DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Chase Elliott climbed from his car and sat on the outside wall of the ...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Chase Elliott climbed from his car and sat on the outside wall of the track in stunned disbelief that the Daytona 500 victory that was his — his first one, only a few feet from the finish line — was wiped out in a wreck.NASCAR's most popular driver, Elliott needed a moment to collect his thoughts outside the No. 9 Chevrolet. Fireworks exploded behind Elliott for race winner Tyler Reddick. Elliott could only think of how close that celebration — and the victorious pool hall siren in Dawsonville, Georgia, being sounded— was to being for him."We were leading the Daytona 500 off (turn) four coming to the checkered flag," Elliott said, "and didn't win."<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>About the only Daytona 500 victory that could have been more popular than an Elliott winning the race would have been a checkered flag for team owner Michael Jordan. Jordan co-owns 23XI Racing and certainly his team's victory infused NASCAR with splashy headlines and needed buzz coming out of the sport's version of the Super Bowl when Reddick emerged from the wreck Sunday to top Elliott."He had a great shot at it coming off four," Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron said. "It's a bummer for sure."The Daytona 500 feels like one big bummer for Elliott.Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR champion, won a qualifying race for the third time in his career leading into the race. He has started from the pole twice in his career.Again, early Daytona success meant nothing on race day: Elliott finished fourth and fell to 0 for 11 at the Daytona 500."I'm not the type of person that ever lets myself get there in the first place," Elliott said. “" knew it wasn't over. That's part of this style of racing."Elliott joins a long list of hard-luck losers at Daytona, including Fireball Roberts (1961), Donnie Allison (1979) and Mark Martin (2007). In 1990, Dale Earnhardt cut a tire less than mile from the finish line, allowing Derrike Cope to steal one.Elliott had control on the final lap after leader Carson Hocevar was spun off the track and it appeared he would finally win his first Daytona 500. Elliott instead was clipped by Riley Herbst, and the nose of the Chevy tagged the wall. Elliott, who finished as runner-up in 2021, crashed and Reddick sailed past to take Jordan to the Daytona International Speedway victory lane. "I just felt like Tyler was coming so quick," Elliott said. "I kind of blocked one direction. He went the other way."Jeff Gordon, the three-time Daytona 500 champion who now serves as an executive at Hendrick, stood atop the pit box and seemingly tried to push Elliott to victory lane. He rocked back in his seat and threw his hands on his headset once the crash erupted and marred Elliott's race.Elliott, the 30-year-old son of Hall of Fame driver and two-time Daytona 500 champion Bill Elliott, found little consolation in having a great shot at the end at winning."You can run it through your mind 1,000 times, do you do something different," Elliott said. "I feel like if I had thrown a double block on (Reddick), probably would have just crashed us at that point in time. I felt like you had to pick your battles. I thought maybe if somebody would pick me up on the top, you might have one more run to the line but unfortunately ended up getting turned around."Elliott, who has 21 career Cup wins, has yet to win NASCAR's biggest prize. Even though Elliott doesn't have a win in the Daytona 500, he has shown promise. He has finished inside the top 20 seven of the last eight years, including a second place showing in 2021.The losing streak goes on — even as confidence remains high he'll join his dad one day in the select group of Daytona 500 champions."I think you have to trust in that a little bit; keep your head down, stay working, and if there's a day and a time for us, then there is," Elliott said. "We'll enjoy that moment if it ever comes."___AP auto racing: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing">https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing</a>

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 15: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34518050/related

Elliott had 1st Daytona 500 title in sight before losing in last-lap wreck 

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Collin Morikawa went 45 starts over more than two years to finally wi...

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Collin Morikawa went 45 starts over more than two years to finally win again on the PGA Tour, and he faced a wait that felt just as long on the final hole Sunday in the AT&amp;T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He kept his poise, hit a 4-iron to the collar of the green and made birdie for a one-shot victory.In a wild final round of wind and lead changes, Morikawa had the right response for Scottie Scheffler’s bold charge by making two straight birdies down the stretch, and then making the one that mattered the most — after a 20-minute wait — for a 5-under 67.He won by one shot over Sepp Straka and Min Woo Lee for his first PGA Tour title since the Zozo Championship in Japan in October 2023.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The timing couldn’t have been better. Morikawa began telling friends this week he and his wife are expecting their first child, and winning was “the best way to announce it to the world.”Scheffler began the final day eight shots behind and was 7 under through seven holes before the wind began whipping. He had three eagles in his round of 63, the last one a 6-iron to 30 inches on the final hole that allowed him to tie Morikawa for the lead.He didn’t think it would be enough, and it wasn’t.Moments later, Morikawa holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the 15th to take the lead. He followed with a 6-iron into 8 feet for another birdie. But a bogey on the par-3 17th — his tee shot was dangerously close to the ocean left of the green — and Lee finishing birdie-birdie for a 65, created another tie.For all the drama, it was particularly tense on the par-5 18th.In the group ahead, Jacob Bridgeman needed eagle to have any chance of a playoff and he sent his second shot over the bunker and down to the beach. He finally decided to play off the pebbles and that bounced off the rocks and into the ocean. Then, he moved back to where his ball last crossed the hazard. All the while, Morikawa waited.It was 20 minutes from hitting his tee shot to hitting his 4-iron, a wait made longer considering what was at stake and the biting cold of the Pacific wind roaring off the ocean.“I paced all the way to the ocean 10 times. I just had to keep moving,” Morikawa said. “These long breaks, they’re not good for anyone to stand still. I was able to pull off a great 4-iron, and man, I need a drink.”His 4-iron started over a portion of the water and the wind sent it to the right collar. Morikawa putted that down to a foot. Straka made a 10-foot eagle putt for a 68 before Morikawa tapped in.Akshay Bhatia, the 54-hole leader by two shots, made only two birdies over his last 29 holes. He fell out of the lead after four holes and never caught up, closing with a 72 to finish three back.Scheffler was 10 shots behind after the first day when he shot 72. He was 13 shots back at one point on Friday. He still managed to be a major threat. He wound up in a tie for fourth with Tommy Fleetwood (66), extending his streak to 18 straight PGA Tour starts in the top 10.“I had to do something special to give myself a chance,” Scheffler said. “The back nine, I felt like I had to get to 21 or 22 (under). I played a bit more aggressive than I normally am. It was a fun day overall. These are the weeks I’m proud of. I felt like I was battling to give myself a chance.”Among his regrets was a wedge to a back pin on the 15th that was a foot away from spinning back to close range. It hopped hard over the green. He chipped to 6 feet and missed the par putt.Morikawa charged his way into the mix with a 62 on Saturday to get within two shots of Bhatia, and he did enough right to stay close — six players had a share of the lead at some point during the final round — until delivering the goods at the end.The Cal alum won for the seventh time on the PGA Tour since turning pro a week before the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Winning at Pebble moves him back into the top 10 in the world.

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 15: Collin Morikawa of the United States reacts to his putt on the 15th green during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 2026 at Pebble Beach Golf Links on February 15, 2026 in Pebble Beach, California.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34516599/related

