adplus-dvertising
Connect with us

Sports

Toronto Argos face Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Grey Cup game today. Here’s what you need to know

Published

 on

The Toronto Argonauts are set to face off against the two-time defending champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup game tonight in Regina.

The Argos are making their first appearance in the CFL’s biggest game since they won the cup in 2017.

Meanwhile, the Bombers have been the most dominant team in Canadian football for the past three seasons, winning the cup in 2019 and 2021, while posting a league-best 15-3 record this year.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 109th Grey Cup.

THE ARGOS

This isn’t the first time the Argos have come into a Grey Cup game as underdogs facing a juggernaut. In fact, it’s a scenario McLeod Bethel-Thompson has lived before.

The Toronto quarterback had a front-row seat five years ago when an upstart Argos squad registered a huge Grey Cup upset.

Veteran Ricky Ray earned a record fourth CFL title win as a starter, guiding the Double Blue (9-9) to a stunning 27-24 win over the Calgary Stampeders (league-best 13-4-1) at Ottawa’s TD Place Stadium.

Now Bethel-Thompson will have a chance to make history repeat itself, this time as a starter.

The Argos quarterback led the CFL in passing (career-best 4,731 yards) and anchored the league’s second-ranked aerial attack (279.3 yards per game).

And he exorcised some playoff demons last weekend when he completed 19-of-27 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns in leading Toronto past the Montreal Alouettes 34-27 in the East Division final.

Bethel-Thompson and the Argos lost to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Final at BMO field last year after blowing a 12-0 lead in the first half.

“Quarterbacks are measured by championships. I consider myself a good quarterback. I guess you could say I’m excited more than anything,” Bethel-Thompson told reporters earlier this week in Regina.

“The reward for hard work is more hard work so I get to watch film and play a football game. That’s the most exciting part.”

The Argos will have some extra offensive fire-power for the second straight week after veteran Canadian running back Andrew Harris returned from what was thought to be a season-ending injury.

He rejoined the Argos’ lineup in time for last weekend’s win over Montreal, rushing for 42 yards on nine carries while scoring his first touchdown of 2022.

Harris will complement East Division all-star A.J. Ouellette, who ran for 516 yard (5.3-yard average) during the regular season. Against Montreal, the two helped Toronto rush for 101 yards on 23 carries (4.4-yard average).

Tonight’s game is personal for Harris, who was a core member of the Blue Bombers championship teams of 2019 – when he was named Grey Cup MVP – and 2021 before signing with the Argos in the off-season.

“When I look at the full spectrum and everything that’s happened in the last five years to now, it’s amazing. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have this date, [this] Grey Cup circled in my mind,” said Harris.

On the defensive side, Toronto will have to piece things together without Wynton McManis. The star linebacker, who had a team-high 88 tackles and was the Argos’ nominee for top defensive player, sustained an upper-body injury in the East Division final.

The Argos have a tough task ahead of them, but they have some history working in their favour. They’ve won their last six Grey Cup appearances (between 1991-2017), their last championship loss coming in a 38-26 decision to Edmonton in 1987 at B.C. Place Stadium.

“We’re playing in [the Grey Cup game], so I think we’ve made some positive strides as an organization these past few years. Last year we came up just short to play in this game, so I think we’re moving in the right direction,” head coach Ryan Dinwiddie told reporters on Wednesday.

Already the most successful CFL franchise of all time, the Argos can add Grey Cup number 18 to the trophy case with a win.

THE BOMBERS

The Blue Bombers are a stellar 6-0 in the playoffs over the past three seasons with veteran Zach Collaros under centre.

Collaros was once again a big part of Winnipeg’s success this season. The 34-year-old threw a CFL-best 37 touchdown passes and won 15-of-17 regular season starts.

“He’s the best quarterback in the league, he’s a tremendous leader and a tremendous competitor,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea on Wednesday.

Grey Cup 2021

And Collaros has multiple weapons at his disposal.

Rookie Dalton Schoen proved to be Collaros’ favourite target, leading the CFL in receiving yards (1,441) and touchdowns (16) while averaging a stellar 20.6 yards for each of his 70 receptions. Canadian Nic Demski had 10 TD grabs while Rasheed Bailey (63 catches, 729 yards, nine TDs) was also a factor in Winnipeg’s receiving corps.

