Browsing: opener

Cricket

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025: Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur impress as India beat Sri Lanka in opener

India staged a brilliant comeback after a middle-order collapse to beat Sri Lanka by 59 runs in a rain-affected opening match of the Women’s World Cup in Guwahati.

The hosts lost four wickets for four runs in the space of 11 balls, including three in the 26th over for spinner Inoka Ranaweera, which saw them slip to 124-6.

But Amanjot Kaur and Deepti Sharma produced a match-winning partnership of 103 for the seventh wicket as Sri Lanka were unable to maintain their initial discipline in the field, with the former dropped four times on her way to 57.

Sneh Rana added some late impetus with 28 from 15 balls and Sharma fell for 53 from the last ball of the innings as India recovered to post a competitive 269-8 from 47 overs, with three overs lost from rain delays.

That saw Sri Lanka’s target revised to 271 from the same amount of overs, and they made a promising start by reaching 82-1 but skipper Chamari Athapaththu’s dismissal for 43 at the end of the 15th over stalled their progress.

Athapaththu’s second-wicket stand of 52 with Harshitha Samarawickrama kept the visitors in the game, but they lacked India’s batting depth and could not recover from a slump to 140-6 and they were eventually bowled out for 211 in the 46th over.

Sharma added figures of 3-54 to her half-century as India entertained a lively crowd of 22,843 – a record for a Women’s World Cup group game – while fellow spinners Sneh Rana and Shree Charani took 2-32 and 2-37 respectively.

The tournament continues with defending champions Australia taking on New Zealand in Indore on Wednesday, while England start their campaign against South Africa on Friday.

Source link

Hockey

Finnie, Danielson Shine as Red Wings Slip Past Blackhawks in Preseason Opener

Detroit prospects Emmitt Finnie and Nate Danielson delivered impressive performances in the Red Wings†3-2 preseason-opening win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

The Red Wings’ top prospects were on display Tuesday during Detroit’s 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in their preseason opener. The win extended the Red Wings winning streak in preseason openers to seven, and improved their record to 9-4 against the Blackhawks in their last 13 exhibition matchups. Stealing the show was 20-year-old Emmitt Finnie, who netted a goal and dished a highlight reel assist for the first star of the game.

It was an exciting sight for fans in attendance as the future of the franchise was in full display as Finnie, a seventh round pick by the Red Wings in 2023, skated alongside top prospects Nate Danielson (9th overall in 2023) and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (15th overall in 2024). The trio made an impact in their second-line roles, logging around 15 minutes each, with Brandsegg-Nygard seeing closer to 17 minutes with additional time on the power play.

Finnie proved to be a ‘tenacious’ player according to Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan and it showed when he forced a turnover in the Blackhawks end. He kept the offensive zone possession alive and worked the puck back to the point before a shot from the point by Ian Mitchell and a rebound off a shot from Brandsegg-Nygard, gave Finnie an open net for the go-ahead goal.

Danielson made his presence felt at both ends of the ice, connecting well with Finnie on several offensive sequences. One standout moment came when Finnie created space with a slick series of dekes and set up Danielson for a quick one-timer, but the shot hit the outside of the net. Danielson would eventually find the scoresheet, crashing the net as the puck worked its way back to Wallinder at the point. Wallinderâ€s shot was perfectly redirected by Danielson, beating the Blackhawks goaltender for his first goal of the preseason.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.

Brandsegg-Nygard was all over the ice, contributing a pair of assists, three shots on net, four hits as well as a tripping penalty that led to a Connor Bedard goal. His play earned himself the second star of the game as he made some influential plays throughout that led to scoring chances like early in the first period on a two-on-one fast break or when setting up a handful of opportunities on the power play.

Another standout came from Carter Mazur, the Red Wings†2021 third-round pick, who delivered a stellar performance. The 23-year-old Michigan native made headlines in the hockey world last season when being injured early into his NHL debut and suffering a season-ending injury. Mazur returned from an off-season of rehab and played well in his first action with a goal off a through-the-legs pass from Finnie for an easy goal on a one-timer.

Mazur could’ve scored more than once as his physical, gritty style of play earned him several scoring chances including a breakaway in the second period that was turned away. His physicality at one point drew a cross-checking penalty from Chicago’s Ethan Del Mastro.

