LUKOSEVICIUS SCORES TWICE AS PIONEERS BEAT MIAMI (OHIO)
OHIO» Jarid Lukosevicius OXFORD, scored two goals for the Denver hockey team as the Pioneers defeated Miami (Ohio) 4-1 on Saturday.
“We left nothing to chance tonight,” Denver coach Jim Montgomery said. “There was no gray area in our purpose. We played with great pace. Our special teams weren’t denied, our net-front battles weren’t denied and we had a great game.”
Lukosevicius scored 50 seconds into the game off a drop pass from Dylan Gambrell. He ripped his shot from the left faceoff circle over the shoulder of Redhawks netminder Ryan Larkin.
Lukosevicius’ second marker came at 13:42 of the first period on a power play. Henrik Borgstrom sent a pass across the crease to Lukosevicius for a tap-in goal.
Denver (12-6-4, 6-4-2-1 NCHC) bounced back from a 4-3 loss to Miami on Friday night. The Pioneers entered the two-game series with the Redhawks after posting a 6-0 win over Air Force on Dec. 30.
“It’s the best three games in a row we’ve played all year and we’re only 2-1-0,” Montgomery said. “We have to continue to build upon this. But if we keep building this way, it’s the first time I can honestly say that if we continue to do the right things, I’m excited about where we can go.”
Johnson leads by two at Kapalua.
HAWAII» Dustin Johnson
KAPALUA, holed out with a wedge for an eagle, made a birdie on every par-5 hole and powered his way to a 7-under-par 66 to build a two-shot lead going into the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Johnson added three more birdies to reach 16-under 203.
Brian Harman couldn’t keep pace, dropping two shots early on the back nine until a late rally for a 69 to stay within two shots.
Svitolina wins Brisbane title.
AUSTRALIA» Elina Svitolina BRISBANE, got her first WTA title in Australia with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the Brisbane International final.
Svitolina won her 10th title on the women’s elite tour.
In the men’s draw, Nick Kyrgios moved a step closer to claiming his first ATP title on home soil with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 semifinal win over defending champion and top-seeded Grigor Dimitrov.
• Gilles Simon won his first major ATP Tour title since 2015 when the Frenchman defeated second-seeded Kevin Anderson 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the final of the Maharashtra Open.
• Gael Monfils won the Qatar Open title on his fourth appearance in the final with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Andrey Rublev of Russia.
• Top-ranked Rafael Nadal will make his return from a knee injury at the Kooyong Classic exhibition tournament to prepare for the Australian Open, which begins Jan. 15.
Nadal joins former No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic at the event.
Briles’ son hired by Houston.
The University of Houston hired two former Baylor assistants who worked under Art Briles to its offensive staff, Cougars football coach Major Applewhite announced. Kendal Briles, the son of Art Briles, is joining the Cougars as their offensive coordinator, and Randy Clements, a former Baylor offensive line coach and running game coordinator, will take over the same positions at Houston.
• Florida State cornerback Tarvarus Mcfadden and wide receiver Auden Tate are leaving the Seminoles to enter the NFL draft.
Coutinho exits Liverpool for $192M.
SPAIN» Philippe Coutinho BARCELONA,
is joining Barcelona after Liverpool agreed to sell the Brazilian in a deal that makes him one of the most expensive players in soccer history.
Barcelona did not reveal the cost of the deal for the 25-year-old playmaker, but the blockbuster transfer is expected to be worth $192 million.