44,592 WATCH U.S. DEFEAT CANADA IN OUTDOOR HOCKEY
N.Y.» Brady Tkachuk ORCHARD PARK, and Kieffer Bellows found enough traction in the snow to score shootout goals and cap the United States’ historic 4-3 victory over Canada on Friday in international hockey’s first outdoor game.
Tkachuk and Ron Perunovich scored 34 seconds apart in the third period to rally the United States from a 3-1 deficit in the world junior championship game played in a steady snowfall at the NFL Buffalo Bills’ New Era Field. Casey Mittlestadt set up all three goals for the U.S. (2-1), which rebounded from a 3-2 loss to Slovakia less than 24 hours earlier.
Bellows also scored in regulation, and goalie Jake Oettinger stopped 19 shots through overtime and all four he faced in the shootout.
Robert Thomas had a goal and an assist for Canada (2-1), which has lost four straight meetings with the Americans and blown two-goal leads in three straight meetings. That includes a 5-4 shootout loss to the Americans in the gold-medal game played in Montreal in January.
In the only other tournament game played Friday, St. Louis Blues draft pick Klim Kostin scored twice and led Russia (2-1) to a 5-2 victory over Belarus (0-3).
Team USA’s win gave it an edge over Canada in its bid to finish first atop the Group A standings entering the quarterfinals Tuesday. Both teams have one preliminary game left, with the Americans playing Finland on Saturday and Canada facing Denmark on Sunday.
Friday’s showdown attracted a crowd of 44,592 — more than doubling the world juniors’ attendance record of 20,380 set during Canada’s 2009 gold-medal victory over Sweden in Ottawa.
Holm aiming for upset at UFC 219.
Holly Holm has already shocked the sports world with one upset victory over a seemingly unbeatable mixed martial arts champion.
She sees no reason she can’t do it again when she faces Cris “Cyborg” Justino in the main event of UFC 219 in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Just over two years after she won the UFC bantamweight title with a jaw-dropping stoppage of Ronda Rousey, Holm (11-3) will be a big underdog when she steps into the T-Mobile Arena cage to take her shot at Justino (18-1) for the featherweight belt.
Justino seems unbeatable. The Brazilian star hasn’t lost since her MMA debut in 2005, and she has honed a physical, pounding style that no fighter has solved — or even survived to the bell in any fight since 2008.
Murray loses exhibition match.
Great Britain’s Andy Murray made a tepid return to the tennis court, losing a one-set match 6-2 to Roberto Bautista Agut in the United Arab Emirates exhibitions.
Murray, who has slipped to 16th in the world rankings after ending last year at No. 1, wasn’t scheduled to play at the Abu Dhabi tournament. However, he filled in for Novak Djokovic after the 12th-ranked Serb withdrew from his semifinal against Bautista Agut earlier in the day with a recurrence of pain in his right elbow.
Murray, who has been struggling to find full fitness following a right hip problem, was initially only in Abu Dhabi to practice before next month’s Australian Open.
Bielema’s buyout: $15.4 million.
ARK.» The buyout for FAYETTEVILLE, fired Arkansas football coach Bret Bielema’s contract has been set at $15.4 million.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette obtained a copy of the agreement between Bielema and the Razorback Foundation under the state’s open records law. The foundation’s executive director said the agreement hasn’t been finalized.
• Tennessee junior running back John Kelly said on his Instagram account that he is entering the 2018 NFL draft. — The Associated Press