Morikawa claims Pebble Beach Pro-Am for 1st win since 2023

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tyler Reddick won the Daytona 500 in a car owned by Michael Jordan whe...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tyler Reddick won the Daytona 500 in a car owned by Michael Jordan when Chase Elliott crashed as he and Reddick were battling for the win in NASCAR’s season opener.Reddick, in a Toyota for 23XI Racing, led only one lap on Sunday: the one to the checkered flag for the team owned by the NBA Hall of Famer and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin."Just incredible how it all played out. Just true Daytona madness," Reddick said. "I've already lost my voice from screaming. Never thought I'd be Daytona 500 champion."<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Neither did Jordan, who met Reddick in victory lane for a bear hug and the two then jointly hoisted the Harley J. Earl trophy into the air. Jordan, who turns 63 on Tuesday, will get a Daytona 500 ring for his birthday and made it known in victory lane he wears a size 13."It feels like I won a championship, but until I get my ring, I won't even know," Jordan said.Reddick, a 30-year-old from Corning, California, won for the ninth time in the Cup Series and first time since late in the 2024 season. Winless last year, Reddick was primarily focused on his infant son, who was found to have a tumor in his chest that affected his heart. Reddick opened last year with a runner-up finish in the Daytona 500.He snapped the 38-race losing streak by finishing one place higher Sunday and winning to start a celebration that included multiple stars of NASCAR. Reddick is teammates with Bubba Wallace, who went to victory lane in tears after leading a race-high 40 laps before finishing 10th.Jordan wrapped his arms around Wallace from behind and spoke closely into Wallace's ear in a brief speech of encouragement."I don't want my emotions to take away from the monumental day they just accomplished. Happy birthday, MJ. That's a massive birthday present," Wallace said. "I thought this was our week, the best 500 I've ever had, and come up short, sucks."Led a lot of laps, lap leader, I believe. It was a good day for us, but damn. Try again next year."Hamlin was also in victory lane after finishing 31st and falling short in his bid to become the third four-time Daytona 500 winner.Hamlin, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, was involved in the final caution when he and teammate Christopher Bell collided with nine laps remaining. It set up the final push to the finish over the final four laps.Elliott had control on the final lap after leader Carson Hocevar was spun off the track and it appeared the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott would finally win his first Daytona 500.Instead, Reddick made a huge surge, hit Elliott to cause Elliott to crash and sailed past to take Jordan to the Daytona International Speedway victory lane.Jordan was the face of the December federal antitrust lawsuit that NASCAR settled on the ninth day of trial. The settlement changed the revenue-sharing model in the United States' top motorsports series.Jordan watched the win from a suite overlooking the superspeedway built by the France family — NASCAR founders and private owners — he just beat in federal court. NASCAR chairman Jim France, who was personally a defendant in the suit, went to victory lane to congratulate the winners."I can't even believe it. It was so gratifying," Jordan said. "You never know how these races are going to end. You just try to survive. We hung in there all day. Great strategy by the team, and we gave ourselves a chance at the end. Look, I'm ecstatic."The victory marked a Daytona sweep for three team owners heavily involved in the trial. Bob Jenkins, who joined 23XI in suing NASCAR, opened the weekend with a victory when Chandler Smith won the Truck Series opener on Friday night for Front Row Motorsports.Richard Childress, who testified on behalf of 23XI and Front Row and was the subject of disparaging text messages by since-departed NASCAR chairman Steve Phelps, was the winning team owner Saturday when Austin Hill won.Then came "The Great American Race" and Jordan and Hamlin, the two front-facing litigants got their first Daytona 500 victory.Former race winners Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Joey Logano finished second and third as Toyota, Chevrolet and Ford each placed a driver on the podium. Elliott wound up fourth and sat dejected and in disbelief on the outside wall of the track after climbing from his car."We ended up kind of getting gifted the lead ... and then at that point in time, you're just on defense. Man, that's a really, really tough place to be, truthfully," Elliott said. "Obviously looking back, you can run it through your mind 1,000 times, do you do something different?"___AP auto racing: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing">https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing</a>

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 15: Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Chumba Casino Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34516332/related

Reddick storms to Daytona 500 win after hectic final lap

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The "Big One" happened earlier than usual at the Daytona 500 on Sunday...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The "Big One" happened earlier than usual at the Daytona 500 on Sunday: a 20-car crash just past the midway point that involved three-time race winner Denny Hamlin and several other contenders.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Another look at the incident. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DAYTONA500?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DAYTONA500</a> <a href="https://t.co/WZtGVAFaMe">pic.twitter.com/WZtGVAFaMe</a>— NASCAR (@NASCAR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASCAR/status/2023145993412259869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a>
</blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>Justin Allgaier was leading in a car fielded by two-time race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. when Hamlin tried to pass on the outside at Daytona International Speedway. Allgaier threw a late block and squeezed Hamlin into the wall, igniting the melee with seven laps remaining in the second stage of NASCAR's season opener.Hamlin, trying to become the third driver to win four Daytona 500s, spun into the infield grass. Former race winner Michael McDowell, Alex Bowman, Shane van Gisbergen, Ross Chastain, Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek were among those involved.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Two-time Daytona 500 runner-up Bubba Wallace slipped through the wreckage unscathed, took the lead and won the stage under caution. Wallace drives for 23IX Racing, which is owned by Hamlin and Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan.The start of the race was moved up an hour in hopes of avoiding afternoon showers that are expected in the area.Kyle Busch, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, led the field to the green flag in hopes of winning "The Great American Race" for the first time in 21 tries. He holds the race's longest active skid.William Byron is trying to become the first driver in history to win the Daytona 500 three consecutive years. But Byron had to switch to a backup car following a qualifying crash and landed on pit road in the opening laps Sunday after B.J. McLeod spun in front of him, leading Byron to hit the outside wall.Byron won last year's event in overtime after race leader Denny Hamlin got spun on the final lap, igniting a multicar crash. Byron ended up passing eight cars on the last lap to return to victory lane.Can he make it three in a row? Four others — Richard Petty in 1975, Cale Yarborough in 1985, Sterling Marlin in 1996 and Hamlin in 2021 — came up short in three-peat bids at NASCAR’s signature race.The field includes seven other previous Daytona 500 winners, most notably three-time winner Hamlin and seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin is trying to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss in the 2025 season finale and the December death of his father. Johnson, meanwhile, is again driving the No. 84 Toyota for his team, Legacy Motor Club.McLeod, who grabbed a spot in the race when Anthony Alfredo was disqualified following an inspection after Thursday's qualifying races, spun five laps into the race and had to get towed to the garage. Casey Mears, who claimed one of the few open spots in his qualifier, sustained car damage when McLeod lost control.___AP auto racing: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing">https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing</a>

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Ty Gibbs (#54 Joe Gibbs Racing Monster Energy Toyota) gets together with Connor Zilisch (#88 Trackhouse Racing Red Bull Chevrolet) in the tri-oval during the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 on February 15, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34515729/related

The 'Big One' comes early in Daytona 500, involves several top contenders

MILAN (AP) — Sitting on the bench with the U.S. surprisingly trailing Denmark at the Olympics, Ja...

MILAN (AP) — Sitting on the bench with the U.S. surprisingly trailing Denmark at the Olympics, Jack Eichel and linemates Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk talked about wanting to make a difference.Then they did just that.Eichel scored off his own faceoff win a minute after setting up Brady Tkachuk's first of two goals the same way, and the U.S. rode its top line to a 6-3 defeat of Denmark on Saturday night, keeping pace with also-unbeaten Canada for the top seed in the men's hockey tournament.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>"(We were) just sticking with it, trusting each other," Brady Tkachuk said. "That's what shows the character in our room is the trust and belief with one another that if we stick with it, we'll like the result at the end of the day."The U.S. bounced back from goaltender Jeremy Swayman getting beaten by a shot from 95 feet away, just inside the center red line, 11 minutes in. Swayman won’t have to kick himself too badly for the blunder after some of his most talented teammates stepped up to make the long-distance goal from Nicholas B. Jensen and another soft one from Phillip Bruggisser with 2.6 seconds left in the second period moot.“I’m really proud of this group for staying even-keeled,” Swayman said. “The confidence never left the group, and that’s a serious trait at this stage in the tournament. The guys rallied, and we got it done”The goals by Tkachuk and Eichel — two-thirds of the top line along with Brady’s brother, Matthew — midway through the second period tied it and gave the U.S. the lead. Defenseman Noah Hanifin added another when his shot got through Mads Sogaard and trickled over the goal line a bit later, providing some breathing room that proved necessary.Jake Guentzel fired a one-timer past Sogaard with a little more than 12 minutes left, and Brady Tkachuk scored his second off a feed from Jack Hughes after Sogaard exited with injury and was relieved by Frederik Dichow.Captain Auston Matthews made the pass to Guentzel, and Zach Werenski — who accidentally knocked the puck into his own net on Denmark’s first goal credited to Nick Olesen — had the secondary assist to get some retribution.“U-S-A! U-S-A!” chants from the very red, white and blue crowd filled the arena at the opening puck drop and after all the goals. Some fans in the stands had flags of Greenland, in light of recent rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump about taking control of the semiautonomous island overseen by Denmark.None of the geopolitics reached the ice, and multiple Denmark players last week downplayed any connection between the Greenland situation and the game against the U.S. as heavy underdogs.“We battled hard and tried everything we had,” Bruggisser said. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, but they’re an all-star team and we gave it what we had.”After rolling over Latvia 5-1 in their opener on Thursday night behind two goals from Brock Nelson, the Americans have six points in the standings, the same as Canada, going into the final day of the preliminary round.The U.S. wraps up round-robin play against Germany, Canada faces 0-2-0 France and if they each win in regulation, the No. 1 spot in the single-elimination knockout round would come down to goal differential.

MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 14: Noah Hanifin #15 of Team United States celebrates after scoring a goal with Tage Thompson #72 and Brock Faber #14 in the second period during the Men's Preliminary Group C match between the United States and Denmark on day eight of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 14, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34503993/related

USA holds off Denmark to win nervy round-robin clash

MILAN (AP) — Dalibor Dvorsky’s goal with 39 seconds left sent Slovakia to the quarterfinals in me...

MILAN (AP) — Dalibor Dvorsky’s goal with 39 seconds left sent Slovakia to the quarterfinals in men’s hockey at the Olympics as the winner of the group in a tiebreaker even after losing to Sweden 5-3 on Saturday in each team’s final preliminary round game.Slovakia won Group B when Finland crushed host Italy 11-0 later in the day because of goal differential among the three tied teams. The bench celebrated when Dvorsky scored, and players were all smiles afterward.“It’s probably the best loss I ever had,” said Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovsky, the reigning Olympic MVP who’s tied with Canada’s Connor McDavid for the most points in the tournament with six apiece. “It’s crazy, but we take it.”<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Dvorsky, who plays for the St. Louis Blues in the NHL, also called it the best loss of his life. His goal on the power play after a penalty on Lucas Raymond made it happen.“We all know what we need to do on the ice,” Dvorsky said. “There was not too much tactics, right? And at this point of the game, just try to get pucks to the net. And at the end, it was a rebound that was the goal.”Sweden, which played much better than it had in its 4-1 loss to archrival Finland on Friday, was left to lament a missed opportunity even after winning the game. Coach Sam Hallam pulled goaltender Jacob Markstrom in the final seconds while leading by two goals because of the tiebreaker, but Sweden did not score again.“Tough pill to swallow,” alternate captain Victor Hedman said. “But we will regroup. We’ll be ready for our next challenge.’’Markstrom stopped 29 of the 32 shots he faced and may have supplanted Filip Gustavsson as Sweden’s starter moving forward. Sweden is locked into the seventh seed and will have to play in the qualification round Tuesday just to make it into the quarterfinals Wednesday.“It is what it is,” Hallam said. “Just look ahead, everything that’s really good never comes easy.”The U.S. plays Denmark on Saturday night looking to keep pace with unbeaten Canada in the race for the top seed.<h3>Finland beats host Italy 11-0</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822052/cropped_GettyImages-2261138595.jpg?ts=1771094947" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822052/w220xh124_GettyImages-2261138595.jpg?ts=1771094947 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822052/w320xh180_GettyImages-2261138595.jpg?ts=1771094947 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822052/w640xh360_GettyImages-2261138595.jpg?ts=1771094947 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822052/w768xh432_GettyImages-2261138595.jpg?ts=1771094947 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822052/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2261138595.jpg?ts=1771094947 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP / Getty</figcaption></figure>Sebastian Aho, Kaapo Kakko, Joel Kiviranta and captain Mikael Granlund each scored twice for Finland in an 11-0 beatdown of host Italy. The 11-goal margin made it the most lopsided men’s hockey game at the Olympics since 1988, when Sweden beat France 13-2.Because of goal differential, the Finns were incentivized to run up the score on an overmatched opponent. At one point, Finland had eight goals and Italy had eight shots.“I’d expect nothing less,” Italy captain Thomas Larkin said. “That’s the game we’re playing here. Yeah, that stings for us obviously from a pride perspective but also in the standings.”Finland coach Antti Pennanen and his staff told players about the tiebreaker before puck drop.“They knew that, and then we told them honestly what is the situation,” Pennanen said. “We had a plan. First plan: win the game. And then do goals as much as you can.”Barring something incredibly unforeseen in games, Finland is into the quarterfinals as the No. 4 seed.<h3>Latvia upsets Germany</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822053/cropped_GettyImages-2261116745.jpg?ts=1771095032" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822053/w220xh124_GettyImages-2261116745.jpg?ts=1771095032 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822053/w320xh180_GettyImages-2261116745.jpg?ts=1771095032 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822053/w640xh360_GettyImages-2261116745.jpg?ts=1771095032 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822053/w768xh432_GettyImages-2261116745.jpg?ts=1771095032 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822053/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2261116745.jpg?ts=1771095032 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> picture alliance / picture alliance / Getty</figcaption></figure>Latvia defeated Germany 4-3. Arturs Silovs of the Pittsburgh Penguins stopped 26 of the 29 shots he faced.“We’re a good team,” said Zemgus Girgensons of the Tampa Bay Lightning, one of 10 NHL players on Latvia’s roster. “We believed it. I don’t think we go into the game thinking it’s going to be any other way. We came in today thinking we’re going to win. And that’s what we did. We on paper, probably the best team we’ve had. We’re just going to keep gaining better by every game.”Germany’s Philipp Grubauer, who was excellent in an opening win against Denmark when he and his teammates were badly outshot, allowed four goals on 22 shots in the loss.“We just got to find a way to score,” said Tim Stützle, who scored the third goal for Germany. “That’s it. We got to go in the hard areas, know where the other guy is and then make those plays.”Germany faces the U.S. on Sunday night.___AP Sports Writers John Wawrow and James Ellingworth contributed.___AP Winter Olympics: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics">https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics</a>

MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 14: Gabriel Landeskog #92 of Team Sweden shakes hands wth Libor Hudacek #79 of Team Slovakia after the Men's Preliminary Group B match between Sweden and Slovakia on day eight of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 14, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34495750/related

Slovakia takes Group B after late goal in loss to Sweden, Finland's win

MILAN (AP) — Marie-Philip Poulin’s injured right knee held up just fine.  And the Canadian women’...

