NHL 2016/17 - Day 1

Nearly four months after the end of the last Stanley Cup, the NHL is back, and I am as well. I will provide the same level of coverage as last year, with the occasional league-wide opinion piece when I have the time. I hope to be featured regularly on Puck Daddy's Headlines segment when I do such pieces. Today's opening nine schedule features four games, beginning with...

The Ottawa Senators hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Craig Anderson are the goalies. Toronto opened in the first period with an Auston Matthews goal, via Zach Hyman and William Nylander. Ottawa tied it on a Bobby Ryan goal, coming off of Erik Karlsson and Zack Smith. The Senators pulled ahead on a Karlsson goal, assisted by Derick Brassard and Ryan. The Maple Leafs tied it on Matthews' second goal of the game, going in unassisted. Toronto regained the lead in the second period when Matthews finished his hat trick, with a lone assist by Morgan Rielly. Ottawa tied it again on an unassisted goal by Brassard. The Maple Leafs pulled ahead again with Matthews' fourth of the game, guided in by Nylander and Jake Gardiner. The Senators tied it again in the third period with a Kyle Turris goal in the third period, made possible by Mark Stone. Ottawa won 5-4 with Turris' second of the game in overtime, with helpers from Stone and Karlsson. The three stars were Matthews, Turris, and Karlsson, while Ryan, Brassard, Nylander, and Stone.

Stateside, the Chicago Blackhawks welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Corey Crawford guard the cages. Chicago led off in the first period with a Richard Panik power play goal, powered by Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. St. Louis tied it on a Kevin Shattenkirk power play goal in the second period, with assists provided by Alex Pietrangelo and Alexander Steen. The Blackhawks took the lead on a Ryan Hartman goal, fueled by Tyler Motte and Marcus Kruger. The Blues tied it again on a Vladimir Tarasenko power play goal, coming off of Paul Stastny and Shattenkirk. St. Louis took the lead in the third period with a Stastny goal, via Tarasenko and Shattenkirk on the power play. The Blues added on with a Tarasenko goal, his second of the game, an empty net goal set up by Stastny and Steen. St. Louis iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Scottie Upshall, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Tarasenko, Shattenkirk, and Stastny, while Steen gets an honorable mention.

Northwest to Edmonton, with the Oilers bringing in the Calgary Flames. Brian Elliott and Cam Talbot are the goalies. Edmonton started in the first period with a Patrick Maroon goal, assisted by Leon Draisaitl. Calgary tied it with an Alex Chiasson goal, passed from Matt Stajan and Lance Bouma. The Oilers retook the lead on a Tyler Pitlick goal, fueled by Adam Larsson and Kris Russell. Edmonton added on with a Zack Kassian goal, made possible by Oscar Klefbom and Connor McDavid. The Flames pulled back with a Troy Brouwer shorthanded goal, going in unassisted in the second period. Calgary tied it on a shorthanded Michael Frolik goal, set up by Mikael Backlund and Mark Giordano. The Oilers gained the lead on a McDavid goal, coming off of Andrej Sekera and Russell. Edmonton extended the lead on a McDavid penalty shot goal, after a hook from Dennis Wideman. The Oilers padded the lead on an unassisted Jesse Puljujarvi power play goal in the third period. The Flames got one back with a Wideman power play goal, powered by T.J. Brodie and Backlund. Edmonton iced it at 7-4 with a Jordan Eberle empty net goal, with a lone assist by Darnell Nurse. The three stars belonged to McDavid, Russell, and Backlund.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Martin Jones protect the nets. Los Angeles began in the first period with a Tyler Toffoli power play goal, powered by Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. San Jose tied it on a Logan Couture power play goal, helped along by Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton. Quick came out with an injury at the first intermission, and Jeff Zatkoff relieved him. The Sharks took the lead with a third period Brent Burns goal, made possible by Joonas Donskoi and Couture. The final held at 2-1, with the three stars given to Couture, Burns, and Jones (21 for 22 in saves).

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

KHL 2016/17 - Day 51

Just two games for today, beginning with...