Building on that momentum, the Red Wings’ newest first-round pick, Carter Bear, made an impressive debut. Thrust into a significant role right away, he logged nearly 21 minutes of ice time and registered three shots on goal, showcasing poise and confidence beyond his years. The 18-year-old winger was the last player off the ice in warmups and showed offensive talents that garnered his first round selection. McLellan admired Bear’s first game with the Red Wings but did note that his young frame was noticeable and that he will need to age a bit more before getting regular NHL minutes.

blank
“We Have To Make The Playoffs”: Andrew Copp Has Blunt Expectation For Red Wings in 2025-26
The Detroit Red Wings enjoyed one of the longest postseason streaks in professional sports, qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs every season from 1991 through 2016.

Bear’s offensive skillset is evident but adding weight is something he likely needs to work on. His most notable plays of the game were his scoring chances while playing on a line with NHLers in J.T. Compher and Jonatan Berggren on the first line.

The Red Wings will resume their preseason on Thursday when they host the Buffalo Sabres, before hitting the road for matchups against the Penguins in Pittsburgh and the Sabres again but in Buffalo.

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

Source link

Hockey

Several Kraken Prospects Shine In Pre-Season Opener Against Canucks

The Seattle Kraken kicked off the beginning of pre-season with a 5-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks, dressing several NHL players and top prospects.

Among those NHL players were Matty Beniers, Kaapo Kakko, Shane Wright, Jaden Schwartz, Vince Dunn, Ryker Evans, Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak.

The top-rated prospects featured Berkly Catton, Jani Nyman, Jake O’Brien, Eduard Sale, Jagger Firkus, Oscar Fisker Molgaard, and Blake Fiddler.

The Kraken took a 1-0 lead after Sale capitalized on a 2-on-1 opportunity. The 20-year-old took his chance with confidence, beating the Canucks goaltender over his shoulder after looking off Catton. Prior to Sale’s marker, Wright and O’Brien had breakaway opportunities to open the scoring but were denied by Nikita Tolopio.

The Canucks answered back with a power play goal before the Kraken scored three unanswered in the middle frame, two of which came off the stick of Nyman. Nyman’s first tally came off a neat pass by Kakko. Nyman quietly found his way to the far post on an odd-man rush and tapped in the go-ahead goal.

The 21-year-old’s second goal was more indicative of what Nyman provides. Nyman loaded up for a one-timer and picked the far top corner for his second of the game.

“His second one was a good shot, his first one was going to the net hard and a great play by Kakko,†coach Lane Lambert said. “The thing that really excited me about that (first Nyman) goal was that it started in the defensive zone. We killed the play (by Vancouver) and then it wound up in the back of their net. From my perspective, thatâ€s what Iâ€m talking about when weâ€re talking about defense, and it translates into offense. So, Jani (Nyman) played well.â€

Berkly Catton and Jani Nyman (Candace Kludt)

In between Nyman’s goals was a Schwartz marker, assisted by Wright and Dunn. Fisker Molgaard also picked up an assist on John Hayden’s goal, jumping on a loose puck after an offensive zone faceoff.

“This summer was very long for me – I spent four months training hard,†Nyman said of meeting what he knows is a huge training camp opportunity. “I tried doing everything (needed) so that one day, I can play in the NHL.â€

There may not be a player on the Kraken roster who shoots a puck like Nyman can. His release is quick and his shot is heavy, and in limited opportunities, he’s shown that it is more than capable of beating NHL goaltenders.

To make the team, Nyman will have to do more than score goals. A level of attentiveness to the defensive side of the game is vital.

Another young forward looking to make the Kraken’s opening night roster is Catton. The 19-year-old didn’t record with any points, but in 14:24 of ice time, Catton finished as a plus-2, with a Corsi for percentage of 62.50 and an expected goal percentage of 59.73, according to Natural Stat Trick.

He’ll be given another chance to create more offense, but it was a positive start for Catton.

Kraken's Berkly Catton Embracing The Battles Of Training Camp; Taking Advantage Of Veteran Linemates
Kraken’s Berkly Catton Embracing The Battles Of Training Camp; Taking Advantage Of Veteran Linemates
Seattle Kraken center Berkly Catton has two options: make the NHL roster out of camp, or return to the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL.

Source link