Toronto, which was then mired at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. That loss prompted a post-game outburst from Italian star Federico Bernardeschi about TFC's drab play.

Then-coach Bob Bradley benched Bernardeschi for the next game.

Current coach John Herdman made four changes to his starting 11 with Bernardeschi and Osorio returning from suspension and Coello and Kerr also slotting in. Coello, who had missed the last eight league games with a hamstring injury, was impressive in his 59-minute return.

Both Toronto and Austin suffered home losses last time out going into the international break. Toronto was beaten 3-1 by D.C. United while Austin lost 1-0 to Vancouver.

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{allcanada} CF Montreal finds its groove with win over Charlotte

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MONTREAL — CF Montreal is back in the win column after securing a 2-1 Major League Soccer win over Charlotte FC on Saturday night at Stade Saputo.

Montreal's form had suffered of late, with just one win in MLS since July, but Laurent Courtois' squad showed a level of poise and control over the tempo of the game that had not been seen since the beginning of the season.

"What we've changed in the last few weeks or months in terms of our methodology or coaching, is nothing. We did the exact thing, We had the exact same words, and we expressed them the exact same way," said Courtois. "Today, everything just clicked."

Caden Clark scored for the first time as a Montreal (7-12-9) player in the 23rd minute, in addition to Bryce Duke's goal three minutes later that ended up being the winner, while Tim Ream found the back of the net for Charlotte (10-10-8).

Montreal had the first major scoring chance of the match after 15 minutes of play. With a free kick roughly 25 metres away from goal, Gabriele Corbo sent a near-perfect shot smashing off the crossbar.

Montreal would continue to dictate the tempo in the opening phase, finding first blood just seven minutes later.

Following a phenomenal triple-save from Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, the ball fell to Clark who volleyed the ball into the wide-open net, picking up his first goal for the club.

"I think you don't lose the feeling (of scoring), everything happens for a reason, you just can't lose yourself in the chaos," said Clark, who had missed a full season due to injury and was briefly without a club, but was grateful for Courtois' confidence in him.

"(To have a coach's confidence) is huge and is something I've had both ends of so you just can't take advantage of that in the wrong way. I'm going to keep my discipline with the game plan and keep my head right."

With momentum completely on their side, the home side doubled the lead just three minutes later. Montreal continued to build up play on the left flank and found a streaking Raheem Edwards in behind the defence who cut the ball back to Duke, sending the Stade Saputo crowd into a frenzy.

Just after the half-hour mark, Charlotte pulled one back through a set piece — something Montreal has struggled defending all season — as Ream rose above everyone at the back post to score his first with his new club.

The second half began in a similar fashion to the end of the first, with Charlotte pressing high up the pitch and forcing several turnovers in dangerous areas. After surviving the pressure, Montreal began to regain control of the game near the hour mark, enjoying the lion's share of the possession while Charlotte looked to hit back on the counterattack.

"I think when we conceded that goal we were like 'here we go again.' 2-1 is a tough lead before halftime … and at the beginning of the half we kind of shot ourselves in the foot and they pressed a bit more, they moved a bit more forward and that opened some gaps," said captain Samuel Piette.

"I was happy with that, it shows character. At the end of the day, we just wanted the three points and that's what we got."

As the game progressed, Charlotte pushed harder to find an equalizer but to no avail. With only one shot on target conceded, the second-worst defence in the league put up an impressive front and confidently rebuffed every single Charlotte attack.

"I'm a big fan of the back five's performance in their discipline, competitiveness, and synchronization with balls in behind," said Courtois.

"We can't explain sometimes in a game it's not there, they're capable and today they showed it. Let's see tomorrow."

UP NEXT

Both teams are back in action on Sept. 18 away from home as Montreal will look to avenge a 5-0 rout against the New England Revolution while Charlotte visits Orlando City SC.

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{allcanada} Elks add defensive lineman Leonard, five others to practice roster

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EDMONTON — A.C. Leonard is back with the Edmonton Elks.

The CFL club added the veteran defensive lineman and five other players to its practice roster Saturday.

Leonard spent last season in the Alberta capital when he tied for the team lead with a career-high 12 sacks.

