Wrexham seals 3rd straight promotion, will play in English soccer’s 2nd tier

Wrexham fans ignored the warnings. They were always going to. By the time the final whistle blew on Saturday to confirm promotion to English soccer’s second tier, thousands were ready and waiting to storm the field in celebration. Flares were lit, red smoke filled the air, Welsh flags were waved proudly and songs sung raucously. … Read more

Capitals dominate 2nd period, beating Canadiens in Game 2

Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome scored a minute apart early in the second period, Logan Thompson made some spectacular stops among his 25 saves and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Wednesday night in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. Thompson was at his best in … Read more

Andreescu wins in straight sets, cruising into Madrid Open 2nd round

Bianca Andreescu made a triumphant return to WTA 1000-level tennis Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over McCartney Kessler of the United States in first-round action at the Madrid Open. The 24-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., converted all four break-point chances against Kessler. The American was far less opportunistic, making just one of her eight break-point … Read more

Canada’s Gabriel Diallo advances to 2nd round of Madrid Open qualifying

Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo advanced to the second round of qualifying at the Madrid Open tennis tournament with a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 win over American Nicolas Moreno De Alboran on Monday. The 23-year-old Diallo, seeded third in the qualifying tournament for the ATP Masters clay-court event, had nine aces to Moreno de Alboran’s one. The six-foot-eight … Read more

PWHL chooses Vancouver as 1st expansion city with 2nd market to be determined: reports

The PWHL’s first expansion team will be based in Vancouver with an announcement scheduled for next week, a person with knowledge of the decision confirmed to The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the league has not revealed its plans. The Province newspaper in Vancouver first reported the … Read more

Matteo Berrettini upends top-seeded Alex Zverev in Monte Carlo Masters 2nd round

Second-ranked Alex Zverev lost 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to fellow big-hitter Matteo Berrettini in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday in Monaco. The unseeded Berrettini secured victory when serving for the match for the second time and on his first match point against the top-seeded German. “I wasn’t hitting my forehand and … Read more

Canadiens pad lead for 2nd wild-card spot, Senators inch closer to ending playoff drought

Nick Suzuki is leading the charge in all kinds of situations for the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal’s captain has galvanized his team’s surge into the playoff picture with his offensive production since February. And when the Canadiens needed him to step up on the penalty kill Saturday, turns out he excels at that, too. Suzuki scored … Read more

Canadian ice dancers Gilles, Poirier claim silver at figure skating worlds for 2nd straight year

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier will settle for silver once again. For the second straight year, the Canadian ice dancers finished second behind American rivals Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who claimed their third consecutive title on Saturday at the figure skating world championships in Boston. Toronto’s Gilles and Poirier, from Unionville, Ont., scored a … Read more

Canada’s Gilles, Poirier sit 2nd after rhythm dance at figure skating world championships

The word “rivalry” tends to carry a combative connotation, so perhaps it’s best to describe the relationship between American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates and their Canadian counterparts, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, as healthy competition. They are fond for each other. Yet they also push each other every time they step on … Read more

Canada’s Sarah Mitton gains joy, relief from 2nd straight world indoors shot put title

There was both joy and relief in being victorious for Sarah Mitton. Mitton won her second consecutive women’s shot put title at the world indoor track and field championships last weekend, with a top throw of 20.48 metres — 0.41 metres ahead of second place. She had three 20-plus metre throws (20.36, 20.15 and 20.48) … Read more