Vityaz Podolsk welcoming Medvescak Zagreb. Sergei Gaiduchenko is mismatched with Harri Sateri in goal. Zagreb began with an unassisted Yann Sauve goal. Medvescak added on in the second period with a Colby Genoway goal, assisted by Alexandre Giroux and Alexandre Bolduc. Podolsk got on the board with a Mario Kempe power play goal, powered by Alexei Kopeikin and Vyacheslav Solodukhin. Vityaz tied it on an Alexei Semenov goal, fueled by Alexei Makeyev and Igor Golovkov. Podolsk took the lead on a Makeyev goal, courtesy of Maxim Afinogenov and Roman Horak. The game ended at 3-2, with the three stars going to Makeyev, Semenov, and Kempe.

To the north a bit, Dynamo Moscow brings in Slovan Bratislava in the other game. Barry Brust and Alexander Yeryomenko are the masked men. Moscow led off with an Artyom Fyodorov goal, passed from Daniil Tarasov. Bratislava tied it on a power play goal by Marek Daloga, powered by Jonathan Cheechoo and Tomas Starosta. Slovan took the lead on a power play goal from Tomas Kundratek, coming off of Cheechoo. Bratislava added on in the second period on a Cheechoo goal, courtesy of Jeff Taffe. Dynamo pulled back on a Semyon Kokuyov goal, guided in by Alexei Sopin and Alexander Rybakov. Slovan countered with a Kundratek goal, his second of the game, via Taffe. Moscow shot back on an Alexander Kuznetsov goal, made possible by Alexei Maklyukov and Artyom Podshendyalov. Bratislava replied in the third period with a Ziga Jeglic goal, with a lone assist by Nick Plastino. The final was 5-3, with the three stars being Cheechoo, Kundratek, and Taffe.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

KHL 2016/17 - Day 50

Ten games on today for the first really busy day in awhile. We begin with...

Traktor Chelyabinsk hosting Barys Astana. Henrik Karlsson and Vasily Demchenko are the experienced goalies. Chelyabinsk struck first in the first period with an Ilya Zinovyev goal, fueled by Alexander Shinin and Yury Petrov. Astana tied it on a Talgat Zhailauov goal, via Cam Barker and Ivan Kuchin. Barys took the lead with a Martin St. Pierre goal in the second period, helped along by Nigel Dawes and Brandon Bochenski. Astana added on with a Roman Starchenko goal, going in unassisted. Barys extended the lead as Vladimir Markelov scored an unassisted goal in the third period. Traktor got one back with an Alexander Sharov goal, coming off of Alexei Petrov. Chelyabinsk pulled closer with an Artyom Penkovsky goal, passed from Danil Mamayev and Zinovyev. The final held at 4-3, with the three stars being Zinovyev, Markelov, and Starchenko.

Along to Ufa, where Salavaty Yulaev welcomes Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Alexander Sharychenkov and Andrei Gavrilov make the starts in goal. Khanty-Mansiysk led off in the first period with a Denis Khlystov goal, assisted by Nikita Khlystov. Ugra added on with an Andrei Ankudinov goal in the second period, passed from Alexander Ugonikov and Anton Kuryanov. Khanty-Mansiysk extended the lead with a power play goal by Konstantin Panov, powered by Roman Lyuduchin. Ufa got on the board with a third period Maxim Mayorov goal, helped along by Kirill Kaprizov and Teemu Hartikainen. Salavat Yulaev got closer on a Hartikainen goal, via Sami Lepisto and Mayorov. They failed to equalize, falling 3-2, with the three stars going to Panov, Hartikainen, and Mayorov.

Along to Togliatti, with Lada bringing in Kunlun Red Star Beijing. Andrei Makarov and Ilya Ezhov man the nets. Togliatti began in the first period with an Alexander Bumagin goal, via Nikita Filatov and Andrei Ivanov. Beijing tied it on a Max Warn goal, assisted by Miika Lahti. Lada retook the lead in the second period with a Kristaps Sotnieks power play goal, powered by Filatov and Bumagin. Kunlun Red Star retied it with a Lahti goal, made possible by Tuukka Mantyla on the power play. Beijing pulled ahead with a Warn power play goal in the third period, with assists provided by Chad Rau and Joonas Jarvinen. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Warn, Lahti, and Bumagin, while Filatov gets an honorable mention.