The 32-year-old from Palatka, Fla., has also spent time with the B.C. Lions, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Ottawa Redblacks since first entering the league back in 2015.

Leonard has 280 defensive tackles, 51 sacks, eight forced fumbles and an interception in 108 regular-season games.

Edmonton also signed American defensive back Myles Brooks, American wide receiver Dontay Demus Jr., National kicker Campbell Fair, American defensive lineman John McCartan and American offensive lineman Eric Miller to the team's expanded practice roster.

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{allcanada} Stampeders, Alouettes battle to tie

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CALGARY — The Calgary Stampeders may have snapped a four-game losing streak and the Montreal Alouettes may have remained unbeaten on the road, but Saturday's 19-19 tie was unsatisfying for both football clubs.

Atop the CFL at 10-2-1 and a playoff spot already locked in, the Alouettes could feel more cheerful about a stalemate than the Stampeders (4-8-1) at the bottom of the West Division.

"I thought that was one of the weirdest games I've played in my entire career. The first draw of my career," Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo said.

"There's worse situations. We could have lost the football game. Getting one point out of it is better than nothing."

What made the game weird was neither side parlayed breaks, including gaffes by the opposition, into any momentum.

Penalties also hampered their progress with clubs combining for 201 lost yards.

"There was a lot of things you should feel pretty good about other than the game ended in a tie, but 19 (points) probably not enough to win still," Stampeder quarterback Jake Maier said. "We've got to push that number to another touchdown or two if we want better results."

The Stampeders are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004. A single point was cold comfort for head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson.

"We haven't had a win in awhile," Dickenson said. "It's tough for our guys to feel good about that. There were multiple occasions I felt we could have taken the game over."

The two clubs traded field goals in overtime.

Fajardo completed 19 of 26 pass attempts for 204 yards and scored a rushing touchdown in his third start since he was sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring injury.

Montreal's Jose Maltos kicked field goals from 53 and 42 yards, and from 30 and 37 yards in overtime.

His Stampeders counterpart Rene Paredes was good from 14 and 16 yards, missed from 51 and 52 yards, and then made a pair of 42-yarders in OT in front of an announced 20,187 at McMahon Stadium.

Maier was 29-of-37 in passing for 236 yards. He was restored to starter after backing up Logan Bonner in a 37-16 road loss to the Edmonton Elks.

Maier threw four interceptions in a 35-20 loss to the Elks on Labour Day, which prompted the quarterback shuffle.

"I thought Jake had a really good comeback game," Dickenson said. "I was impressed. I thought he threw the ball well. I thought he handled their blitz well. I thought he was confident in the pocket."

Calgary's Marken Michel had a touchdown catch and Dedrick Mills rushed for 122 yards.

Up 13-10, the Stampeders were on Montreal's 15-yard line with just over two minutes to go, but undid the work to get there with a major penalty on each of their next two possessions.

Paredes' 52-yard attempt was wide right and Montreal had the ball with a minute to play.

Fajardo marched the offence downfield. With a second remaining on the clock, Maltos tied the game with a 42-yard field goal.

Calgary led 10-7 with five minutes left in the first half when backup quarterback Tommy Stevens — inserted for a short-yardage touchdown attempt — fumbled on the two-yard line and turned the ball over.

Montreal's Mustafa Johnson recovered teammate Justin Sambu's knock-down of a Maier pass and rumbled for the end zone as the clock ticked down on the half.

Stampeder running back Peyton Logan brought down the defensive tackle at the five-yard line to preserve Calgary's three-point lead at the half.

Montreal's Sean Thomas-Erlington blocked a Cody Grace punt and corralled the ball in the end zone early in the second quarter.

Instead of a touchdown, however, the Alouette was assessed a penalty for roughing the kicker.

But Walter Fletcher's 55-yard dash up the middle set up Fajardo's three-yard touchdown early in the quarter.

Maier threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Michel in the end zone on Calgary's second possession.

The hosts didn't convert Montreal's fumble on the subsequent kickoff into a bigger lead.

James Letcher Jr. lost the ball on the Alouettes' 23-yard line. The Stampeders eked a 14-yard field goal out of the turnover.