MILAN (AP) — Marie-Philip Poulin’s injured right knee held up just fine.And the Canadian women’s hockey icon added another entry to her “Captain Clutch” reputation.Returning to the lineup after missing two-plus games, Poulin injected a spark into a slow-starting Canadian team by making a key defensive play and then scoring to tie the Olympic career record in a 5-1 win over Germany in the quarterfinal round of the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics">Milan Cortina Games</a> on Saturday.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The goal, the 18th in her fifth Olympic Games, was a mere afterthought for Poulin, who matched former Canadian teammate and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/knight-poulin-womens-hockey-olympics-67d9b9612e90b70c2f057948a1c5f008">Hockey Hall of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser</a>. Rejoining her teammates in the knockout round was her only motivation.“Being a little bit back in the stands for the last two put things in perspective for sure,” Poulin said, after watching Canada drop a 5-0 decision to the U.S. before closing preliminary play a 5-0 win over Finland. “You want to be part of that, and you never want to be on the sideline due to an injury.”Her teammates were happy to welcome back the 34-year-old, who earned her nickname for scoring three Olympic gold medal-clinching goals.“She’s such a gamer. There’s never a doubt that when she’s on the ice, she’s ready,” Emily Clark said. “She does everything she has to do to be everything she can be for this team.”Sarah Fillier had a goal and assist, and Brianne Jenner, Claire Thompson and Blayre Turnbull also scored for the defending Olympic champions. Emerance Maschmeyer stopped 10 shots.Canada advanced to the semifinals set for Monday and will play Switzerland, which defeated Finland 1-0 in the day’s other quarterfinal. The top-seeded and tournament-favored Americans will play Sweden, the Group B winner after the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/womens-hockey-olympic-quarterfinals-7ba864663f75dfa02dc91997ad1e535a">Swedes upset Czechia</a> on Friday.It was the first Olympic meeting between the two nations, while Canada improved to 9-0 overall in international play and has now outscored the Germans by a combined 83-1.Franziska Feldmeier became the first German female player to score against Canada. Her goal came on a short-handed breakaway 8:42 into the third period after intercepting Renata Fast’s pass. Sandra Abstreiter finished with 38 saves.“It’s always fun to score. And then to score against a team like Canada is always exciting,” Feldmeier said. “I think we showed that German ice hockey developed, especially women’s hockey.”The Germans showed promise in finishing second in Group B with a 3-1 record, but still have work to do to break into the top six following their fourth Olympic appearance and first since 2014.Canada has a far richer tradition as five-time gold medalists, and much higher expectations, which placed an even greater emphasis <a href="https://apnews.com/article/canada-poulin-womens-hockey-olympics-a9570df36e29c3bd894a41fa78c160af">on Poulin’s return</a> after being sidelined in a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/womens-hockey-olympics-us-canada-caa8c3a679f1506c242f6c649389b310">5-1 win over Czechia</a> on Monday.She made a tremendous impact despite getting eased back in being limited to spot shifts and power-play time by logging 15 1/2 minutes.Five minutes in, Poulin chased down Germany’s Laura Kluge driving in on a short-handed breakaway. She clipped Kluge’s helmet with her stick to distract the forward while she got off her shot that was stopped by Maschmeyer. She then capped the scoring from a familiar spot — parked in front of the net and redirecting in Fillier’s shot for a power-play goal with 4:30 remaining.“Incredible player, incredible person,” Fillier said. “That’s amazing. I’m sure she won’t think it’s that cool, but she deserves it.”Fillier was among several players who didn’t know of Poulin’s milestone until being informed after the game.Coach Troy Ryan was fully aware, as well as the leadership presence Poulin provides his team.“I’ve run out of things to say about Pou,” he said. “In my head, you’d almost think that was already her record. So when I see that, it’s just nice that she gets to be where she belongs.”Ryan was less glowing over how his team muddled through an opening period that featured several giveaways and miscues.“I thought we just didn’t compete to the level that we need to. I don’t think we were as difficult to play against as we need to be moving forward,” he said, before crediting his team for improving over the final 40 minutes.Canada opened the scoring on its first shot on goal, with Jenner driving the net and redirecting in Emma Maltais’ centering pass 1:40 into the game. Thompson made it 2-0 with 3:19 left in the period by firing a shot from the left point that appeared to knuckle through Abstreiter’s legs. Fillier put Canada up 3-0 when her shot deflected in off Abstreiter’s stick with 2:30 left in the second period.___AP Olympic coverage: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics">https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics</a>

MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 14: Claire Thompson #42 of Team Canada celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the first period during the Women's Quarterfinals match between Canada and Germany on day eight of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on February 14, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34497782/related

Canada tops Germany to reach semifinals vs. Switzerland

MILAN (AP) — Jordan Stolz is now a two-time Olympic gold medalist in speedskating — halfway to hi...

MILAN (AP) — <a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-olympics-jordan-stolz-speedskating-1d6682752608070ce283542eba39dfca">Jordan Stolz</a> is now a two-time Olympic gold medalist in speedskating — halfway to his goal of four at the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics">Milan Cortina Games</a> — after winning the 500 meters on Saturday to go along with his <a href="https://apnews.com/article/jordan-stolz-olympics-speedskating-1000-920185276d2436f3ebba60f41450f41f">victory in the 1,000</a>.Stolz, a 21-year-old from Wisconsin, is only the second man to complete the 500-1,000 double at one Olympics. He joins Eric Heiden, the American who did it as part of his record sweep of all five individual men’s speedskating events at the 1980 Lake Placid Games.Stolz finished the 500 in an Olympic-record time of 33.77 seconds, after also setting a Games mark in his win in the 1,000 on Wednesday. Both times, the silver went to Jenning do Boo of the Netherlands, who clocked 33.88 in the shortest speedskating event. Both times, they raced head-to-head in the same heat.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Stolz was leading Wednesday as they came out of the final curve, then they were even entering the last stretch. But Stolz, who overcame a deficit in the 1,000, turned on the speed and leaned across the line first again in the 500. De Boo slipped and fell into the wall afterward, while Stolz skated past and shook his right fist overhead.Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil got the bronze in 34.26.The last American to win Olympic gold in the men’s 500 was Casey FitzRandolph in 2002.Generally considered the best in the world at his sport right now, Stolz is so far living up to the outsized expectations and accompanying pressure that follow his every stride on the ice at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, a temporary facility created for this event.Two races, two golds, two Olympic records.Now there are two more to go: the 1,500 meters on Thursday, and the mass start on Feb. 21.The last man with three gold medals in speedskating at one Winter Games was Norway’s Johann Olav Koss, who won the 1,500, the 5,000 and the 10,000 at the 1994 Lillehammer GamesStolz took to the ice to warm up Saturday about 2 1/2 hours before his race. He paused at one point to plop himself down for a seat on the low boards along the ice, retying his black-and-green skates and smiling while chatting with his coach, Bob Corby.No sign of nerves. None at all.___AP Winter Olympics: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics">https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics</a>

MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 14: Jordan Stolz of Team United States reacts after breaking the Olympic record for the Speed Skating Men's 500m on day eight of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Speed Skating Stadium on February 14, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34496630/related

Stolz continues quest for perfect Olympics with gold in 500m

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jimmie Johnson plans to end his illustrious NASCAR Cup Series career a...

<div>
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jimmie Johnson plans to end his illustrious NASCAR Cup Series career at the 2027 Daytona 500.
The seven-time Cup champion announced Saturday, the day before <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nascar-daytona-500-byron-hamlin-larson-33d6afed97867c1384306d2d8b7de881">the 68th running of “The Great American Race,”</a> that he will enter one additional Daytona 500 before calling it a career. He wants to continue racing in other series, maybe even in other NASCAR events, but won’t return to stock car’s premier level again.
“I’ve been fortunate to accomplish more than I ever imagined in this sport,” said Johnson, a two-time Daytona 500 champion who finished third in the 2025 season opener. “The last six years have given me the freedom to choose where I compete and, more importantly, the clarity to understand where I’m needed most. I am going to focus all of my energy on leading and building a world-class organization.”
<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>
The 50-year-old Johnson is the majority owner of Legacy Motor Club, which fields full-time Cup rides for Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek. Johnson has two more national series races scheduled beyond Daytona this year — in the Truck and Cup series in San Diego near his hometown.
The No. 84 entry that Johnson will drive Sunday for the 15th time since his retirement from full-time racing will become the team’s third full-time entry next year. Legacy already purchased a third charter from Rick Ware Racing, the last one sold before a federal lawsuit settlement involving two teams and NASCAR upped the price significantly.
That seemingly leaves Johnson driving next year at Daytona in a yet-to-be-determined number after racing his entire career in either the No. 48 or its transposed counterpart.
Johnson walked away from his full-time gig at powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports after the 2020 season. He stepped down after 83 Cup victories and a record-tying seven series titles over 19 years.
He spent more time with his family and embraced the opportunity to design a less-demanding schedule. He competed in the IndyCar Series for two seasons (2021-22), became a partial owner at Legacy and drove in a number of bucket list items like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 24 at Daytona and an Unlimited Hydroplane at Seafair. He earned Indianapolis 500 rookie of the year honors in 2022.
He is making his 23rd start in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, having won in 2006 and 2013.
“It’s the only race you get a title,” Johnson said earlier this week. “I was fortunate to experience that. You leave here and anything you do, you got a title. I never had a title in my life. That speaks to the importance of the race, the magnitude of the race, the history behind it all.
“You get a title and you get reminded of it every time you’re introduced.”
He considers that first Daytona 500 victory a turning point in his career. It kickstarted the first of five consecutive championships that made him the face of the series even while competing against Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.
And it came after crew chief Chad Knaus was kicked out of the Daytona 500 and suspended two more races because of an illegal car adjustment.
“A lot of growth took place in that offseason,” said Johnson, who finished fifth in the 2005 standings. “In theory, we bought into what we wanted to be. And then with Chad being sent home, ‘Shoot, now we got to live it.’
“It really was that fortifying moment us. It forced a lot of us to step up instead of just looking at Chad and saying, ‘All right, man, fix it.’ We all had so much more responsibility and skin in the game. We became a more efficient, effective, stronger team as a result. When I look back, that winter and then him being suspended were the most pivotal moment in the 48 team.”
It’s been 20 years since that seminal moment, and Johnson — even with one retirement in the rearview mirror and another one on the horizon — has a hard time believing the milestone.
“How has it been that long?” Johnson said. “I don’t think I’m any more mature. I certainly have a lot more gray. It’s just wild how fast time goes by.”
___
AP auto racing: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing">https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing</a>
</div>

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 12: Jimmie Johnson (#84 Legacy Motor Club Carvana Toyota) waves to the crowd prior to the running of the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 Duel 1 on February 12, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34495850/related

Johnson will make final Daytona 500 start in 2027 to end Cup Series career

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Brigham Young University said Friday that standout wide receiver Parker Kin...

