June 9, 2021 3:54 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Tampa Bay Lightning are eight wins away from a second consecutive Stanley Cup. The Lightning have reached the semifinals with a 2-0 shutout of the Hurricanes in Game 5.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 29 shots for his second shutout of the postseason and third of his playoff career. Vasilevskiy and the Lightning held Carolina to two goals in the three games at Raleigh, stopping 97 of 99 shots. Brayden Point snapped a scoreless tie with his eighth goal of the playoffs, a power-play tally just over four minutes into the second period. Ross Colton added an unassisted goal midway through the third. The Bolts will play the winner of the Islanders-Bruins series, which New York leads, 3-2.
Meanwhile, a 3-2 win gives the Vegas Golden Knights a three-games-to-two advantage in their second-round series. Mark Stone scored on a breakaway 50 seconds into overtime, sending the Knights to their third straight victory. Trailing 2-0 entering the third, the Golden Knights found another gear with Alex Tuch scoring 1:03 into the period and Jonathan Marchessault tying it up just 3:04 later. Marc-Andre Fleury was sensational at times while stopping 28 shots. Fleury picked up playoff win No. 88, which ties him with Billy Smith and Ed Belfour for the fourth-most in NHL history. Colorado appeared in command after a 2-0 lead courtesy of Brandon Saad late in the first and another from Joonas Donskoi in the second. The Knights can close out the series at home on Thursday.
June 7, 2021 8:45 pm
Canon-McMillan and West Greene softball teams both won Monday in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs while McGuffey, Peters Township and Carmichaels baseball squads lost and were eliminated. Canon-McMillan will play District 1 runner-up Neshaminy Thursday while West Greene will face District 10 champion Cambridge Springs.
Softball Brackets WPIAL PIAA
Baseball Brackets WPIAL PIAA
SOFTBALL — Canon-McMillan got seven hits and five RBI from the bottom four spots in the batting order to beat District 10 champion Mifflin County, 7-4. Sophia Duke delivered twice as a pinch-hitter, driving a two-run double in the sixth and a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Lauren Duke added an RBI double in the second plus a run-scoring single in the seventh to lead Canon-McMillan to the state quarterfinals for the first time since winning the 2013 title. The Big Macs will face District 1 runner-up Neshaminy, the team CM beat to win that 2013 championship. Olivia Ulam had two hits and walked three times. Elika Mowery added two hit and scored twice. Brooke Perri picked up the win in relief of Duke. Perri did not allow an earned run and just two hits over the final 2.1 innings.
BASEBALL — McGuffey’s bats were nearly silenced, managing just two hits in Monday’s 4-2 loss to District 10 champion Hickory. The loss ended the most successful season in McGuffey baseball history. Prior to this season, the Highlanders had never won a playoff game. Playing in the school’s first-ever state playoff game, the Blue & Gold took a 2-0 lead in the first, getting a two-out, two-run single from Logan Siebert. Hickory responded in the bottom of the frame, using back-to-back singles, a two-run double, an error and a balk to take a lead it never surrendered. Winning pitcher Nick Osborne retired 13 straight McGuffey batters before Jake Orr doubled to open the sixth. Orr was stranded and the Highlanders were shut down in the seventh to end the game.
Peters Township gave up four runs in the second, five more in the third on the way to a run-rule loss to Central Mountain, ending the Indians’ season. PT was in the state playoffs for the first time in a decade after finishing third in the WPIAL.
PIAA Quarterfinals
Friday, June 10 (sites/times to be announced
Canon-McMillan vs. D1 runner-up Neshaminy – WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here!
West Greene vs. District 10 champion Cambridge Springs
June 8, 2021 3:54 am
UNDATED (AP) – Mathew Barzal scored one power-play goal and assisted on another, and Semyon Varlamov stopped 40 shots to give the New York Islanders a 5-4 victory over the Boston Bruins and a 3-2 lead in their second-round playoff series. The Islanders have won two in a row to take their first lead in the series. They can advance to the Stanley Cup semifinals in Game 6 at home Wednesday. Kyle Palmieri, Josh Bailey and Jordan Eberle all scored in the second period, when the Islanders opened a 4-2 lead. Brock Nelson made it 5-2 just two minutes into the third after Jeremy Swayman replaced Tuukka Rask in the Bruins goal.
And in other Monday NHL playoff action: Tyler Toffoli scored at 1:39 of overtime to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets and a four-game sweep of their second-round playoff series. Erik Gustafsson and Artturi Lehkonen scored in regulation for Montreal, which has won seven straight playoff games since trailing Toronto 3-1 in the opening round. Toffoli also had an assist. Carey Price made 14 saves. Montreal awaits the winner of the Colorado-Vegas series, which is tied 2-2. Game 5 is tonight in Denver. Rookie defenseman Logan Stanley had two goals for Winnipeg
June 7, 2021 3:55 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sandy Alcantara cruised through eight innings, ending the Miami Marlins’ longest losing streak in six years at eight games with a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jesus Aguilar hit a long solo home run and added a sacrifice fly for Miami. Alcantara gave up one run and six hits, striking out six. The right-hander allowed a leadoff double to Adam Frazier in the eighth, but retired the next three batters to finish his outing. The Marlins last lost eight straight in 2015.
