Thursday Sports: Warriors To Face Host Spirit In Semifinal

MEMORIAL CUP in Saginaw, MI

SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) — Easton Cowan broke a tie with 1:25 left and added an empty-netter and the London Knights beat the Saginaw Spirit 4-2 on Wednesday night to advance to the Memorial Cup championship game.

Cowan took a pass from Sam O’Reilly and beat Andrew Oke to the glove side.

“I’m actually getting chills right now,” Cowan said. “It’s a dream come true … I think all of us will be ready to go (in the final). A couple days off will be nice. We’re just going to have fun with it and treat it like another game.”

Kasper Halttunen and Denver Barkey also scored and Michael Simpson made 26 saves for the Ontario Hockey League champion Knights (3-0) in the round-robin finale.

Saginaw (2-1) will face Western Hockey League champion Moose Jaw (1-2) in the semifinal Friday night, with the winner advancing to play London on Sunday.

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS (Round 3)

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Mattias Janmark and Leon Draisaitl scored in a 51-second span in the second period and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Wednesday night in Game 4 to even the Western Conference final. Janmark tied it on a short-handed, 2-on-1 break with Connor Brown with 5:29 left in the period, and Draisaitl followed with his 10th of the postseason with 4:38 to go. Game 5 is Friday night in Dallas. Ryan McLeod, Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm, into a empty net with 1:53 remaining, also scored for Edmonton. Stuart Skinner made 20 saves. Wyatt Johnson and Esa Lindell scored as Dallas raced to a 2-0 lead in the first 5 1/2 minutes. McLeod and Bouchard countered for Edmonton late in the period.

PWHL

Minnesota is celebrating its first Walter Cup victory. Nicole Hensley made 17 saves for the shutout in a 3-0 road win over Boston in the deciding game of the best-of-five final. It was the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s inaugural championship.

MLB

The Toronto Blue Jays’ win streak is up to three games after a 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah is scheduled to undergo an M-R-I exam today. He experienced discomfort in his right elbow and left the game in the second inning.

WCBL

Medicine Hat 13 Saskatoon 8
Brooks 13 Moose Jaw 4
Swift Current 5 Edmonton 2
Lethbridge 10 Weyburn 2

NBA

Only three teams remain in the NBA playoff picture. The Minnesota Timberwolves need a home victory tonight over the Dallas Mavericks to force a sixth game in the Western Conference final. The series winner will face the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Boston swept the Indiana Pacers in the East final.

CEBL

Edmonton 92 Ottawa 84
Scarborough 104 Calgary 97

PGA

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship. Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell, a local prosecutor, asked a judge Wednesday afternoon to drop the four charges against Scheffler. Scheffler was not required to be in the courtroom Wednesday. Scheffler was charged with a felony for assaulting a police officer with his vehicle, along with three misdemeanors. Scheffler has said he simply misunderstood the commands coming from traffic officers.

(Canadian Press)