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Brigham Young University said Friday that standout wide receiver Parker Kingston is no longer a student at the Utah private school after he was arrested this week on a first-degree felony rape charge.Kingston, 21, made his initial court appearance Friday in St. George, where prosecutors say a woman who was 20 years old at the time told officers that Kingston assaulted her at her home last February. He was arrested following a yearlong investigation in which detectives collected digital and forensic evidence and interviewed witnesses, Washington County Attorney Jerry Jaeger said.“I found by clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Kingston was a danger to the community,” Judge John Walton said during the hearing.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Still, Walton allowed Kingston to be released Friday on a $100,000 bond with $10,000 cash immediately paid to the court after he was held initially without bail.His defense attorney, Cara Tangaro, agreed that Kingston could have no contact with his accuser or any potential witnesses, must stay off social media and would wear a GPS ankle monitor to ensure he doesn’t return to the southwestern Utah county, except for court appearances. He appeared before the judge by remote video link from jail Friday.If convicted, he could serve five years to life in prison.BYU spokesperson Jon McBride said the administration and coaches were only made aware of the investigation and the allegations against Kingston after his arrest this week. He declined to answer whether Kingston was kicked out or left the school voluntarily.Tangaro told The Associated Press on Friday night that she had not yet talked to BYU and could not comment about the case, per a court order.Kingston told St. George Police that “all sexual activity” with the woman accusing him of rape was “consensual,” according to an affidavit unsealed Thursday. The woman told investigators she had made clear to Kingston before he came to her house that she did not want to have sex with him, and she told him to stop several times when he initiated sex, the affidavit said.BYU, the flagship university of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church, has a strict honor code for students that prohibits all sexual relations outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. Those who violate it can face suspension, and for athletes, many weeks riding the bench.Other top athletes including Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff have opted to leave BYU when faced with lengthy suspensions for violating the honor code.Kingston was BYU’s leading receiver last season.He is expected to make his next court appearance Feb. 25.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 06: Parker Kingston #11 of the BYU Cougars runs a route during the first half the Big 12 Championship game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at AT&T Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Arlington, Texas.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34493146/related

BYU: Kingston no longer student after rape charge

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — VJ Edgecombe seems quietly confident he’ll be at an NBA All-Star weekend...

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — VJ Edgecombe seems quietly confident he’ll be at an NBA All-Star weekend quite soon to play in the main event.Until that day arrives, the Philadelphia rookie celebrated his first trip to this midseason showcase with two game-ending scores and an MVP trophy in the Rising Stars event.Edgecombe led Team Vince to victory in the kickoff event for the NBA All-Star weekend Friday night, scoring 17 points in the semifinal before hitting two free throws to ice the final.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>“We all wanted to compete, and I wanted to win,” Edgecombe said. “I really hate losing, and we had a chance to win it all, so why not go out there and win?”The NBA’s rookies, sophomores and G League prospects opened the All-Star weekend at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome with this four-team tournament of three games played to a set point total.While Edgecombe was the most impactful player, he didn’t have the most memorable bucket: San Antonio guard Dylan Harper ended the first semifinal by scoring the game-winner over Ron Harper Jr., his older brother.Dylan Harper then scored eight more points in the final for Team Melo while teaming up with his Spurs teammate, Stephon Castle, last season’s Rookie of the Year and Rising Stars MVP.Castle made a putback dunk off Jeremiah Fears’ miss to pull Team Melo within one point of victory, but Edgecombe drew a foul from Donovan Clingan and coolly hit both free throws to end it at 25-24.Edgecombe was motivated by the presence of his 76ers backcourt mate, All-Star Tyrese Maxey, who watched from courtside.“He (said) he ain’t coming to watch if I ain’t going to play hard,” Edgecombe said. “I was like, ‘Man, I’m going to play hard so at least it’s not a waste of his time.’”Indeed, the lackadaisical efforts that have plagued the All-Star Game in recent years wasn’t nearly as prevalent in this Rising Stars showcase, and Edgecombe said that’s largely because of the motivational efforts of the four NBA veterans who led the teams: Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady and Austin Rivers.When the vets were picking their teams two weeks ago, Edgecombe told Carter to choose him if he wanted to win.“(Carter) was telling us, ‘Just go! Just go! Keep playing hard!’” Edgecombe said. “And we feed off of that. We just started rolling.”Edgecombe scored nearly half of his team’s 41 points — including the last 10 in a row — while winning the second semifinal. Edgecombe didn’t have to carry his team in the final, but the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s draft still scored its final four points.Family feudDylan Harper called game in the first semifinal with a succession of moves that could have been learned on the driveway at home, bullying Ron Jr. into the paint before hitting a step-back jumper.Dylan stuck out his tongue in gleeful celebration of only his second basket in the semifinal, and their famous father laughed heartily at courtside.Ron Jr., a Celtics prospect with 21 games of NBA experience, is six years older than Dylan, the No. 2 pick in last summer’s draft — but the kid brother knew he could do it.“You think I’ve never beat him one-on-one (before)?” Dylan asked with mock exasperation.Flagg downThe Rising Stars game wasn’t a full showcase of the NBA’s top young talent because No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg dropped out of the game due to injury, as did Washington’s Alex Sarr and Memphis’ Cedric Coward.Edgecombe hit three 3-pointers during his scoring barrage in the first semifinal to win his duel with Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel, who scored just four points. The two rookies are the only serious contenders with Flagg for the Rookie of the Year award.Hometown heroThe event got off to a rousing start when Clippers prospect Yanic Konan Niederhäuser dunked a lob from Ron Harper Jr. for the first basket of the night. The Swiss big man drafted last summer by the All-Star weekend hosts got raucous cheers from the fans in The Wall, an extra-steep supporters’ section installed at Intuit Dome by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.Niederhäuser led his losing team with 11 points in the first semifinal.___AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/NBA</a>

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 13: VJ Edgecombe #77 of Team Vince celebrates during the game against Team T-Mac during the Castrol NBA Rising Stars as part of NBA All-Star Weekend on Friday, February 13, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34492712/related

Edgecombe leads Team Vince to Rising Stars victory

WACO, Texas (AP) — Tyce Armstrong hit three grand slams in his Baylor debut Friday night in the B...

WACO, Texas (AP) — Tyce Armstrong <a href="https://x.com/BaylorBaseball/status/2022472215761948765?s=20">hit three grand slams</a> in his Baylor debut Friday night in the Bears’ 15-2 season-opening victory over New Mexico State, just the second college baseball player to ever accomplish that feat.“I’m speechless,” Armstrong said. “It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of.”<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BAYLOR FIRST BASEMAN TYCE ARMSTRONG HITS THREE GRAND SLAMS TO START THE SEASON 🤯 He’s only the second player since 1957 to hit three grand slams in a D-I game. <a href="https://t.co/cFQ1qGRBrn">pic.twitter.com/cFQ1qGRBrn</a>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/2022492332029816990?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2026</a>
</blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>He joins Louisville’s Jim LaFountain as the only players with that distinction. LaFountain hit two of his three grand slams in the same inning on March 24, 1976, in the second game of a doubleheader against Western Kentucky. He also hit a two-run home run in the 26-4 victory that was called in the fifth inning.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>No Major League Baseball player has ever hit three grand slams in one game. Thirteen players have had two in a game.Armstrong, a senior first baseman, transferred from Texas-Arlington, where he had 17 homers and 87 RBIs over three seasons.Against New Mexico State, he went 3 or 4 with 12 RBIs.Armstrong hit all three homers to left field — a 401-foot shot in the third inning, a 407-foot blast in the fourth and a 386-foot homer in the seventh.___AP college sports: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports">https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports</a>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34492492/related

Baylor's Armstrong ties DI record with 3 grand slams in 1 game

MILAN (AP) — Kendall Coyne Schofield scored twice, and top-seeded United States routed Olympic ho...