June 7, 2021 3:53 am
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) – Patrick Cantlay is the Memorial winner again on a Sunday filled with drama. But it did not include Jon Rahm. Cantlay made a 12-foot par putt on the first playoff hole to beat Collin Morikawa. Some 24 hours earlier, Cantlay was six shots behind Rahm, who looked like a runaway winner. No sooner had Rahm finished that he was notified of a positive test for the coronavirus and he was knocked out of the tournament. That left Cantlay and Morikawa tied for the lead. It stayed that way much of the final round until Cantlay got him at the end.
June 6, 2021 7:36 am
PITTSBURGH — Jacob Stallings hit a game-ending single in the 12th inning that lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates over Miami 8-7 on Saturday and extended the Marlins’ longest losing streak in six years to eight games. Automatic runner Adam Frazier advanced to third on Ke’Bryan Hayes’ flyout leading off the 12th against Adam Cimber (1-2). Bryan Reynolds was intentionally walked, and Stallings lined a single to center. Stallings now has five game-ending hits in his career and two this season. He hit an extra-inning home run against Milwaukee last month and a three-run double in the eighth against Miami on Thursday. Jesús Aguilar tied the score at 6 with an RBI single off Richard Rodriguez, who blew a save for the second time in nine chances. Miami’s Isan Díaz and Pittsburgh’s Gregory Polanco hit sacrifice flies in the 10th. Clay Holmes (2-0) pitched a perfect 12th. Pittsburgh trailed 5-2 before a four-run eighth helped by pitcher Anthony Bender’s error. Bender relieved Bass and forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk to Kevin Newman, then hit Ka’ai Tom with a pitch. With the bases loaded and two outs, pinch-hitter Michel Perez hit a soft ground ball to the right of Aguilar at first. He tossed to the pitcher, but Bender missed the ball. Polanco scored from third and Kevin Newman from second.
June 6, 2021 1:57 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin has had surgery on his right knee and will not be available when the team reports for training camp in September. The team made the announcement Friday but did not provide specifics on when Malkin underwent the procedure or the nature of the surgery. Malkin injured the knee in a collision against Boston on March 16. He missed seven weeks before returning to appear for the final four games of the regular season. Malkin aggravated the injury before the first round of the playoffs. The Russian star sat out Games 1 and 2 against the New York Islanders but did have a goal and four assists in four games during Pittsburgh’s first-round exit.
June 6, 2021 1:43 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Favorite Essential Quality won the Belmont Stakes to give trainer Brad Cox his first win a Triple Crown race. He could get another from the Kentucky Derby if Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit is disqualified. Essential Quality passed early leader Hot Rod Charlie around the final turn and held on to win the 1 1/2-mile $1 million race. Hot Rod Charlie was second, Preakness winner Rombauer third and Known Agenda fourth. The race was run without any horses from Baffert. New York suspended Baffert indefinitely after Medina Spirit failed a post-Derby drug test.
June 5, 2021 3:58 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes homered for the second game in a row since being activated from the injured list and drove in three runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 9-2 victory over the Miami Marlins. Hayes hit a two-run home run in the first inning and an RBI single during a five-run sixth that broke the game open. He connected Thursday in his first game after missing two months with a sprained left wrist. NL hits leader Adam Frazier had two hits, two RBIs and three runs scored for Pittsburgh. Miami, which lost its seventh straight game, got two doubles from rookie Jose Devers.
June 3, 2021 3:44 am
SOFTBALL–CLICK for WPIAL Brackets— Bethel Park’s Sandra Soltes homered twice, including a first-inning grand slam, and drove in eight runs leading the Blackhawks to their first-ever WPIAL softball championship, downing Canon-McMillan, 9-2, in Thursday’s title game. Canon-McMillan hadn’t been to the finals since losing the 2014 title tilt. Bethel Park had lost its three previous championship game appearances (1981, 1987, 1994). Both teams had already qualified for the state playoffs which begin Monday.
West Greene (1A) pounded Union, 17-2, in four innings, winning their fifth straight WPIAL title. The Pioneers join Sto-Rox (2000-2004) and Hempfield (2015-2019) as the only teams to win five consecutive WPIAL softball championships.
BASEBALL–CLICK for WPIAL Brackets— Brock Wallace scored twice, Jake Orr and Austin Beattie combined on a five-hitter as McGuffey downed Avonworth, 2-1, taking third place in WPIAL Class 3A. With the win, the Highlanders secured their first-ever PIAA playoff berth. McGuffey will travel into District 10 to play Hickory, the D10 champion.
Jack Lutte scored one run and drove in the other as Peters Township edged West Allegheny, 2-1, taking third place in Class 5A. Sam Miller got the win, holding WA to one run and three hits in five innings. Tucker Ferris threw two shutout innings to pick up the save. Both have already clinched PIAA berths. Carmichaels lost to Serra, 7-2, Tuesday evening but the Mikes already had their state berth in hand. Jeff-Morgan lost to Eden Christian, 9-2, ending the Mikes’ season.
WPIAL Championships at California University’s Lilley Field
Thursday, June 3
Bethel Park, 9, Canon-McMillan 2
PIAA First Round
Monday, June 7 (broadcasts, sites & times to be announced)
5A Peters Township vs. D6 champion Central Mountain, likely at Bald Eagle High School
3A McGuffey vs. D10 champion Hickory, likely at Slippery Rock University
2A Carmichaels vs. D9 champion Johnsonburg
6A Canon-McMillan vs. D6 champion Mifflin County, likely at Penn State University
1A West Greene vs. District 5 runner-up (Meyersdale/Shade loser)