PERPETUAL PAREDES

Paredes moved into a tie for second in all-time Stampeder games with his 224th on Saturday. He drew even with defensive back and kicker Larry Robinson (1961-75). Kicker Mark McLoughlin (1988-2003) is the all-time leader with 276.

INDIGENOUS NIGHT

Saturday's Indigenous Night game was radio broadcast in the Blackfoot language by Butch Wolfleg and Jacob Leblanc, in addition to the customary English broadcast.

Stampeder players wore orange jerseys during warm-up and their helmets featured a special horse logo to honour and raise awareness of thousands of Indigenous children sent to residential schools.

UP NEXT

The Stampeders are home Friday to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Montreal Alouettes continue a run of three straight road games next Saturday against the Ottawa Redblacks.

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{allcanada} Savoie savors 1st game in Oilers jersey, looking forward to more

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PENTICTON, British Columbia -- It wasn't the first time Matthew Savoie pulled on an Edmonton Oilers jersey when he debuted with his favorite childhood team at the Young Stars Classic on Friday, but the 20-year-old admitted it's probably the sweetest.

To date, anyway.

"It's pretty special," Savoie said. "I got to do it for the first time right before the game. I kind of got to look at it and think how special it was and think what the kid in me would be thinking right now. It's just pretty cool.

"Right before you put it on you just take a second to look at the logo and turn it around and throw it over your shoulders. It's a pretty good feeling. It was a pretty special feeling for sure."

Savoie grew up a fan of the team in Edmonton's neighboring suburb community of St. Albert, and joined the organization when he was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for forwards Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio on July 5.

It's given Savoie a chance to live out a lifelong fantasy.

"It was definitely a dream of mine since I was young just to play in the NHL, but furthermore play for the hometown team," he said. "It's pretty cool just to get that first taste."

The goal is to tug on that Edmonton sweater again, and often.

Savoie (5-foot-9, 179 pounds) said he's envisioned what it might be like to put on an Oilers jersey game-in, game-out, but is also aware of the danger of getting lost in that thought.

"I mean, personally I try to stay as present as possible and try to live in the moment and that's right now," said Savoie, who was selected by the Sabres with the No. 9 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. "When that moment comes, hopefully it's soon, it's going to be a dream come true and I'm going to take it all in."

There's still work to be done, however, for Savoie to reach that mark, with the possibility that he could begin the season with Bakersfield in the American Hockey League.

"Sense, skill, compete... he's a skilled player," said Rick Pracey, Edmonton's director of amateur scouting. "He can make plays. I like his offensive acumen. He's just basically a good hockey player.

"And then already having two years of development and obviously he played pro and at the National level and his junior club's winning... his timeline is very helpful. He's closer to being an entry-level pro. We'll see how the progress grows, but we think he's the type of player that can challenge from within."

Savoie's development path to date has been a winding one. Including his appearance at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he served as an alternate captain for Canada, he played for five teams during the 2023-24 season.

He played one game for the Sabres, making his NHL debut on Nov. 10, 2023, and was sent to Rochester of the AHL, where he scored five points (two goals, three assists) in six games. Savoie then returned to Wenatchee of the Western Hockey League, where he had 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 11 games before being traded to Moose Jaw.

There, he had 47 points (19 goals, 28 assists) in 23 regular-season games and 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 19 playoff games, helping Moose Jaw win its first WHL championship and a berth in the 2024 Memorial Cup.

"As a player it's a lot," Savoie said. "As a person it's a lot. Moving around so much, it takes a little bit of a toll on you. I take the experiences as positives and went into each of them with a learning mindset and I think I took a lot away from all those coaches I played for and teammates I played with. I just took it as a developmental year and had a lot of fun with it."

He's looking for a more permanent home in 2024-25.

Ideally, it would be close to home, too.

"That would mean the world to me," said Savoie, whose brother Carter Savoie was drafted by Edmonton in the fourth round (No. 100) in the 2020 NHL Draft and spent parts of three seasons in the Oilers organization but did not play an NHL game.

"It's up to me to go and do it and go show I'm capable of being there and contributing there. I'm just looking to continue to get my legs under me, continue to get back to how I can play and go show them what I can do."

