SATURDAY SPORTSBREAK

Robby Fabbri had two goals and added a pair of assists as Canada dominated Slovakia en route to an 8-0 win to open the world junior hockey championship tournament. Zach Fucale earned the shutout, making 12 saves. Eric Comrie who will start in goal against Germany on Saturday.

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Three other games were on the schedule at the world juniors. Sweden scored three-straight goals to get past the Czech Republic 5-2. Jack Eichel had a shootout goal to help the U-S get by Finland 2-1 and Russia also needed a shootout to get by Denmark 3-2. The US will have an off-day today.

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Dirk Nowitzki passed Elwin Hayes for eighth place on the NBA’s career scoring list in a 102-98 win over the LA Lakers. The Dallas Mavericks star from Germany became the highest-scoring foreign player in NBA history last month. He finished the night with 14 points.

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A great night for Kenneth Faried. The Denver Nugget collected a career-high 25 rebounds and added 26 points in a 106-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Canadian Andrew Wiggins scored 22 for the Timberwolves. The Toronto Raptors continue their road trip this afternoon against the LA Clippers.

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Reports say Hiroki Kuroda’s time in the MLB has come to an end. The right-handed pitcher has reportedly signed with his old team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. This past season with the New York Yankees, the 40-year-old had 11 wins while carrying a 3.71 earned-run average.

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Alex Smith may have hurt the Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff chances. The team’s number one QB will miss this Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers with a lacerated spleen. No surgery is required but he is expected to miss six weeks. The Chiefs need a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

(The Canadian Press)