February 3, 2021 3:52 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The Pittsburgh Penguins are hoping to use some unexpected time off to fix their power play. The NHL postponed Pittsburgh’s two games against New Jersey due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the Devils. The postponement gives Pittsburgh four straight days off, a rarity during the pandemic-shortened season. Coach Mike Sullivan says he’s going to use the break to address Pittsburgh’s power-play issues while also giving the players some time off.
February 2, 2021 3:51 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Chris Kreider scored a power-play goal in the third period, helping the New York Rangers to a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Artemi Panarin had a goal and two assists and Kevin Rooney added a goal for New York. Igor Shesterkin made 25 saves as the Rangers snapped a three-game losing streak against Pittsburgh. Jason Zucker scored and Casey DeSmith made 21 saves for the Penguins in their fifth road loss this season. Penguins were 1 for 6 on the power play in the loss.
February 2, 2021 3:55 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Major League Baseball Players Association has won a scheduling battle with owners. MLB will proceed with an on-time start to spring training and the season after players rejected a plan Monday night to delay reporting by a more than a month. Management proposed to the players’ association on Friday that the start of spring training be pushed back from Feb. 17 to March 22, that opening day be delayed from April 1 to April 28 and that each team’s schedule be cut from 162 games to 154. As part of the offer, MLB included the expansion of the playoffs from 10 teams to 14 and extending the designated hitter to the National League for the second straight season, a plan the union rejected Jan. 6.
February 2, 2021 3:56 am
Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has retired. The three-time All-Star played his entire 17-year career with the Red Sox, taking 2007 Rookie of the Year honors and the AL MVP in his second season. But he played in a total of nine games in the last three seasons because of a knee injury.
February 2, 2021 3:53 am
Gonzaga and Baylor continue their season-long run atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. The Zags received 61 first-place votes from a media panel and Baylor had the other three. Third ranked Villanova is followed by Michigan and Houston, with Texas, Ohio State, Iowa, Oklahoma and Alabama rounding out the top 10.
February 1, 2021 3:44 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Major League Baseball has proposed a one-month delay in starting spring training due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and pushing back opening day to April 28. That’s according to two people familiar with the plan who tell The Associated Press the regular season would be cut from 162 games to 154. The playoffs would be expanded from 10 teams to 14 and the designated hitter would extend to the National League for the second straight season. In addition, MLB would keep the experimental rules for seven-inning doubleheaders and beginning extra innings with a runner on second base.
February 1, 2021 2:12 am
The WPIAL has set preliminary plans for the coming fall sports season, releasing alignments, schedule grids and preliminary guidance for post-season qualification. The information was sent to athletic directors for Football, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Cross Country, Field Hockey and Girls Tennis. The schedule grids are similar to what the League originally planned for the 2020 fall sports season but later modified due to COVID-19 impacts. The football grids do not include games for Aug. 27 weekend, known as Week Zero. Teams can schedule a second scrimmage or play a non-conference game. The League-provided schedule begins Sept. 3 with Week 1 games and is set to conclude in Week 9 Oct. 29.
In addition, at a Wednesday meeting, the PIAA Board of Directors discussed keeping the state finals on Thanksgiving weekend. Executive Director Bob Lombardi indicated that a determination would be made in the near future. That move would necessitate changes to the just-released WPIAL schedules and post-season format.
Apparently, there will not be a Trinity / Wash High football match-up this year. The two met last year when Uniontown dropped its WPIAL schedule leaving Trinity with an opening that matched Washington’s availability. The newly released League schedule grid lists both schools as having open dates for Oct. 8 this year. According to Trinity AD Ricci Rich, the Hillers expected to be visiting Wash High Stadium but he was notified that the Little Prexies had scheduled Uniontown for a non-conference game. Trinity is still looking for an opponent to fill their open date.
February 1, 2021 2:05 am
McGuffey moved two steps closer to a WPIAL AA Team Tournament berth with wins over Bentworth (35-30) and West Greene (54-16) over the weekend. The Highlanders wrestling team was shutdown for nearly two weeks due to COVID-19 protocols. Tuesday, McGuffey travels to unbeaten Beth-Center, looking to clinch a spot in the Section 1-AA Team Championships. Beth-Center has already clinched a berth along with Burgettstown and Fort Cherry. If McGuffey wins Tuesday, they’ll clinch a post-season berth. If Beth-Center wins, they’ll take the sub-section championship and leave the final berth to be decided by McGuffey and Frazier Wednesday night. Burgettstown will take on the Beth-Center/McGuffey/Frazier runner-up while that winner will face Fort Cherry in the Section 1-AA semifinals.
Waynesburg, fresh off a runner-up finish at PowerADE, is just a win at Trinity away from a Section 4-AAA berth. Canon-McMillan also clinches spot with a win at South Fayette Wednesday. Peters Township travels to Ringgold also looking to wrap up a playoff spot.
The WPIAL Team Section Championships are set for Monday, Feb. 8. Only the top two teams in each sub-section qualify with the champions facing the runners-up in semifinal matches. Those winners will wrestle for the section title and also qualify for the WPIAL Team Tournaments that start Wednesday, Feb. 10.
February 1, 2021 3:41 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Patricia Rooney, the wife of late Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, has died. She was 88. The Steelers said in a statement that Patricia Rooney died peacefully at her home on Saturday. A cause of death was not given. Patricia Rooney’s husband served as the U.S. ambassador to Ireland from 2009-12.
February 1, 2021 3:43 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The slumping New York Rangers have placed defenseman Tony DeAngelo on waivers, one day after he struggled in a 5-4 overtime loss to Pittsburgh. DeAngelo was on ice for four of the Penguins’ goals in that defeat. He also was benched by coach David Quinn earlier this season for a third-period unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and complaining loudly to the referees after drawing a holding penalty.