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{allcanada} Kelly leads Argonauts past Lions as Rourke benched

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VANCOUVER — Chad Kelly and the Toronto Argonauts snapped their two-game losing skid in decisive fashion Friday night, downing the B.C. Lions 33-17.

Argos quarterback Kelly connected on 18-of-28 pass attempts for 268 yards, including a touchdown, and added a rushing major.

Lirim Hajrullahu made six field goals for Toronto (8-6), including a 51-yard kick to open the scoring in the first quarter.

Nathan Rourke went six for 12, throwing for 110 yards for the Lions (7-7). He also contributed a rushing TD before he was replaced with veteran quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. to start the third.

Adams, playing his first game since suffering a knee injury on Aug. 1, had 75 passing yards and an interception. B.C. turned to depth QB Chase Brice late in the fourth and the American threw for 32 yards with a touchdown.

Toronto's defence wreaked havoc on the Lions' quarterbacks, amassing seven sacks for 57 yards.

B.C.'s offensive woes started early as Rourke struggled to connect with his receivers. The Lions amassed four two-and-outs across the first quarter alone.

Toronto had trouble working its way into the redzone through the opening frame, but Hajrullahu steadily put up points with a trio of field goals.

Late in the quarter, Javarion Grant dashed up the field for an 80-yard punt return that gave the Argos a first down at the Lions' 15-yard line. B.C.'s defence forced the visitors into a third-down situation and when Toronto went for the major, they were called for a procedural foul.

Hajrullahu saved the series with a 15-yard field goal that put the Argos up 9-0 at the end of the first.

The Lions lost a major player just over three minutes into the second when Alexander Hollins went down hard when trying to reel in a long bomb from Rourke. The American wide receiver spent several minutes being looked at by medical staff on the field before walking straight to the locker room favouring his left shoulder. He did not return to the game.

Kicker Sean Whyte got B.C. onto the scoreboard midway through the second with a 40-yard field goal that cut Toronto's lead to 9-3.

The Argos replied about five minutes later when Hajrullahu sent a 31-yard kick sailing through the uprights, boosting his team's cushion to 12-3.

Rourke rallied late in the first half, sailing a 31-yard pass to Justin McInnis deep in Toronto territory.

With the Lions stationed at the nine-yard line, the Canadian quarterback surveyed his options before electing to take the ball himself, sprinting nine yards in for a touchdown. Whyte added a convert and B.C.'s deficit shrunk to 12-10.

The Argos weren't content to close out the half with a two-point lead, however.

As the seconds ticked down, Kelly found Makai Polk midfield and the slotback took off for a 36-yard gain. The duo connected again moments later when the quarterback fired an 11-yard pass to Polk in the end zone. Hajrullahu added a single point as Toronto took a 19-10 advantage into the locker room.

The kicker continued his dominance early in the third quarter with a 27-yard field goal that put the Argos up 22-10.

Late in the frame, Damonte Coxie collected a toss from Kelly, deked his way around the Lions' defence, and worked his way to B.C.'s eight-yard line. Kelly capitalized two plays later, rushing eight yards into the end zone. Another successful convert from Hajrullahu gave Toronto a 29-10 lead.

The Lions had an opportunity to eat into the deficit before the end of the third, but Whyte missed his 47-yard field goal and B.C. settled for a single.

Hajrullahu sealed the score at 32-11 with a 45-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

B.C. head coach Rick Campbell turned to his third quarterback of the night late in the fourth.

Brice dished off to Terrell, who wove his way through the Argos offence and in for a touchdown with less than two minutes on the game clock.

The Lions tried for an extra point on the conversion only to see Brice stopped about a yard from the goal line.

Toronto added a single on a rouge with 45 seconds left on the clock.

NOTES

Lions defensive back Garry Peters played his 100th consecutive CFL game. … B.C. linebacker Maxime Rouyer left the game with a pectoral injury in the first half and did not return.

UP NEXT

The Argos will battle the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Toronto next Friday. The Lions are on a bye next week and will return to play Sept. 27 when they host the Ticats.

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{allcanada} Lekkerimaki set to show off progress for Canucks at Young Stars Classic

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Jonathan Lekkerimaki isn't much of a golfer, but he understands the golfer's mindset -- all you can do is hit the next shot.