Up in Cherepovets, Severstal hosts Dinamo Riga. Jakub Sedlacek and Jakub Kovar are the goalies with the same name in goal. Cherepovets opened in the first period with an Igor Magogin goal, assisted by Evgeny Mons and Alexander Avtsin. Severstal added on with a Maxim Trunyov power play goal, powered by Daniil Vovchenko and Alexander Yevseyenkov. Riga got on the board with a Justin Shugg power play goal, helped along by Georgijs Pujacs and Gints Meija. Cherepovets shot back with a Yury Trubachyov power play goal, guided in by Nikolai Stasenko and Trunyov. Dinamo answered on a second period goal by Shugg, coming off of Meija. Riga tied it on a Colton Gillies goal, made possible by Ralfs Freibergs and Meija, the latter getting a sock trick. Severstal retook the lead in the third period on a Dmitry Kagarlitsky goal, with a lone assist by Vojtech Polak. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars handed to Trunyov, Meija, and Shugg.

Backtracking to Nizhnekamsk, with Neftekhimik welcoming Admiral Vladivostok. Igor Bobkov and Ivan Lisutin are the sub-par goalies. Vladivostok started in the first period with a Dmitry Lugin power play goal, powered by Mikhail Fisenko and Jonathon Blum. Nizhnekamsk tied it on a power play goal by Igor Polygalov in the second period, assisted by Geoffrey Kinrade and Dan Sexton. Admiral retook the lead on a Robert Sabolic goal, coming off of Fisenko. Vladivostok added on with a Vladimir Tkachyov power play goal, with helpers from Fisenko and Sabolic, the former getting a sock trick. The scoring ended here at 3-1, with the three stars given to Fisenko, Sabolic, and Bobkov (39 for 40 in saves).

South to Sochi, as the Leopards bring in Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Mikhail Biryukov and Dmitry Shikin are given the starting nods in goal. Sochi was first to score in the first period with a Pavel Padakin goal, via Ben Maxwell. Novokuznetsk tied it on an Ignat Zemchenko power play goal, powered by Nikita Lyamkin and Kirill Semyonov. Metallurg took the lead on an unassisted Lyamkin power play goal in the second period. The Leopards tied it with an Ivan Zakharchuk power play goal in the third period, going in unassisted. Sochi took the lead on a Padakin goal, going in unassisted. This gave the Leopards a 3-2 win, with the three stars named as Padakin, Lyamkin, and Zakharchuk.

In Moscow, CSKA hosts Jokerit Helsinki. Riku Helenius and Viktor Fasth are the backups in goal. Moscow led off in the first period with a Dmitry Kugryshev goal, assisted by Kirill Petrov. Helsinki tied it on a Charles Genoway power play goal, powered by Marko Anttila and Michael Keranen in the second period. CSKA took the lead back with a Valery Nichushkin goal, passed from Jan Mursak and Stephane Da Costa. Jokerit tied it again with a Brian O'Neill goal, helped along by Jesse Joensuu. Helsinki took the lead on an O'Neill power play goal, with a lone assist by Jesper Jensen. Ilya Sorokin replaced Fasth in goal. Jokerit added on with a Petteri Wirtanen goal in the third period, guided in by Anttila and Tomi Maki. Helsinki extended the lead as O'Neill completed his hat trick, with the help of Peter Regin and Joensuu. Moscow got one back on a Kugryshev goal, made possible by Igor Ozhiganov. Jokerit iced it at 6-3 with an Antti Pihlstrom empty net goal, set up by Mika Niemi and Sakari Salminen. The three stars were awarded to O'Neill, Kugryshev, and Anttila, while Joensuu gets an honorable mention.

Staying in the city, Spartak Moscow welcomes Avangard Omsk. Dominik Furch and Markus Svensson are between the pipes. Omsk got going in the second period with a Yegor Martynov power play goal, powered by Derek Roy and Vladimir Sobotka. Avangard added on with a Roy goal, via Maxim Pestushko. Moscow got on the board in the third period with a Dmitry Kalinin goal, coming off of Lukas Radil and Ryan Stoa on the power play. Spartak tied it on another Kalinin power play goal, with assists provided by Radil and Konstantin Glazachev. Omsk retook the lead on a Pestushko goal, with a lone assist from Roy. This made it 3-2, which stood for an Avangard win. The three stars were awarded to Roy, Pestushko, and Kalinin, while Radil gets an honorable mention.