But Winnipeg’s offence can do more than just throw the football. The Bombers were the CFL’s second-ranked rushing team, averaging 113.5 yards per game.

The Bombers led the CFL in offensive TDs (58), passing TDs (44), passing efficiency (116.6), average per attempt (9.6 yards) and were second in offensive scoring (28.2 points per game). They also did a good job of protecting Collaros, allowing the second-fewest sacks (29).

Collaros will look to lead his team to a third straight Grey Cup victory, a feat not accomplished in the CFL since the 1980s.

But he may need to play through some pain to get it done. He suffered a minor ankle injury during the West Division Final that kept him out of Winnipeg’s Wednesday and Thursday practices.

THE 109th GREY CUP

This 109th Grey Cup is being played tonight at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

It’s the fourth time in Grey Cup history that the game is being played in Saskatchewan’s capital.

The halftime show will feature a trio of country music stars; Canadian Josh Ross, Jordan Davis and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line.

“Growing up, football was everything, and like so many young Canadians, the Grey Cup was the goal. Injuries led me on a different path, and now, music is my greatest passion and the stage is where I’m living my dreams,” Ross said in a press release earlier this month.

Most pundits favour the Bombers to win the game, but the two squads played each other close in the regular season.

They matched-up just once, in week four, when Winnipeg escaped BMO field with a 23-22 victory.

The 109th Grey Cup kicks off at 6 p.m. EST on TSN.

With files from the Canadian Press 

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Washington Capitals 3-2 win ends Dallas Stars’ winning streak

Published

 on

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tom Wilson, Dylan Strome and Taylor Raddysh scored to help the Washington Capitals end the Dallas Stars’ season-opening winning streak at four with a 3-2 victory Thursday night.

Wilson’s goal was his third in three games, Strome his second of the season and Raddysh his first since joining the team in free agency last summer. Charlie Lindgren made 22 saves as the Capitals wrapped up this early homestand with back-to-back wins.

The Stars fell from the ranks of the league’s unbeaten teams despite a short-handed goal by Colin Blackwell and one at even strength from Jason Robertson. Rookie Oskar Bäck set up Blackwell for his first NHL point.

Casey DeSmith was screened on two of the three goals he allowed on 26 shots.

LIGHTNING 4, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nikita Kucherov scored the winning goal with less than a minute to play just 1:27 after Brandon Hagel had tied it and Tampa Bay rallied to beat Vegas.

Kucherov’s second goal of the game with 55 seconds left was his sixth of the season.

Janis Moser had a goal and two assists for the Lightning, who remain unbeaten. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves.

Brayden McNabb, Pavel Dorofeyev and Ivan Barbashev had goals for Vegas. Adin Hill turned aside 21 shots.

Jack Eichel, with two assists on Thursday, now has 10 points this season in five games and reached reached double-digit points faster than any other player in Vegas history. He is the 10th U.S.-born player to accomplish the feat.

After Barbashev put Vegas up 3-2 early in the second, Hagel pulled Tampa Bay even at 3 with 2:22 remaining in the third.

BLUE JACKETS 6, SABRES 4

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kirill Marchenko and Mathieu Olivier each had a goal and an assist and Daniil Tarasov made 21 saves to help Columbus to a win over Buffalo.

Yegor Chinakhov, Adam Fantilli, Zachary Aston-Reese and Damon Severson also scored for Columbus, and Zach Werenski added two assists.

Ryan McLeod, Owen Power and JJ Peterka scored for Buffalo, and Jiri Kulich added his first NHL goal. Devon Lev stopped 19 shots for the Sabres (1-5-1), who have lost two straight road games and five of their first six overall.

CANUCKS 3, FLORIDA 2, OT

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — J.T. Miller scored 2:09 into overtime and Vancouver got their first win of the season, beating Florida.

Teddy Blueger and Quinn Hughes had goals for Vancouver, with Kevin Lankinen stopping 26 shots.

Anton Lundell got his fourth goal in the last three games for Florida and Jesper Boqvist also scored for the Panthers, who got 30 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky.

Florida remained without forwards Aleksander Barkov (lower body) and Matthew Tkachuk (illness).