That approach is what helped the Vancouver Canucks forward prospect go from a disappointing 2022-23 to a 2023-24 that saw him named Swedish Hockey League rookie of the year and the top junior player in Sweden.

"I work [on] that a lot," Lekkerimaki said of his mental approach. "Every shift is a different one. I think that sticks out for me."

Most of Lekkerimaki's shifts last season were good ones. He led Orebro with 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 46 games. It was the most goals and points by a teenager in the SHL (he turned 20 on July 24), and the most by any under-20 player in the league since Emil Bemstrom (23 goals, 35 points) in 2018-19.

Lekkerimaki also was named the most valuable player at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, tying for the tournament lead with seven goals in seven games and helping Sweden win the silver medal.

He finished the season with two points (one goal, one assist) in six games with Abbotsford of the American Hockey League.

All that success is a far cry from 2022-23, when he had nine points (three goals, six assists) in 29 games with Djurgarden in Allsvenskan, the second-highest league in Sweden.

Jumping from Sweden's junior league to playing with and against older competition seemed to overwhelm Lekkerimaki at times.

Some of that could have been attributed to a shortened offseason of training, which included traveling to Montreal for the 2022 NHL Draft, where the Canucks selected him with the No. 15 pick, followed by rookie camp before returning home to Sweden.

"He's not the guy who's just jumping right in, like here I am, I'm taking everything by storm, and off you go," said Mikael Samuelsson, who works in player development for the Canucks. "That whole summer with the draft, development camp, it was [overwhelming] a little bit. He was like, 'I don't know what to think. It was a big impression for me, and now I didn't have the off-ice time that I wanted.'"

Despite Lekkerimaki's struggles, Samuelsson saw some good, and a lot of it carried into last season. A more stable offseason of training, a familiarity with the level of competition and the move to Orebro set up Lekkerimaki for the success he had in 2023-24.

Lekkerimaki (5-foot-11, 172 pounds) said he felt stronger entering last season and feels even more ready this season with a spot in the NHL a possibility.

"This was a long summer, so hopefully I will get some results," he said. "I feel stronger and faster."

Samuelsson believes that additional strength will help Lekkerimaki in board battles as he moves to the smaller rinks in North America this season.

"From the development side, I think he has steps to go in the physical game," he said. "What I mean with that is, like, how you play in traffic, are you still strong on the puck when it matters, can you win races on the boards and actually come out with the puck from boards. That's the thing he needs to adjust to. He needs to see that it's really important in all the smaller rinks, because it happens all the time. I think he can do it. I think he will adjust in time. I really believe he can be a good player. But when? How fast will you take those steps? That's the question I have in my head."

Lekkerimaki said he believes he is better prepared to give an affirmative answer to those questions, starting this weekend with the Young Stars Classic prospect tournament in Penticton, British Columbia, then into training camp.

The offseason departures of forwards Ilya Mikheyev (trade, Chicago Blackhawks) and Elias Lindholm (free agent, Boston Bruins) leaves a spot among the top six forward group open. But Lekkerimaki understands if he has to start the season in the AHL.

It's part of that play-the-next-shot-where-it-lies mindset.

"Yeah, just train hard and play hard," he said.

Samuelsson is looking forward to what Lekkerimaki can accomplish.

"I know this, he's up to the challenge," Samuelsson said.

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{allcanada} Matthews reveals what Celebrini can expect living with Jumbo

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Auston Matthews is envious of what Macklin Celebrini is set to experience during his rookie NHL season. 

And no, it's not what the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft will experience on the ice but rather what living with Sharks icon Joe Thornton will be like that is fueling the jealousy. 

After all, the Toronto Maple Leafs star captain knows exactly what Celebrini can expect. 

"I'm kind of jealous," Matthews told NHL.com. 

In October 2020, after 15 memorable seasons with San Jose, Thornton, affectionately known as "Jumbo," signed with the Maple Leafs as an unrestricted free agent. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league was forced to realign due to travel restrictions, creating a Canadian division.

It was then that Thornton, Matthews and teammate William Nylander decided to move in together for an initial two-week quarantine.

"'Jumbo' got the master," Matthews said. "We all had our own rooms. I was down in the basement. The rink was just, like, a two-second walk. It had a gymnastics area, a basketball court. We would play a basketball game, 2-on-2, to warm up, and then we'd get on the ice.

"Yeah, it was two weeks of just hanging out. Jumbo just made it, like, so fun because of who he is. It was our first interaction with him. Yeah, we had an unbelievable time. Those two weeks flew by."

But the Matthews-Thornton housemate experience didn't end there. 

Following the two-week quarantine, Thornton moved into Matthews' apartment as he waited for his family to make the move to Canada from the Bay Area.

The pair would go on to live together for another two weeks, extending the fun.

"It was awesome," Matthews added. "It was so fun. We'd just watch sports, hang out. But like, he always had to be doing something, so if we were on the couch for a little bit, he's like, 'All right, let's go for a rollerblade.' We'd strap on our rollerblades and go wheel around.

"He's definitely a lot of fun to hang out with. I remember I went to my room, and I had to make a phone call. I came back, and he had his hockey skates on in the house, and he had them all taped up. He was just, like, breaking them in. He was walking around the house in hockey skates. No shirt.

"My dog was there, and he was hanging out with my dog. I'm like, 'This is so good.'"

From Celebrini's draft announcement in June in Las Vegas to development camp, Thornton and the Sharks' teen phenom have had opportunities to get to know one another over the offseason. 

But perhaps nothing is going to prepare Celebrini for what he will experience living with the Sharks legend and former No. 1 overall draft pick.  

"As far as what he can expect, it's going to be so much fun," Matthews concluded. "He wakes up every day -- no coffee, so much energy. There's no bad days in his life. He brings it every day, and it's just so fun to be around.

"I think he's going to really enjoy it. Living with him, I'm sure he's going to learn a lot. Jumbo's great as far as just, like, supporting people and keeping things light. He's going to really enjoy it."

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{allcanada} Oilers' Evander Kane scheduled to undergo sports hernia surgery

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Evander Kane will take the surgical route in an attempt to deal with a lingering injury.

The Edmonton Oilers forward is scheduled for sports hernia surgery in the next 10 days, Sportsnet's Mark Spector reported Friday.

Kane, 33, played through the injury last season, though it eventually sidelined him in the Stanley Cup Final, where he missed five of seven games. He had 24 goals and 20 assists in 77 regular-season games before adding four goals and four assists in 20 playoff games.

Spector said the results of the surgery will help determine a clearer timeline and how the Oilers approach their salary-cap situation.

According to PuckPedia, Edmonton has $946,000 in cap space as the 2024-25 season nears. That includes Kane's $5.125-million AAV. 

"Either he's going to be off LTI and just part of your normal team capture or, if he is going to be out for longer than 24 days and 10 games, he can go on long-term injury but you need, as a team, to be able to activate him when he returns from that injury," Oilers GM Stan Bowman said last month. "So, that's something that came into a lot of our discussions, was, 'You may be able to start the season in long-term injury if that's the case and he's going to be out at least a month, but we have to have a gameplan for when he's healthy and ready to play.'"

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{allcanada} ‘American Horror Stories’ Sets Premiere Date For Five-Episode Hulu Event; Debby Ryan, Victor Garber, Michael Imperioli Among Cast

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FX's American Horror Stories is set to premiere its latest installment, and of course, it's just in time for Halloween. All five episodes of the "Huluween" event will drop on Tuesday, October 15 on Hulu (and via Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers). The series will also premiere October 15 on Disney+ in Canada and will be coming to Disney+ internationally. Check local listings for dates.

American Horror Stories is a spin-off of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's American Horror Story. American Horror Stories, now in its third installment, is an anthology series that will feature a different horror story each episode.

The five new spooky tales features a cast that includes Michael Imperioli, Henry Winkler, Dyllón Burnside, Debby Ryan, Jeff Hiller, Jessica Barden, Angel Bismark Curiel, Guy Burnet, Victor Garber, June Squibb, among others.