Back east a bit to Nizhny Novgorod, where Torpedo brings in Sibir Novosibirsk. Alexander Salak and Ilya Proskuryakov tend the twines. Nizhny Novgorod dented the scoreboard in the second period with a power play goal by Kirill Rasskazov, powered by Alexei Potapov and Nikolai Zherdev. Novosibirsk tied it on a Damir Zhafyarov goal, via Joonas Kemppainen and Evgeny Artyukhin. Sibir took the lead on a Konstantin Okulov goal in the third period, assisted by Ilya Nekolenko and Sergei Shumakov. Novosibirsk iced it at 3-1 with a Kemppainen empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Okulov, Kemppainen, and Salak (28 for 29 in saves).

Finally, Ak Bars Kazan hosts Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Emil Garipov are the masked men. Kazan began in the first period with a Justin Azevedo goal, going in unassisted. Ak Bars added on with a Mikhail Varnakov goal, via Vasily Tokranov and Fyodor Malykhin in the second period. Khabarovsk got on the board with an Artyom Zub goal in the third period, helped along by Vladislav Ushenin and Vyacheslav Ushenin. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Garipov (23 for 24 in saves), Varnakov, and Azevedo.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

KHL 2016/17 - Day 49

After today's four games, the schedule begins to go into heavy oscillation. We begin today with...

Metallurg Magnitogorsk hosting Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Vladimir Sokhatsky and Vasily Koshechkin are in goal. Magnitogorsk opened in the first period with a Chris Lee power play goal, powered by Jan Kovar. Metallurg added on with a Sergei Mozyakin goal, fueled by Kovar. Magnitogorsk extended the lead in the second period as Oskar Osala scored, thanks to Sergei Tereshchenko and Denis Kazionov. Igor Ustinsky relieved Sokhatsky in goal. Metallurg padded the lead on an Evgeny Timkin goal, passed from Viktor Antipin and Osala. Magnitogorsk continued in the third period with an unassisted Alexander Semin goal. Metallurg kept going on another Semin goal, guided in by Tomas Filippi and Yaroslav Khabarov. This made it 6-0, the final, with the three stars going to Osala, Semin, and Kovar.

Out in Yaroslavl, Lokomotiv welcomes Slovan Bratislava. Justin Pogge and Alexander Sudnitsin are the backups in goal. Bratislava led off in the first period with an unassisted goal from Kyle Chipchura. Slovan added on with a Tomas Kundratek goal, coming off of Andrej Stastny. Yaroslavl got on the board with an Alexander Polunin power play goal, powered by Pavel Kraskovsky and Yegor Korshkov. Lokomotiv tied it with a power play goal from Petri Kontiola, with assists provided by Brandon Kozun and Staffan Kronwall. Bratislava won 3-2 in overtime on a Jeff Taffe goal, guided in by Patrik Lusnak and Kundratek. The three stars went to Kundratek, Taffe, and Chipchura.

Along to St. Petersburg, with SKA bringing in Dinamo Minsk. Ben Scrivens and Igor Shestyorkin are in the blue paint. St. Petersburg began in the first period with an Alexander Khokhlachyov goal, assisted by Anton Belov and Alexander Dergachyov. SKA added on with a Vyacheslav Voynov power play goal, powered by Ilya Kovalchuk. St. Petersburg extended the lead on a power play goal by Nikita Gusev, set up by Vadim Shipachyov and Dinar Khafizullin. SKA padded the lead as Evgeny Dadonov scored, thanks to Gusev and Maxim Chudinov. Mikhail Karnaukhov replaced Scrivens in goal. St. Petersburg struck again in the second period on an Ilya Kablukov goal, with a lone assist by Yegor Rykov. Minsk got on the board with a Nikita Ustinenko goal, made possible by Nikita Komarov and Sergei Drozd. Dinamo pulled closer with a third period Ilya Shinkevich goal, passed from Andrei Stepanov and Alexander Kitarov. SKA finished it at 6-2 with a Shipachyov goal, via Gusev. The three stars went to Gusev, Shipachyov, and Dadonov.