MILAN (AP) — Kendall Coyne Schofield scored twice, and top-seeded United States routed Olympic host Italy 6-0 in a lopsided, festive and sometimes chippy women’s hockey quarterfinal at the Milan Cortina Games on Friday night.Megan Keller, Laila Edwards, Hannah Bilka, and Britta Curl-Salemme also scored in an outing during which the U.S. had five goals in the second period. Gwyneth Philips finished with six saves as the Americans posted their fourth straight shutout.The Group A-winning U.S. has outscored its opponents by a combined 26-1 in winning all five games, with the lone goal allowed in a 5-1 tournament-opening win over Czechia. With Coyne Schofield, Lee Stecklein, and Grace Zumwinkle making the scoresheet Friday, the U.S. has only two skaters — defenders Cayla Barnes and Rory Guilday — without a point.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/womens-hockey-olympic-us-favorites-7a83239ed2ce7c918eec36a83ac939a8">tournament-favored Americans</a> advance to the semifinal round on Monday. They’ll play either Sweden, after the Group B winner upset Czechia 2-0 earlier in the day, or Germany, should the seventh-seeded team knock off <a href="https://apnews.com/article/olympics-womens-hockey-poulin-canada-86fc5980374ef0ac3d7d89c1e3602068">Canada in its quarterfinal on Saturday</a>.Finland faces Switzerland on Saturday in a matchup of Group A’s fourth- and fifth-place teams.The game featured dueling chants, with each chorus of “USA! USA! USA!” met with an even louder “EEE-TA-LIA!” And Italian fans kept their spirits up even as the score got out of hand by cheering for each and every scoring opportunity.Italy stood little chance while making its second Olympic appearance, each time as the host team. Advancing to the knockout round was considered an accomplishment for the Italians, who went 2-2 in the preliminary round, and after going 0-4 at the 2006 Turin Games.Goalie Gabriella Durante stole the show by stopping 19 of 20 shots through the opening period, and 45 overall.Her best save came with 14 seconds left in the first period by reaching back and using the paddle of her stick to deflect away Abbey Murphy’s one-timer from the left circle.Keller opened the scoring with a rising shot from the top of the right circle, beating Durante on the stick side 13:31 in.It was only a matter of time before the floodgates opened, with the U.S. scoring three times over a 3:32 span in the first five-plus minutes of the second period. Coyne scored twice and Edwards capped the surge with a snap shot through a crowd that beat Durante on the glove side 5:47 into the second period.Italy mustered just two shots on net in the first period, though Philips had to be sharp in kicking out her left pad to stop Justine Reyes’ breakaway opportunity eight minutes in.Things also got heated following a scuffle after Bilka scored to put the U.S. up 6-0 late in the second period. As Murphy and Italy’s Franziska Stocker were sent off for penalties, U.S. coach John Wroblewski began shouting across the bench at Italy coach Eric Bouchard.___AP Olympic coverage: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics">https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics</a>

MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 13: Megan Keller #5 of Team United States celebrates a goal with teammates in the first period during the Women's Quarterfinals match between the United States and Italy on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34489643/related

U.S. routs Italy to advance to women's hockey semifinals

MILAN (AP) — Ilia Malinin, the American figure skating sensation known as the “Quad God,” proved ...

MILAN (AP) — Ilia Malinin, the American figure skating sensation known as the “Quad God,” proved to be a mere mortal after all.The 21-year-old from Northern Virginia fell twice during a disastrous free skate at the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics">Milan Cortina Olympics</a> on Friday night, sending him tumbling all the way off the podium and allowing Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan to claim a stunning gold medal.“I blew it,” Malinin said afterward, poised and magnanimous in defeat. “That’s honestly the first thing that came to my mind.”<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Malinin <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milan-cortina-olympics-figure-skating-usa-e8c2de123cc7c63472b72c417efdcae4">led by a comfortable margin</a> after the short program and merely had to deliver a mediocre performance Friday night to add individual gold to his <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milan-cortina-olympics-figure-skating-5bf0c9e7b372b8226e0be625a7904f12">team gold medal</a>. Instead, the two-time reigning world champion was trying to hold back the tears after one of the worst nights of his career, one that left a star-packed crowd inside Milano Ice Arena sitting in stunned silence.“Honestly, yeah, I was not expecting that,” Malinin said. “I felt going into this competition I was so ready. I just felt ready going on that ice. I think maybe that might have been the reason, is I was too confident it was going to go well.”Shaidorov finished with a career-best 291.58 points to give his nation its first gold medal of the Winter Games, while Yuma Kagiyama earned his second consecutive Olympic silver medal and Japanese teammate Shun Sato took bronze.Then there was Malinin, who dropped all the way to eighth place. He finished with 264.49 points, his worst total score in nearly four years, and one that ended a two-plus year unbeaten streak that covered 14 full competitions around the world.“The nerves just went so overwhelming,” Malinin said, “and especially going into that starting pose, I just felt like all the ... traumatic moments of my life really just started flooding my head, and there’s just like, so many negative thoughts that just flooded into there and I just did not handle it.”Much of Malinin’s journey in the Milan Cortina Games had felt a little bit off.He was beaten by Kagiyama in the short program of the team event, later acknowledging for the first time that the pressure of winning at the Olympics had started to get to him. And he still wasn’t quite his dominant self despite a head-to-head win over Sato in the team free skate, which clinched the second consecutive gold medal for the Americans in the event.But by the time of his individual short program Tuesday night, Malinin’s fearless swagger and unrivaled spunk seemed to be back. He took a five-point lead over Kagiyama and Adam Siao Him Fa of France that seemed insurmountable going into Friday night.Malinin had decided to practice early in the day at U.S. Figure Skating’s alternate training base in Bergamo, just outside of Milan, allowing him to escape the Olympic bubble and avoid sitting in the arena all night. And he was the essence of calm throughout his warmup, never once falling in all of his practice jumps while wearing his familiar glittering black and gold ensemble.Then came a performance that might well haunt Malinin for the rest of his career.As the atmospheric music with his own voice-over began to play, he opened with a quad flip, one of a record-tying seven quads in his planned program, then appeared to be going after the quad axel only he has ever landed in competition and had to bail out of it.Malinin recovered to land his quad lutz before his problems really began.He only doubled a planned quad loop, throwing his timing off. He fell on a quad lutz, preventing him from doing the second half of the quad lutz-triple toe loop combination that would have earned him big points. And in his final jumping pass, which was supposed to be a high-scoring quad salchow-triple axel, Malinin only could muster a double salchow — and he fell on that.By the time the music stopped, Malinin was left trying to mask his sorrow for a crowd that included Nathan Chen, the 2022 Olympic champion, along with seven-time Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles, actor Jeff Goldblum and his wife, Emilie.“I’ve been through a lot,” Malinin said. “Being the Olympic gold hopeful is really just a lot to deal with, especially for my age.”Shaidorov was just as shocked as everyone as the realization hit that he had won the gold medal.He was only in sixth after the short program and an afterthought as the night began. But the 21-year-old known for high-flying jumps but maddening inconsistency delivered the performance of his life, landing five quads in a technically flawless program.It seemed altogether fitting that Coldplay’s song “Viva La Vida” played after the medal ceremony, as Shaidorov and his fellow medalists from Japan took a victory lap. “I used to rule the world,” the lyrics begin.“I went up to him and I congratulated him,” Malinin said of the new Olympic champion, “because watching him skate – I watched him the locker room – I’m just so proud of him. I heard that he had not a great season.”

MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 13: Ilia Malinin of Team United States reacts after competing in the Men Single Skating on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34489007/related

Heavily favored Malinin falls multiple times in free skate to miss figure skating podium

Canada Soccer has struck a new marketing and sponsorship rights agreement with Canadian Soccer Bu...

Canada Soccer has struck a new marketing and sponsorship rights agreement with Canadian Soccer Business, replacing a deal that players claimed deprived the federation of much-needed revenue.Canada Soccer on Friday announced the 12-year agreement with CSB, which has rebranded as Canadian Soccer Media and Entertainment. It comes at a crucial time as the nation prepares to host this summer’s World Cup with Mexico and the United States.The partnership includes Canada Soccer’s licensing activity, included with sponsorship and media rights, to coordinate the federation’s commercial growth. It is expected to boost Canada Soccer’s finances going forward.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Revenues generated will be primarily invested into the senior and youth national teams, coaching and referee development, and community initiatives.The original agreement with Canadian Soccer Business was decried by the men’s and women’s national teams in their efforts to strike a labor agreement with Canada Soccer.The CSB paid Canada Soccer a fee, which the players said was too low. The arrangement was at the heart of a $40 million lawsuit brought by the women’s team in 2024.In 2024, the players reached a framework for a new labor agreement that was contingent on reworking the 10-year agreement with CSB.“We’re working in close collaboration with the players,” Canada Soccer general secretary Kevin Blue told reporters during a press conference Friday. “We have developed a very strong and trustful relationship with the players in the last couple of years. Getting past and resolving this particular issue is a big step in finalizing the formal ratification of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and we are expecting that to happen relatively soon.”The deal calls for revenue sharing between the two parties, with Canada Soccer’s share growing as revenue increases. It is backstopped by annual minimums.It also includes a commitment to wider broadcasts of senior national games, both in Canada and internationally, with equal consideration given to men’s and women’s matches.The partnership will be re-evaluated every three years to ensure fair market value alignment.“We believe today, after this announcement, that the floodgates will open. We believe a lot of new partnerships will come in. I think you’re going to see that in the coming weeks as we move towards the 2026 World Cup,” said James Johnson of CSME.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

People gather at the unveiling of the official FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto Countdown Clock to mark one year until the city hosts its first FIFA World Cup match, at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, Canada, on June 12, 2025 .

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34488504/related

Canada Soccer strikes new 12-year deal with marketing, sponsorship entity

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — B.J. McLeod's run at the Daytona 500 was done.  McLeod failed to quali...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — B.J. McLeod's run at the Daytona 500 was done.McLeod failed to qualify for NASCAR's season opener — and biggest race — and retreated to his motorhome to debrief the effort with his wife and a co-owner of his race team. McLeod was unaware post-race inspection was still going on when he returned to the garage to talk with his crew chief about plans for next week's race.The conversation was interrupted when one Live Fast Motorsports crew member rushed by them and another trailed him until he was stopped by McLeod, who wanted to know: what the heck was going on?<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Don't pack for home quite yet. McLeod's date with Daytona had new life.Anthony Alfredo was in tears after he initially earned the final spot in the starting lineup in the second of Thursday night's qualifying races. His joy was short-lived as NASCAR announced the Beard Motorsports entry was disqualified because it failed inspection.That rushed McLeod's No. 78 Chevrolet into the rigorous safety and performance exam.McLeod watched the entire process — "I was never worried for a second" — and the Chevy was cleared. McLeod snatched Alfredo's spot and would indeed race Sunday against two-time defending winner William Byron and the rest of the field in his sixth career Daytona 500, and first since 2023.Just hold the hankies. Unlike Alfredo and fellow qualifier Casey Mears, who choked up immediately after crossing the finish line as they achieved their Daytona dream, enough time had passed that McLeod was nonplussed about the unexpected entry into the race."For me, the emotion wasn't there like it would have been if I raced my way in on track," McLeod said.Plus, the hard work was ahead.McLeod's underfunded team hit the track without a primary sponsor on his Chevy, and he worked the phones all night trying to find the right fit for his car. McLeod silenced his mobile phone multiple times as he lounged in a T-shirt, ripped jeans and flip-flops inside his motorhome Friday during an interview with The Associated Press. There were deals to be made, and McLeod took a potential pitch about a sponsor as soon as the interview ended."It hasn't stopped," McLeod said. "Since we went into tech, it's been non-stop."McLeod attempts Daytona each February these days as an open car, meaning he has to race into the field rather than have a guaranteed spot — and the guaranteed sponsorship needed to prop up a race team — as a charter team such as Hendrick Motorsports or Joe Gibbs Racing."You're fighting an uphill battle," McLeod said. "But I chose the battle and I'm happy to do it."Without a full 36-race slate to pay and prepare for, a handful of teams each February bank their season on the financial spoils and prestige connected with making the Daytona 500.Missing the race can often be a fatal blow to a small team's race plans.Beard Motorsports is one of those teams that anchors its season on Daytona. Its entry was disqualified because the transaxle cooling hose wasn't properly attached in post-race inspection."It's on all of us to make sure our cars are right," McLeod said.The Beard family wrote in a statement a review was underway and "our intent is to make races, contend for wins and race with integrity."Alfredo posted a video on social media where he explained the rule violation wasn't intentional and had turned his attention to winning NASCAR's second-tier race Saturday at Daytona. Because the races were considered qualifying attempts, Beard could not appeal the DQ.McLeod fielded a car for Alfredo in NASCAR's second-tier series in 2023 and had forged a friendship with both him and members of the Beard family. That left McLeod with some mixed feelings about making the 41-car field while Alfredo was left out."It was hard to enjoy it," McLeod said.McLeod wanted to race his way into the Daytona 500, but his qualifying race was initially spoiled because of a miscalculation with the fueler that stretched out a pit stop to 1.5 seconds longer than expected.McLeod was a team owner in Cup for a brief period before he sold his charter for Live Fast Motorsports to Spire Motorsports for $40 million in 2023. McLeod expressed no regrets about the decision, even as he pegged the current value of that charter at about $100 million. He hasn't ruled out a possible return to ownership in Cup, perhaps with a minority stake.McLeod pressed on with his racing career. He'll make his 150th career start in the Daytona 500 in hunt of his first career top-five finish."It's just fun on Thursday night," McLeod said. "Now the hard part, the 500, a very, very hard race."___AP auto racing: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing">https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing</a>

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 11: BJ McLeod, driver of the #78 Superior Logistics Chevrolet, speaks to the media during Media Day for the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34488362/related

McLeod fails to qualify for Daytona 500 until DQ earns surprise start

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Chase Elliott remembers when Hendrick Motorsports was one of the first...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Chase Elliott remembers when Hendrick Motorsports was one of the first NASCAR teams to approach superspeedway racing as fuel-mileage events.It wasn't that long ago, really.Elliott said Friday that turning laps at Daytona International Speedway has changed dramatically since the "Next Gen" car's debut in 2022, especially with everyone else adopting similar strategies and essentially catching up.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>"It's all circumstantial," said Elliott, NASCAR's most popular driver. "Who's pushing who? Do your lanes go or don't go? The fuel-mileage thing is definitely here to stay. It was a lot more fun when there were about three of us that knew that was going on in 2022. I think everyone quickly caught onto that."It's changed now that everyone is trying to do that versus only a handful of cars taking advantage of it throughout the race. But I don't know how you fix that."Elliott will start fourth in the Daytona 500 after winning a qualifying race Thursday night. The son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott is winless in 10 starts in "The Great American Race," although he has started from the pole twice and finished as runner-up in 2021.Elliott said the biggest benefit that comes with winning his third qualifying race (2017, 2018, 2026) is gaining a high pit selection — the ability to grab a spot closest to the exit of pit row or with open space in front of your stall. Either of those help expedite stops."You have to live with that all day Sunday, and Sunday is what we want," Elliott said. "That's really all that matters to us. … We've been crippled by the pit-pick thing more times down here than we’d like. That hurts."Obviously the rest of it has to go your way. There's so much out of your control down here that any little thing you can hedge your bet with is always a really nice plus."With the evolution of the Cup Series car creating little chance of manipulating parts and pieces, teams rely more on making up spots on race day in the pits: putting on new tires less often and saving fuel on the track so they need less time to fill up during stops."We all learned through the rules and the cars becoming extremely similar that you had to get an advantage another way," said Elliott’s longtime crew chief, Alan Gustafson. "It's saving fuel and jumping people on pit stop cycles. That came out of necessity of basically the rules package. And I just don't see where you unlearn that."Throw in an aging track that can be slick at times and rough in spots, and the 500-mile race has become as unpredictable as ever."It becomes hard to just tow the bottom lane on the yellow line, especially when the pace really picks up at the end of a run, when everybody starts pushing," Elliott said. "It's not just as simple as marrying it to the yellow line and it's sticking."You need a little space and room. All those elements as a run progresses make it worse, and the unwillingness that everyone lacks to putting on tires is asking for it. All those things just kind of start piling up and get you vulnerable."Even though Elliott doesn't have a win in the Daytona 500, he's shown promise. He has finished inside the top 20 six of the last seven years, including that second-place showing in 2021. He's been even better at Talladega, where he has two victories.But he's experienced the other end enough to keep the qualifying-race victory in perspective heading into the 500."Experienced enough to know not to get ahead of yourself in any of that for sure," he said.___AP auto racing: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing">https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing</a>

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 11: Chase Elliott (#9 Hendrick Motorsports Napa Auto Parts Chevrolet) is being interviewed during Media Day for the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 on February 11, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34487632/related

Elliott says fuel-mileage strategy here to stay at Daytona

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) — The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will go ahead as originally planned...