Since 2011, the creators of AHS have redefined the horror genre with various installments featuring a creepy asylum, a coven of witches, a traveling freak show, a haunted hotel and the apocalypse itself. The television series sprouted a legion of dedicated fans who anticipate what terrors the next chapter will hold. 

The series is executive produced by Murphy, Falchuk, Alexis Martin Woodall, Max Winkler, Manny Coto and Jon Robin Baitz. The franchise is produced by 20th Television.

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{allcanada} tampeders expected to start QB Maier Saturday against Alouettes

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Quarterback Jake Maier is expected to get the start for the Calgary Stampeders in Saturday's matchup against the Montreal Alouettes.

Maier was benched for last week's 37-16 loss to the Edmonton Elks after tossing four interceptions in the Labour Day Classic. Logan Bonner got his first career CFL start and threw five interceptions in the blowout loss.

Watch the Stampeders and Alouettes LIVE on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on TSN1/5, the TSN App, and TSN.ca.

The Stampeders (4-8) have lost four games in a row and are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004. They sit last in the West Division.

Maier, 27, has played 12 games this season, passing for 2,921 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Over his four-year CFL career, all with the Stampeders, Maier has thrown for 10,765 yards, 53 touchdowns, and 36 interceptions.

"I need to step back and figure out what is going to resonate and who is going to listen and who is willing to put in the hard work," Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson said after Saturday's blowout loss. "It's not going to change overnight, though. Right now we are not a good football team, we are not doing a lot of things well. We are doing very little well."

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{allcanada} Canada remains unbeaten at Davis Cup with win over Finland

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MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Canada, Australia and Germany remained unbeaten in the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals after each winning their second straight match on Thursday, while Czech player Tomas Machac retired injured for the second time in two days after playing only six minutes.

Canada won 3-0 against Finland, Australia beat the Czech Republic by the same score, and Germany swept aside Chile 3-0.

Denis Shapovalov beat Eero Vasa 7-6 (2), 6-2 and Felix Auger-Aliassime followed up with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Otto Virtanen for the 2022 Davis Cup champions in Manchester, England.

There was an element of revenge after Canada lost to Finland in last year's quarterfinals.

"Everybody's in good spirits, so it's very good," Auger-Aliassime said. "Any motivation is good, but I think it's a different year, a different time, and (last year's loss) was behind us. This year we have a full team and everybody's playing better than last year. Everybody's improved."

Auger-Aliassime was back on court soon after with Shapovalov in doubles to wrap up the tie with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Virtanen and Harri Heliovaara.

Machac's injury was the focus as Australia marched into a 2-0 lead against the Czech Republic in Valencia, Spain.

What had seemed to be simply cramps when he retired against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday proved more serious and long-lasting as Machac played just nine points in his match with Alexei Popyrin.

Machac was playing with bandages around his right calf and called for a medical timeout after Popyrin held serve in the first game, before retiring at 30-15 down in the second.

"We saw him last night, and he didn't look too good last night, so we wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully he's back on tour quickly," Popyrin said.

Earlier, Thanasi Kokkinakis had given Australia the lead in the opening match by beating Jakub Mensik 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3. Australia made it 3-0 in the doubles as Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell beat Mensik and Adam Pavlasek 6-4, 6-2.

On an indoor hard court in Zhuhai, China, Germany's Maximilian Marterer beat Tomas Barrios Vera 6-1, 6-3, then Yannick Hanfmann defeated Alejandro Tabilo 7-5, 6-4 to clinch the tie. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz, who have lost only one cup match, beat Barrios Vera and Matias Soto 6-1, 6-3. In no match was Germany broken. Germany has never lost to Chile, which didn't use an ill Nicolas Jarry.

The Netherlands picked up its first win against Brazil in the only one of Thursday's ties that was decided in doubles. Wesley Koolhof and Botic van de Zandschulp won a close match 6-4, 7-6 (5) against Brazil's Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo to hand Brazil its second loss in Bologna, Italy.

Brazil had led after Joao Fonseca beat van de Zandschulp 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the first match but Tallon Griekspoor leveled the tie with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win over Thiago Monteiro.

Four groups of teams are playing in four cities this week to qualify for the eight-team Finals in Malaga, Spain, in November. The top two countries in each four-team group advance.

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