Finally, in Moscow, Dynamo hosts Medvescak Zagreb. Niko Hovinen is mismatched with Alexander Yeryomenko in goal. Moscow started in the first period with a Martins Karsums goal, courtesy of Maxim Karpov. Dynamo added on with an Alexander Kuznetsov goal, helped along by Denis Kokarev and Jusso Hietanen. Moscow extended the lead as Semyon Kokuyov scored in the third period, thanks to Alexei Tsvetkov. Zagreb got on the board with a Francis Pare goal, made possible by Blake Parlett and Mike Glumac. Dynamo replied with an Andrei Mironov goal, coming off of Kokarev and Ivan Igumnov. Moscow iced it at 5-1 with a third period goal by Daniil Tarasov, assisted by Artyom Fyodorov. The three stars were Yeryomenko (21 for 22 in saves), Kokarev, and Kuznetsov.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NWSL Final 2016 - Washington Spirit v. Western New York Flash

It all comes down to this game for the championship. The Spirit and Flash square off in Houston with visions of the trophy in their eyes. Playing goal today are Washington's Kelsey Wys and Western New York's Sabrina D'Angelo. The game airs live on FS1, and will be available on YouTube later. Washington's Megan Oyster blocked a cross from Makenzy Doniak of Western New York in the first minute. The Flash's Samantha Mewis also tried a cross that got all the way across goal. Oyster blocked a shot from Western New York's McCall Zerboni in the second minute. Mewis ripped a shot in the fifth minute that Wys saved. Lynn Williams knocked a ball off Oyster for a corner kick in the seventh minute for the Flash. Abby Dahlkemper took the Western New York set piece for Alanna Kennedy, who headed the ball into the goal but a foul call negated the play. In the ninth minute, Washington went ahead 1-0 with an Oyster long ball for Crystal Dunn, who took one touch around D'Angelo and then fired the shot from a tight angle into the goal. Kennedy blocked a forward ball from the Spirit's Tori Huster in the thirteenth minute. In the fourteenth minute, Williams led a Western New York counterattack and then found Mewis centrally, and she fired a shot to the lower right corner of goal to tie the game at 1. Caprice Dydasco of Washington came out of the game a few minutes after the equalizing goal with an injury suffered in contact with Elizabeth Eddy of the Flash. Alyssa Kleiner replaced her in the game. Estefania Banini saw a pass for Ali Krieger blocked by the Western New York defense. Banini had a shot in the twenty-first minute that D'Angelo saved. Banini's pass for Dunn caught her offside in the twenty-third minute as Washington continues to have much of the offense so far. Kennedy blocked a Banini shot in the twenty-fourth minute after a throw-in from Kleiner. Huster cleared a Doniak pass for Jessica McDonald in the twenty-sixth minute after a bad clearance from Washington's Shelina Zadorsky. The Spirit's Whitney Church cleared away Abby Erceg's flick-on from the Flash throw-in by McDonald. Another throw-in went for Erceg, but Huster got there first. Eddy cleared a Krieger cross in the thirtieth minute but only as far as Christine Nairn, who shot wide right of the goal for the Spirit. In the thirty-second minute, Williams put a ball in front of Eddy, but just a step too far ahead as it went out of bounds as the Flash miss another chance to create offense. Nairn forced D'Angelo into a thirty-third minute diving save after a pass from Banini left Nairn wide open. Mewis' pass for Zerboni was intercepted by Krieger in the thirty-fourth minute. Dahlkemper put a long free kick on goal, which Wys grabbed without trouble in the thirty-sixth minute. Mewis cleared a Krieger cross after a great individual effort in the thirty-eighth minute by Dunn on the right flank. Krieger sent a rebound into the box in the forty-second minute after Kennedy blocked Dunn's cross. D'Angelo bobbled it, but Francisca Ordega couldn't get there in time for Washington. Mewis tried a pass to Doniak in the forty-fourth minute after touches from Zerboni and Williams on the Western New York counterattack. Kennedy blocked a forty-fifth minute pass from Ordega to Dunn. Dahlkemper blocked an Ordega shot in stoppage time. Oyster made a big steal on Doniak's pass for Williams about halfway through the added time. Williams had a weak cross after defensive pressure from Ordega. The game went into halftime tied at 1, with the top players for the Flash being CB Kennedy, DM Mewis, LW Zerboni, and LF Williams, while the Spirit's top efforts came from CBs Oyster and Church, RB Krieger, DM Huster, ACM Nairn, RF Dunn, and CF Banini. In the forty-sixth minute, Church blocked a shot from Williams. Huster and Kleiner combined to clear McDonald's pass at the top of the box. Mewis had another chance that the Spirit also blocked in the forty-seventh minute. Krieger cleared a McDonald throw-in to end the early blitz of Flash offense. Doniak missed contact on her shot in the forty-eighth minute after a Mewis pass. Eddy surrendered a corner kick in the fiftieth minute to the Spirit. Krieger put the set piece in over Church's head. McDonald made a steal and run against Church in the fifty-second minute, but her pass missed Williams and went to Huster and then Nairn as Washington cleared. Dahlkemper cleared a Kleiner cross in the fifty-third minute. In the fifty-fourth minute, Ordega was caught offside on a Dunn pass after Banini made a steal for the Spirit. Krieger blocked a Jaelene Hinkle cross out for a Western New York corner kick in the fifty-seventh minute. Dahlkemper went for Williams, but Wys made the grab over the top of the Flash attacker's head. Washington