DEVILS 3, SENATORS 1

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Jacob Markstrom stopped 30 shots and lost his shutout bid in the final minutes as New Jersey beat Ottawa.

Erik Haula, Nathan Bastian and Paul Cotter scored for the Devils, who won for the third time in four games and improved to 5-2-0.

The Senators, who were coming off an 8-7 overtime victory against Los Angeles on Monday, struggled to beat Markstrom.

Brady Tkachuk was the only scorer for the Senators, beating Markstrom, with a power-play goal with 65 seconds remaining in the third period.

Anton Forsberg, making his second straight start and hoping to rebound after getting pulled Monday, made 32 saves in the loss.

Haula opened the scoring early in the second period and Bastian added a short-handed goal, giving New Jersey a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes. Cotter scored midway through the third.

RANGERS 5, RED WING 2

DETROIT (AP) — Artemi Panarin had his eighth career hat trick and New York rolled to a victory over Detroit.

Panarin became the first Rangers player to have multiple points in the first four games of a season. He scored twice on the power play. Vincent Trocheck also had a power- play goal and assisted on all of Panarin’s goals.

Jonathan Quick made 29 saves in his season debut. Victor Mancini also scored.

The Rangers have won the last five meetings, including twice this week. New York had a 4-1 home victory over Detroit on Monday night.

Moritz Seider and J.T. Compher scored for Detroit. Red Wings goalie Cam Talbot was pulled in the second period after allowing five goals.

KINGS 4, CANADIENS 1

MONTREAL (AP) — David Rittich made 26 saves a night after being benched in the second period in Toronto, helping road-weary Los Angeles snap a three-game losing streak with a victory over Montreal.

Los Angeles improved to 2-1-2 on a season-opening, seven-game trip necessitated by arena renovations.

Rittich rebounded after allowing four goals on 14 shots in a 6-2 loss to the Maple Leafs. Alex Laferriere, Mikey Anderson, Andreas Englund and Adrian Kempe scored.

Justin Barron scored for Montreal (2-3-0). Sam Montembeault stopped 28 shots. He made a save on Kevin Fiala on a penalty shot.

BLUES 1, ISLANDERS 0, OT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Joel Hofer made 34 saves and assisted on Jake Neighbours’ goal at 2:04 of overtime in St. Louis victory over New York.

Hofer had his second career shutout in his and the team’s second overtime victory of the season.

Philip Broberg carried the puck into the New York zone and made a centering pass to Neighbours for the winner.

Islanders goalie Ilya Sorkin made 29 saves.

Blues defenseman Nick Leddy sat out because of a lower-body injury, the first game he has missed this season. Leddy played in all 82 games last season.

OILERS 4, PREDATORS 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Brett Kulak scored twice and Connor McDavid added his first goal of the season to lead Edmonton to a victory over reeling Nashville.

Jeff Skinner also scored and Calvin Pickard made 25 saves for the defending Western Conference champion Oilers, who have won consecutive games after beginning the season with a three-game skid.

Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault scored and Juuse Saros made 32 saves for Nashville (0-4).

Forsberg’s goal midway through the first period gave Nashville its first lead of the season. That lasted less than six minutes before Kulak tied it.

Kulak sealed it with an empty-netter in the final minute for the defenseman’s first career two-goal game.

BLACKHAWKS 4, SHARKS 2

CHICAGO (AP) — Tyler Bertuzzi and Nick Foligno each scored a power-play goal, and Chicago beat San Jose.

Taylor Hall and Jason Dickinson also scored for Chicago. Connor Bedard and Teuvo Teravainen each had two assists.

Hall, who missed most of last season because of right knee surgery, put the Blackhawks in front 4:20 into the first period. It was Hall’s first goal since Nov. 5 and No. 267 for his career.

Tyler Toffoli and Fabian Zetterlund scored for San Jose, which trailed 3-0 early in the second. William Eklund and Mikael Granlund had two assists each.

The Sharks dropped to 0-2-2 under Ryan Warsofsky, who was promoted to head coach in June.

Petr Mrazek had 20 saves for Chicago, and Vitek Vanecek made 23 stops for San Jose.

KRAKEN 6, FLYERS 4

SEATTLE (AP) — Eeli Tolvanen, Jordan Eberle, and Shane Wright scored three goals in less than three minutes in the second period and Seattle held off a Philadelphia rally in a victory.

