Connect with us

Sports

US takes early lead in Olympics team figure skating competition

US takes early lead in Olympics team figure skating competitionMadison Chock of United States and Evan Bates of United States perform during the ice dance rhythm dance short program as part of the team competition at the Milano Cortina Olympics on Feb. 6.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates ignited the ice with a commanding rhythm dance before teammate Alysa Liu followed with a fearless, free-wheeling skate on Friday, propelling the United States to the top of figure skating’s team event at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Three-times world champions Chock and Bates set the early pace by winning Friday’s rhythm dance with the best score in the world this season.

Their teammates Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea held that advantage for the U.S. with their fifth-place finish in the pairs.

Liu closed the day in style, floating through her lyrical program to “Promise” by Laufey for a score of 74.90, second behind Japan’s triple world champion Kaori Sakamoto (78.88) in the women’s singles.

After three of the four short programs in the event, the U.S. leads with 25 points, followed by Japan with 23, and Italy with 22.

Sakamoto, who has said she will retire after this season, produced a stirring performance to “Time to Say Goodbye” by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli in the spiritual home of opera to propel Japan from fifth to third place.

Lara Naki Gutmann of Italy was third.

Skating with the precision and polish that made them three-times world champions, Chock and Bates scored 91.06 points with their program to a montage of music by The Guess Who and Lenny Kravitz to ignite the raucous U.S. fans inside the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

“We definitely skated great,” Bates said. “I think we both felt the excitement of just getting these Olympics underway. You never know what to expect with the score.

“There was even a little delay, (because) they said it in Italian, we were looking for the score, and once we saw it, we were thrilled. To break 90 is always a great feat, and to do it to open the Games is even better.”

Chock and Bates edged new French duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who scored 89.98 for their skate to Madonna’s “Vogue.” The Olympics are only their fifth major international competition after they teamed up last March.

“Our goal was to really keep building,” said Cizeron, who claimed the ice dance gold with former partner Gabriella Papadakis at the 2022 Beijing Games.

“We’ve been improving at each competition and adding to our score, obviously, but getting more precise with our technical elements and having more fun, enjoying the performance and giving 100% so I think we’re still kind of climbing that ramp a little bit.”

Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson were third, but Team GB had slipped to eighth by the end of the day.

Introduced in 2014 in Sochi, the three-day team event features one entry per country in men’s, women’s and pairs skating as well as ice dancing in both short and long programs.

Unlike other skating events, the athletes sit in their respective national boxes rink-side to cheer on their teammates.

Skaters are awarded points according to their place in the standings, from 10 points for first-place to one point for finishing last.

Only the top five countries after the short programs have been completed in each discipline advance to the free skate.

Two-time world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won the pairs short program to help lift Japan up the standings, while European champions Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia were second with their performance to “Bolero”. Home favorites Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii were third.

The men’s short programme will feature on Saturday.

–Reuters, special to Field Level Media

source

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Habs outlast Devils in shootout to earn eighth straight victory

NHL: Montreal Canadiens at New Jersey DevilsApr 4, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Montréal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (13) swipes at the puck in front of New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (34) during the first period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images

Oliver Kapanen scored in the fifth round of the shootout to extend the Montreal Canadiens’ win streak to eight games after Saturday’s 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J.

Cole Caufield failed to find his 50th goal of the season, but tallied a pair of assists in the win, while Ivan Demidov, Jayden Struble, and Cole Hutson all scored for the Canadiens (45-21-10, 100 points).

Both goaltenders impressed as Jakub Dobes made 35 saves en route to his fifth consecutive win, while Jake Allen stopped 26 shots in the loss.

Jack Hughes, Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer all scored for the Devils (39-34-3, 81 points).

Struble broke the deadlock with 4:02 remaining in the first as he sent a rocket of a shot into the top corner for just his second goal of the season.

Caufield picked up his second assist of the night just over eight minutes into the second period as he slid a sneaky pass across to Demidov, who made no mistake to bury the power-play goal and extend his point streak to five games (two goals, four assists).

Hutson stretched it to a 3-0 lead 9:28 into the middle frame as the puck bounced out to him with Allen sprawled out and an empty net in front of him.

Mercer finally solved Dobes as he sent a short-side snipe over the netminder’s shoulder with 6:52 left in the second.

Just moments after Bratt was denied on a short-handed odd-man break, Hughes made the most of the second consecutive 2-on-1 chance, cutting the deficit to one with 2:20 left in the second.

Caufield had his best chance at finding his 50th goal with 7:44 left in the contest as he fired off a high shot from the slot, but Allen got it with the blocker.

Meier knotted things up at three with just 2:15 remaining in regulation as he took a pass from Hughes and sent his shot off the post and in.

Dobes robbed Bratt at one end, before Allen stoned Kapanen at the other during an exciting overtime frame.