had a pass around the front six, but Banini's final touch was scooped up by D'Angelo. Zadorsky blocked a Doniak cross in the sixtieth minute. Kennedy kept a ball from Krieger away from Ordega in the sixty-first minute. Dunn had a shot deflected out in the sixty-second minute off of Zerboni. Nairn served this Spirit corner kick for Huster, but Dahlkemper sent it back out of bounds. Nairn tried again for Oyster, but it went a bit long and bounced off of Huster and out of bounds. Doniak won a cross off of Zadorsky in the sixty-fifth minute. Hinkle took the Flash set piece near post, and Kleiner cleared it. Doniak put in the second effort for Williams that Wys grabbed. Williams cleared a Nairn free kick in the seventieth minute. Nairn had a seventy-fourth minute free kick that Oyster sent wide left on a header. Zerboni fouled Dunn in the seventy-seventh minute, giving Washington the first really dangerous free kick. Nairn sent this one off the wall to Church, and then Krieger's shot went wide left, but she was also offside. Krieger fouled Zerboni on the other side for a wide free kick for the Flash. Wys handled the set piece served into the box from Dahlkemper. Ordega won a corner kick off of Eddy for the Spirit. Krieger served it for Oyster, but a foul in the box negated the play. McDonald's eighty-first minute throw-in went to Erceg, but the Flash couldn't produce a shot. Wys caught Eddy's service to end the attack. Dunn cleared a long throw from McDonald. In the eighty-third minute, Zerboni fouled Ordega to end the Washington counterattack, and Zerboni took a yellow card for the play. Krieger put in a cross in the eighty-eighth minute that Kennedy cleared. The play ended with Ordega colliding with D'Angelo. Huster cleared Williams' pass in the ninetieth minute after she got around Zadorsky. Hinkle put a shot over the bar in stoppage time. Krieger sent a shot over the bar after a pass from Dunn. The game stayed tied through the half at 1, producing overtime. Impressing in the second half were LB Hinkie and RF McDonald for the Flash, and LB Kleiner and LF Ordega for the Spirit. At the ninety-one minute mark, Krieger found Dunn, who went top right corner to give the Spirit a 2-1 lead a minute into overtime. In the ninety-third minute, Mewis ripped a shot that Wys had to punch down before grabbing. Taylor Smith of Western New York won a corner kick off of Kleiner in the ninety-fourth minute. Dahlkemper sent it over McDonald, but she took the return service and it fell to Smith, who lost control of it. Ordega drew a foul call in the ninety-fifth minute against Zerboni. Nairn took the free kick for Washington, sending it to Dunn, who crossed it to Krieger, and D'Angelo made a diving save. Eddy crossed to Mewis in the ninety-eighth minute, but she couldn't redirect it on goal. Kennedy kept Dunn away from the long ball by Krieger in the 100th minute. Church blocked Williams' 101st minute shot. Zadorsky and Huster cleared a McDonald throw in the 102nd minute, but they sent it out for another throw. McDonald tried to find Erceg, and then Kennedy, and Wys held it. Ordega's 105th minute cross went out of bounds. Church kept a long ball from Eddy away from Williams in the 107th minute. Wys punched a cross from Williams away after Kristen Hamilton missed a shot on an Eddy cross. It bounced off of Smith and out for a goal kick. Kennedy blocked a through ball from Diana Matheson to Dunn in the 108th minute. Kriger put a cross in for Ordega in the 111th minute that she missed on. McDonald's throw in the 113th minute created a game of head tennis in the box, ending with Kennedy's half-shot cleared by Zadorsky. Hinkle put in a 114th minute cross that Wys caught. Dunn took a shot in the 115th minute that D'Angelo saved. In the 116th minute, McDonald couldn't get a head on the ball against Wys and Church. Hinkle put another one in for Mewis, whose shot was not strong enough to beat Wys. Dahlkemper blocked Dunn's shot in the 117th minute, giving Washington a corner kick. Matheson took it short for Dunn to kill the clock. In the 118th minute, Dunn, Krieger, Matheson, and Katie Stengel combined for a chance, with Dunn's shot caught by D'Angelo. Matheson and Krieger went give and go for a shot, which Matheson took low, saved by D'Angelo. Williams' 120th minute cross was caught by Wys. Mewis tried to find McDonald, but Wys made the catch in the 121st minute. Wys took a yellow card for time wasting in the 122nd minute. McDonald sent a cross into Williams in the 124th minute, and she headed it in to tie the game at 2 with less than a minute left in overtime. This caused the game to go to penalty kicks. The Flash went first, and Dahlkemper went to the bottom right against Wys for a 1-0 advantage. The Spirit were next, with Krieger getting saved by D'Angelo. Hinkle went next for the Flash, bouncing it off of Wys' hand but still scoring for a 2-0 Flash advantage. Nairn took the Spirit's second kick, sending D'Angelo the wrong way to cut it to 2-1. McDonald sent her shot over the bar, losing the Flash advantage. Washington's Stengel took the third kick, beating D'Angelo to the left post facing goal to tie the shootout at 2. Williams sent a weak shot low that sent Wys the wrong way for a 3-2 Western New York lead. Huster was saved by D'Angelo. The final shooter for the Flash is Mewis and she was saved by Wys. Matheson tried to save the Spirit for the fifth kick, but D'Angelo was there again, giving the Flash the title with a 3-2 win in penalty kicks and 3-2 in the game. The NWSL Championship MVP is Sabrina D'Angelo for her critical three out of five saves in the shootout.

KHL 2016/17 - Day 48

Only two games on a very light day for the league. We begin with...

Dinamo Riga welcoming Vityaz Podolsk. Harri Sateri and Jakub Sedlacek guard the cages. Riga struck first in the first period with a Filipp Toluzakov goal, assisted by Jekabs Redlihs. Dinamo added on with a Pyotr Schastlivy goal, fueled by Lauris Darzins and Guntis Galvins. Riga extended the lead in the second period as Colton Gillies scored, thanks to Justin Shugg and Ralfs Freibergs. Dinamo padded the lead on an Aleksandrs Jerofejevs goal, guided in by Shugg and Redlihs. Igor Saprykin took over in goal, and kept the game at 4-0 for the rest of the time. The three stars went to Sedlacek (25 save shutout), Redlihs, and Shugg.

The other game sees CSKA Moscow bring in Avangard Omsk. Dominik Furch and Ilya Sorokin tend the twines. Omsk got going in the third period with a Maxim Pestushko goal, helped along by Valentin Pyanov. Moscow tied it with an Igor Ozhiganov power play goal, powered by Greg Scott and Ivan Telegin. Avangard won 2-1 in overtime with an Ilya Zubov goal, courtesy of Denis Parshin. The three stars were Zubov, Furch (29 for 30 in saves), and Pestushko.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

MLS October 8, 2016 - Houston Dynamo v. Colorado Rapids

This is the lone game for this week of MLS action. Tim Howard of Colorado and Joe Willis of Houston play goal. Colorado struck first in the twelfth minute on a Dominique Badji goal, via Dillon Powers and Sebastien Le Toux. Houston tied it on a forty-fifth minute goal by Mauro Manotas, coming off of Sheanon Williams and Ricardo Clark. The Rapids retook the lead with a fifty-fourth minute Badji goal, assisted by Powers. Colorado added on with a Shkelzen Gashi goal in the seventy-ninth minute, courtesy of Micheal Azira. The Dynamo pulled back on another Manotas goal in the eighty-first minute. The Rapids had yellow cards for time wasting in the eighty-third minute by Sam Cronin and a foul from Azira in stoppage time. Houston's Alex took a yellow card for dissent a minute after Azira's booking. The game ended 3-2, with Badji the man of the match for his brace.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.