Tolvanen’s goal broke a 2-2 tie at the 14:57 mark. Eberle made it a two-goal game with a goal at 17:44. Eight seconds later, Wright scored to give Seattle a three-goal lead.

Jared McCann tied the game at 2-2 with the first of Seattle’s four second-period goals.

Cam York and Jamie Drysdale scored to pull Philadelphia within 5-4 in the third period, but Oliver Bjorkstrand responded with a goal to push Seattle’s lead to two with just over five minutes left in the game.

Scott Laughton scored twice for the Flyers in the first period, while Brandon Montour scored one in for the Kraken.

Chandler Stephenson had an assist in his 500th NHL game. Seattle’s Philipp Grubauer had 21 saves.

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Canada’s Dabrowski, New Zealand’s Routliffe out of Japan Women’s Open after walkover

Published

 on

 

OSAKA, Japan – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe are out of the Japan Women’s Open tennis tournament.

Spain’s Cristina Bucsa and Romania’s Monica Niculescu advanced to the final on Thursday by way of walkover.

The fourth seeds were supposed to play the top-seeded Dabrowski and Routliffe in the semifinals.

Bucsa and Niculescu will next face third-seeded Ena Shibahara of Japan and Laura Siegemund of Germany in the final.

Dabrowski and Routliffe defeated Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Eri Hozumi in the quarterfinals 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday to advance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Mountain West commissioner says she’s heartbroken over turmoil surrounding San Jose State volleyball

Published

 on

 

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mountain West Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said Thursday the forfeitures that volleyball teams are willing to take to avoid playing San Jose State is “not what we celebrate in college athletics” and that she is heartbroken over what has transpired this season surrounding the Spartans and their opponents.

Four teams have canceled games against San Jose State: Boise State, Southern Utah, Utah State and Wyoming, with none of the schools explicitly saying why they were forfeiting.

A group of Nevada players issued a statement saying they will not take the floor when the Wolf Pack are scheduled to host the Spartans on Oct. 26. They cited their “right to safety and fair competition,” though their school reaffirmed Thursday that the match is still planned and that state law bars forfeiture “for reasons related to gender identity or expression.”

All those schools, except Southern Utah, are in the Mountain West. New Mexico, also in the MWC, went ahead with its home match on Thursday night, which was won by the Spartans, 3-1, the team’s first victory since Sept. 24.

“It breaks my heart because they’re human beings, young people, student-athletes on both sides of this issue that are getting a lot of national negative attention,” Nevarez said in an interview with The Associated Press at Mountain West basketball media days. “It just doesn’t feel right to me.”

Republican governors of Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming have made public statements in support of the cancellations, citing a need for fairness in women’s sports. Former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee in this year’s presidential race, this week referenced an unidentified volleyball match when he was asked during a Fox News town hall about transgender athletes in women’s sports.

“I saw the slam, it was a slam. I never saw a ball hit so hard, hit the girl in the head,” Trump replied before he was asked what can be done. “You just ban it. The president bans it. You just don’t let it happen.”

After Trump’s comment, San Diego State issued a statement that said “it has been incorrectly reported that an San Diego State University student-athlete was hit in the face with a volleyball during match play with San Jose State University. The ball bounced off the shoulder of the student-athlete, and the athlete was uninjured and did not miss a play.”

San Jose State has not made any direct comments about the politicians’ “fairness” references, and Nevarez did not go into details.

“I’m learning a lot about the issue,” Nevarez said. “I don’t know a lot of the language yet or the science or the understanding nationally of how this issue plays out. The external influences are so far on either side. We have an election year. It’s political, so, yeah, it feels like a no-win based on all the external pressure.”

The cancellations could mean some teams will not qualify for the conference tournament Nov. 27-30 in Las Vegas, where the top six schools are slated to compete for the league championship.

“The student-athlete (in question) meets the eligibility standard, so if a team does not play them, it’s a forfeit, meaning they take a loss,” Nevarez said.

Ahead of the Oct. 26 match in Reno. Nevada released a statement acknowledging that “a majority of the Wolf Pack women’s volleyball team” had decided to forfeit against San Jose State. The school said only the university can take that step but any player who decides not to play would face no punishment.

___

AP college sports:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending