March 18, 2021 3:51 am
UNDATED (AP) – The New York Rangers are back at .500 after posting the NHL’s most lopsided win of the season. The Rangers destroyed the Flyers as Mika Zibanejad recorded a hat trick and collected three assists in New York’s 9-0 thrashing. Zibanejad scored three consecutive goals within a 10:10 span of the second period for his fifth career hat trick Pavel Buchnevich had two goals and two assists for the Rangers, who scored seven times in the middle frame. The Rangers did it without their coaching staff due to COVID-19 protocol, promoting their AHL staff from Hartford.
March 18, 2021 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – Ralph Krueger has become the Buffalo Sabres’ sixth coach to be fired in just over eight calendar years, losing his job with the team on a 12-game losing streak. The Sabres are 6-18-4 this season, earning as many victories as shutout losses as forwards Jeff Skinner and Taylor Hall have failed to produce as expected. Assistant coach Don Granato has been promoted to interim head coach by general manager Kevyn Adams, who openly challenged his players’ accountability and pride, while suggesting changes to the roster are looming.
March 17, 2021 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) -Trent Frederic scored the lone goal of the third period and the Boston Bruins beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1. Frederic gave the Bruins the lead for good at 7:07 of the third. He beat goaltender Casey DeSmith with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle through traffic. David Pastrnak scored his 13th on the power play for the Bruins, who had lost nine of their previous 13 games. It was the Bruins’ second win in their last seven road games following a 5-0-1 stretch away from home.
March 17, 2021 3:52 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers have released veteran inside linebacker Vince Williams. The team made the decision on the eve of free agency, freeing up $4 million as they try to navigate a salary cap crunch. Williams spent eight seasons in Pittsburgh after making the team as a sixth-round draft pick in 2013. The Steelers also re-signed cornerback Cam Sutton to a two-year contract and brought back offensive tackle Zach Banner.
March 17, 2021 3:55 am
UNDATED (AP) – Tiger Woods is back at home in Florida to resume his recovery from career-threatening leg injuries he suffered when his SUV ran off a road and down a hill in the Los Angeles suburbs last month. Woods was injured Feb. 23, two days after the Genesis Invitational at Riviera. Authorities said his SUV crashed into a median, rolled over and ended up on its side near a steep road known for wrecks. He had a lengthy surgery that day at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for shattered tibia and fibula bones of his lower right leg in multiple locations.
March 16, 2021 2:30 am
Trinity fell behind early and never recovered, losing to Chartiers Valley in the WPIAL 5A Girls championship game, 62-40. The Colts sprinted to a 22-10 lead after one quarter and held off every challenge by the Hillers to win their 17th consecutive playoff game and a third straight championship. Kaylin Venick led Trinity with 15 points but Chartiers Valley got 19 from Aislin Malcolm, 18 from Perri Page and two other starters in double figures to cruise to the win, avenging a late January loss to Trinity.
West Greene suffered a similar fate in the Class 1A game against Rochester, though the hole didn’t open until later in the first half. The Rams, winners of three straight title games against the Pioneers, put up nine straight points over a two-minute stretch late in the first and early second, then added an 8-0 run late in the half to take a 10-point lead into the lockerroom at intermission. Alexis Robison, 1A Player of the Year, scored 29 for the Rams. Corynne Hauser added 23. Anna Durbin’s 13 points paced West Greene who lost in the championship game for the fourth straight year. The winners advance to the state playoffs while the losers saw their seasons end.
March 16, 2021 3:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) -Evgeni Malkin scored on a power play for his 1,100th career point and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Boston Bruins 4-1. Malkin is the third Russian-born player to reach 1,100 points in the NHL, joining Alex Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov. Malkin has eight goals this season and also had an assist while extending his points streak to eight games. Tristan Jarry made a season-high 42 saves for Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby scored his 11th goal of the season and had two assists, and Jake Guentzel also scored his 11th – including four in the past four games. Evan Rodrigues also scored for the Penguins.
March 14, 2021 3:50 am
The WPIAL Basketball Championships conclude tonight with four more titles to be awarded. West Greene plays in its fourth straight 1A girls final. The Pioneers face Rochester, the team that’s won the last two crowns. Trinity and Chartiers Valley play for the 5A girls championship. Like West Greene, Trinity is seeking its first WPIAL title while Chartiers Valley is the two-time defending champion. On the boys side, Cinderella #11 Ellwood City faces defending champion South Allegheny for the 3A championship while #2 Lincoln Park takes on #5 North Catholic for the 5A title. Due to COVID restrictions, only the WPIAL champions advance to the PIAA quarterfinals beginning Friday/Saturday. We’ve got the West Greene & Trinity games for you on WJPA. Click for Girls Brackets, Boys Brackets.
WPIAL Finals
Monday, Mar. 15
4:45 pm 1A Girls #1 Rochester vs. #2 West Greene at Peters Township WJPA-AM (1450) Listen Here
5:00 pm 3A Boys #1 South Allegheny vs. #11 Ellwood City at North Allegheny
7:45 pm 5A Girls #1 Trinity vs. #2 Chartiers Valley at Peters Township WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen Here
8:00 pm 4A Boys #5 North Catholic vs. #2 Lincoln Park at North Allegheny
March 15, 2021 4:00 am
UNDATED (AP) – Gonzaga, Illinois, Baylor and Michigan are the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which begins first-round play on Friday. The Bulldogs have claimed the No. 1 overall seed and will head the West Regional. The Zags are the only unbeaten team in men’s Division I hoops and are trying to become the first squad to run the table on its entire schedule since Indiana in 1976. Iowa has the second seed in the West, followed by Kansas and Virginia. Gonzaga beat each of those teams by double-digits during the regular season, including a 23-point rout of the defending-champion Cavaliers. Baylor tops the South bracket and heads into the tourney with just two losses, including a setback in the Big 12 semifinals. The Bears spent most of the season as the No. 2 team in The Associated Press poll. Ohio State is No. 2 in the South, just ahead of Arkansas and Purdue. Big Ten rivals Illinois and Michigan took the other top seeds after competing in what arguably was the best and deepest conference. The Illini head the Midwest Region after winning the conference tournament, part of an eight-game winning streak. The Wolverines are tops in the East Region and own just four losses, although two of those defeats have come in their last three games. Houston earned the No. 2 seed in the Midwest and is followed by Big 12 standouts West Virginia and Oklahoma State. Alabama, Texas and Florida State round out the top four seeds in the East. Kansas and Virginia made it into the bracket released by the NCAA selection committee after being hit with COVID-19 breakouts during their conference tournaments. Kansas coach Bill Self says three Jayhawks players will not travel with the team to Indianapolis for the NCAA Tournament because of COVID-19. Louisville, Colorado State, St. Louis and Mississippi have been put on stand-by. They could find their way into the bracket if a team in the field notifies the NCAA by Tuesday night that it must withdraw because of health concerns.
March 15, 2021 4:03 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Saints record-setting quarterback Drew Brees has decided to retire after 20 NFL seasons, including his last 15 with New Orleans. It comes after Brees won nine of 12 regular-season starts while completing 70.5% of his passes in 2020. He came back from multiple rib fractures and won a wild-card round playoff game before New Orleans’ season ended with a divisional-round playoff loss Tampa Bay. Brees is the NFL’s all-time leader in yards passing with 80,358. His 571 career touchdown passes rank second behind Tom Brady’s 581.