–Field Level Media

source

Continue Reading

Sports

Clayton Keller's hatty surges Mammoth past lowly Canucks

NHL: Utah Mammoth at Seattle KrakenApr 2, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller (9) looks to pass while defended by Seattle Kraken center Chandler Stephenson (9) in the second period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Clayton Keller collected his third career hat trick in a four-point game to lead the visiting Utah Mammoth to a 7-4 victory over the cellar-dwelling Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

Dylan Guenther and Lawson Crouse both scored once and added an assist for the Mammoth (40-30-6, 86 points), who pulled closer to clinching a playoff berth.

Kailer Yamamoto and Liam O’Brien also tallied, while Logan Cooley collected a pair of assists and goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves.

Utah, which has won six straight versus Vancouver, is firmly in control of the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot.

Linus Karlsson scored twice while Jake DeBrusk and Marco Rossi added singles for Vancouver (22-46-8, 52 points), which has lost eight of nine games.

Goalie Nikita Tolopilo stopped 17 shots.

Keller broke open a 2-2 tie with a power-play goal at 7:04 of the second period by deflecting Guenther’s high point shot. It was originally waived off but video review showed Keller’s stick was even with the crossbar at impact.

The Mammoth have scored on the power play in five consecutive outings, converting nine times in that span.

After a string of near misses, Utah extended the lead when Guenther buried a sharp-angled chance into a yawning net at 11:55.

To their credit, the Canucks kept fighting but could not draw even.

DeBrusk’s power-play goal 20 seconds into the third period, a nifty deflection of Filip Hronek’s point shot, made it a one-goal game. But Crouse restored Utah’s two-goal bulge with a top-shelf shot at 1:32 of the final frame.

Rossi again pulled the hosts within one with another power-play goal at 4:40, only to see O’Brien tally seven minutes later with a deke on a partial breakaway in his first game since Feb. 4.

Keller’s empty-net goal rounded out the scoring, and gives him 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in a four-game streak.

Both clubs staked and squandered a lead.

Karlsson opened the scoring at the 2:28 mark, but Yamamoto drew Utah even 11 minutes later and Keller potted his first of the game with 90 seconds remaining in the opening period to give the Mammoth a 2-1 edge.

Karlsson tied the clash at 2-2 by deflecting the point shot 125 seconds into the second period.

–Field Level Media

source

Continue Reading

Sports

Miami rallies twice to earn draw in new stadium opener vs. Austin

MLS: Austin FC at Inter Miami CFApr 4, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) kicks the ball against Austin FC during the first half at Nu Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Substitute Luis Suarez scored his first goal of the season in the 82nd minute after Lionel Messi scored his fifth and Inter Miami salvaged a 2-2 draw against visiting Austin FC to officially open their new permanent stadium on Saturday night.

Both goals pulled Miami (3-1-2, 11 points) back from a goal down at the 26,700-seat Nu Stadium just west of downtown Miami, which replaces the Herons’ temporary home of Chase Stadium in nearby Fort Lauderdale.

Austin’s Guiherme Biro scored the first goal in the venue early in the first half, and Jayden Nelson temporarily restored the visitors’ lead early in the second.

It was the first time the Verde (1-2-3, 6 points) have scored multiple goals since a 2-2 home draw against Minnesota in their season opener.

But Austin were forced to settle for a share of the points when Suarez leveled nine minutes after his entrance on a well-worked corner.

Mateo Silvetti struck the inswinging service to the near post, and German Berterame met it with a flick-on header to the far post. That’s where Suarez showed up for a first-time volley from close range.

Once level late, Miami looked far more likely to get the winner. Suarez briefly thought he’d dispatched a rebound into the net for a winner, only to be ruled offside. Then Austin’s Brad Stuver sprawled to deny Messi’s low effort in second-half stoppage time.

A rare turnover from Messi led to Austin’s second goal in the 53rd minute.

Joseph Rosales took the ball off the Argentine, took several touches forward to begin a break and then sprayed a pass further up the left flank to Myrto Uzuni.

From there, Uzuni played a very clever first-time diagonal ball — benefiting from a fortunate deflection off Miami’s Noah Allen — into the path of Nelson sprinting up the center channel. Nelson finished the sequence off the inside of the left post and into the net.

Austin first went in front on a sixth-minute corner. Facundo Torres provided the outswinging service, and Miami’s Tadeo Allende slightly misjudged his clearing header attempt.

That allowed the ball to drop for Biro, who powered a low header off the turf and past Dayne St. Clair.

Messi pulled the Herons level four minutes later after Telasco Segovia orchestrated a flowing left-to-right move, eventually playing the ball to Ian Fray on the right flank.

Fray looped a cross back toward the penalty spot, where Messi connected with a relatively rare headed goal into the top-right corner.

–Field Level Media

source

Continue Reading