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) — The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will go ahead as originally planned in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, the president of the Confederation of African Football said Friday.Patrice Motsepe, speaking after a meeting of CAF’s executive committee, said the tournament will be played in June and/or July and that the organization will be announcing exact dates soon.Motsepe addressed several issues including last month’s Africa Cup in Morocco and the hosting of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations again next month.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Motsepe said the women’s tournament will go ahead at planned from March 17 to April 3, rebuffing reports that Morocco wanted to withdraw from hosting the tournament for the third time straight after South Africa offered to take over.“Morocco came to assist. There were many countries that wanted to host it, but because we didn’t have time, our standards were very, very high,” Motsepe said.“As we speak now, we still have an engagement with Morocco. Some of the other countries say, ‘please can we host it?’ But they want to change the date. We can’t change the date because it’s one of those qualifiers for the Women’s World Cup. So, the WAFCON continues, we will make sure it takes place within that window.”British newspaper The Guardian reported Thursday that the 2027 Africa Cup was to be scrapped and that Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya would instead host the 2028 tournament, but Motsepe said the report was erroneous.“There was an allegation that I am here to tell Tanzania and Kenya and Uganda that I’m taking away the AFCON because our three countries are not going to be ready. That’s totally unfounded,” Motsepe said.“AFCON next year in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda is going to be enormously successful … East Africa is going to be a powerhouse of the best football on the continent.”If the three East African countries do stage the 2027 tournament, it will be the first since 2013 the competition hasn’t been moved because of problems with the original host.Motsepe expressed his “deep gratitude” to Morocco for hosting the “most successful AFCON in the history of this competition,” but also his disappointment at the disturbances that marred the final, with on-field battles between stewards and Senegal fans, and the Senegal team walking off the field.“Very embarrassing. That should never happen again. It will never happen. It’s a blemish on the outstanding AFCON we had,” Motsepe said.He said he could not comment on the disciplinary proceedings against the Senegalese and Moroccan federations, but suggested Morocco’s ongoing appeal against fines of $415,000 and match bans would likely proceed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.Senegal won the final 1-0.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Rabat, Morocco - January 18: Senegal's Sadio Mane gets Man of the Competition award and congratulated by CAF President Patrice Motsepe during the Africa Cup Of Nations Final match between Senegal and Morocco at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on January 18, 2026 in Rabat, Morocco.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34486802/related

AFCON 2027 will take place as planned in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya

An arbitrator determined the NFL Players Association violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement...

An arbitrator determined the NFL Players Association violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL by distributing annual “team report cards” and ordered the union to stop making public any future reports. The NFL informed teams of the decision on Friday.“We are pleased with the decision from the arbitrator, upholding the parties’ collective bargaining agreement and prohibiting the NFLPA from disparaging our clubs and individuals through ‘report cards’ allegedly based on data and methodologies that it has steadfastly refused to disclose,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement. “We remain committed to working in partnership with the NFLPA and an independent survey company to develop and administer a scientifically valid survey to solicit accurate and reliable player feedback as the parties agreed in the CBA.”In a memo sent to the 32 teams, NFL attorneys said the NFLPA’s witness and counsel at a hearing characterized the report cards as “union speech” and admitted that: the union “cherry-picked” topics and player responses to include or not in the report cards; players had no role in drafting the commentary; the union selected which anonymous player quotes to include or exclude and the union determined the weight to give each topic and the resulting impact on the alphabetical grades.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>“The arbitrator did not find that the union’s independent survey necessarily conflicts with its obligation to conduct a joint specific survey of players’ opinions regarding the adequacy of medical care under the CBA,” the league said in its memo to teams. “Therefore, the Management Council will continue to work with the NFLPA to design and conduct such a survey in the coming seasons.”The union later issued a statement saying its efforts aren’t going away and that it will continue to ensure players are being heard.“The ruling upholds our right to survey players and share the results with players and clubs,” the union said in its statement. “While we strongly disagree with the restriction on making those results public, that limitation does not stop the program or its impact. Players will continue to receive the results, and teams will continue to hear directly from their locker rooms.“Importantly, the arbitrator rejected the NFL’s characterization of the process, finding the Team Report Cards to be fair, balanced, and increasingly positive over time. Our methodology is sound.”___AP NFL: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nfl">https://apnews.com/hub/NFL</a>

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - AUGUST 07: A view of the NFL Logo on a football in the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts during the NFL Preseason 2025 game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 07, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34486786/related

NFL wins grievance against players' union, banning 'team report cards'

MILAN (AP) — Hanna Olsson scored, Ebba Traff Svensson stopped 29 shots and Sweden upset Czechia 2...

MILAN (AP) — Hanna Olsson scored, Ebba Traff Svensson stopped 29 shots and Sweden upset Czechia 2-0 on Friday to advance to the semifinal round of the Olympic women’s hockey tournament for the first time in 12 years.Hilda Svensson sparked a huge celebration at Sweden’s bench, sealing the victory by scoring an empty-net goal with 25 seconds remaining.Sweden entered the quarterfinals as the tournament’s sixth seed after going 4-0 through preliminary round play to win the Group B title. And the Swedes knocked off a Czech team that finished third in Group A play, behind the U.S. and Canada.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The 21-year-old Traff Svensson won her fourth game and recorded her second shutout in her Olympic debut in an outing during which Sweden was outshot 13-5 in the third period alone.Czechia’s Klara Peslarova finished with 21 saves.Top-seeded and tournament-favored U.S. plays Italy in the day’s other quarterfinal. On Saturday, Canada plays Germany and Finland faces Switzerland in a matchup of Group A’s fourth- and fifth-place teams.Olsson scored a power-play goal 4:47 into the second period with a one-timer from the left circle while catching Peslarova out of position. The goalie was caught too high up in the crease and as Peslarova reached back, Olsson’s shot deflected in off her blocker.Sweden had not advanced to the semifinals since finishing fourth at the 2014 Sochi Games. And the nation is in position to earn its third Olympic medal, and first since winning silver at the 2006 Turin Games, when Sweden upset the U.S. in the semifinals.The Swedes entered the tournament with raised expectations while featuring a young, talented roster made up of a core of the team that won silver at the 2018 Under-18 championships.There are eight players 22 and younger, with seven currently competing at U.S. colleges. They include Hilda Svensson, the 19-year-old Ohio State freshman, who’s tied for seventh in the nation with 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) in 26 games.And Sweden knocked off a physical and experienced Czech team that won two bronze medals and finished fourth twice over the past four world championships. Czechia was making just its second Olympic appearance, but seeking to build off its seventh-place finish at the 2022 Beijing Games.The Czechs had difficulty finding a level of consistency through a preliminary round in which they blanked Finland 2-0, but lost a 4-3 shootout decision to Switzerland. Czechia managed just seven goals in five games despite a roster featuring eight Professional Women’s Hockey League players, including rookie of the year candidate Kristyna Kaltounkova, who leads the league with 11 goals.___AP Olympic coverage: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics">https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics</a>

MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 13: Players of Team Sweden celebrate the team's 2-0 victory and going through to the semifinal after the Women's Quarterfinals match between Czechia and Sweden on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34486247/related

Sweden upsets Czechia to reach women's hockey semis

https://rich-content.thescore.com/authors/the-associated-press/content_cards