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The Edmonton Oilers agreed to terms with forward Raphael Lavoie on a one-year, two-way contract extension on Saturday.
The deal carries an average annual value of $874,125.
Lavoie, 22, recorded a team-high 25 goals and finished with 45 points in 47 games last season with the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League.
He has totaled 81 points (43 goals, 38 assists) in 136 career AHL games. He was selected by the Oilers in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft.
–Field Level Media
PGA Tour rookie Trevor Cone carded a 9-under-par 63 to seize a one-stroke lead at the Barbasol Championship on Saturday in Nicholasville, Ky.
Cone, who is No. 450 in the Official World Golf Ranking, recorded nine birdies in a bogey-free round at rainy Keene Trace Golf Club to sit at 17-under 199 for the tournament. He holds a one-stroke lead over Lucas Glover (69) and Vincent Norman (67) of Sweden.
“Just got rolling,” the 30-year-old Cone said of a start in which he collected five birdies on his first eight holes. “Just played smart, fairways, greens, not get too aggressive. Just hoped the putter came alive and today it did. Hopefully, it continues tomorrow.”
Cone’s best finish in his 20 previous starts is a T23 at this year’s AT&T Byron Nelson.
Glover, the first- and second-round leader, notched his 11th straight round in the 60s. The 2009 U.S. Open champion has four career wins on the PGA Tour. He went 10 years between his last two wins (2011 and 2021).
“These young guys aren’t like when I was young. They’re ready to win now. There’s no learning curve anymore,” Glover said. “So, it’s going to be all (that) all of us want tomorrow. It’s going to be a knock-down drag-out and it should be fun.”
Frenchman Adrien Saddier shot a 67 on Saturday to reside in fourth place at 15-under. He is trying to become the first player since Jim Benepe (1988 Beatrice Western Open) to win his first PGA Tour start.
England’s Nathan Kimsey (67) and South Africa’s Jayden Schaper (68) are tied for fifth place at 14-under.
The Barbasol is staged as an alternate event opposite the Genesis Scottish Open, where most of the best players in the world are tuning up for next week’s Open Championship.
–Field Level Media
Rory McIlroy shot a 3-under par 67 on Saturday to maintain a one-stroke lead after the third round at the Scottish Open in North Berwick, Scotland.
McIlroy, who sits at 13-under 197 for the tournament, recorded five birdies against two bogeys on Saturday at The Renaissance Club to stay one stroke ahead of South Korea’s Tom Kim (67).
McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, was pleased with his effort, which followed rounds of 64 and 66.
“It was another really good round of golf. Very solid,” he said. “I feel like I’ve left a few out there over the last couple of days, but at the same time, at least the last few holes, it was quite tricky conditions.
“I played well. It’s been a good three days and looking forward to obviously being in the final group (Sunday) and seeing how my game holds up under that sort of pressure.”
The conditions will be tricky again on Sunday. With winds forecast at 20 mph, with gusts of 40 mph-plus in the afternoon, organizers moved the tee times and will run the groups in trios.
McIlroy has a 3:57 a.m. ET tee time and will be paired with Kim, who finished third at the Scottish Open last year, and Tommy Fleetwood. The Englishman ascended from 29th place into a tie for third with Brian Harman (67) after carding a 63 Saturday. Fleetwood collected eight birdies against one bogey in the third round to move to 11-under.
Eric Cole recorded seven birdies and one bogey en route to a 64 on Saturday. He joined Ireland’s Shane Lowry (65), first-round leader Ben An (69), Scottie Scheffler (67) and J.T. Poston (65) in a five-way tie for fifth at 10-under.
Fleetwood said he’ll be ready for whatever weather comes the players’ way.
“I’d like to not get too far away and see what the conditions bring,” he said. “If it’s rough, it’s rough. If it’s nice, that will do, too. You have to play it no matter what.”
Kim agreed.
“I’m kind of looking forward to it. It’s going to be tough,” he said. “I think it’s going to be tough for everyone. So you’ve got to be mentally there more than anything. You’ve got to be patient. I think it’s going to play a lot different than the last three days, so I look forward to the challenge.”
–Field Level Media
Steve Stricker shot a 5-under-par 65 on Saturday to pull into a tie for the lead at the Kaulig Companies Championship in Akron, Ohio.
Stricker rebounded from a second-round 73 to record seven birdies against two bogeys on Saturday and join Harrison Frazar (70) at 7-under 203. The 56-year-old Stricker won two majors in May and has four victories on the season.
“It was important that the leaders didn’t go too far away, and I needed a 4-, 5-under round and I did it, I got it,” Stricker said, per the Associated Press. “And they helped me out a little bit by not going low themselves.
The event, which was formerly known as the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship, is the fourth of the PGA Tour Champions’ five major tournaments.
Frazar, whose last professional win came in 2011 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, is bidding for his first senior major title. The 51-year-old had two birdies and two bogeys on Saturday.
“I feel like I need to have the same mindset I had today,” Frazar said. “Be a little bit more confident off the tees, try to get a little bit more aggressive with the iron shots.”
Stricker and Frazar hold a one-stroke lead over Stewart Cink (70) and a two-shot edge over both South African Ernie Els (70) and South Korean K.J. Choi (69) at Firestone Country Club.
Cink, who had two birdies and three bogeys, is attempting to win a tournament at Firestone Country Club for the second time. The 50-year-old was victorious at the 2004 WGC-NEC Invitational.
Els, a former World No. 1, is attempting to win his first senior major title. He hit a rough patch, however, after carding three bogeys in a four-hole stretch (Nos. 13-16).
Choi recorded four birdies against three bogeys.
Scott Parel (68) remained in sixth place at 4-under, while David Toms (68) resides in seventh at 3-under.
Germany’s Bernhard Langer (70) resides in a six-way tie for eighth place at 1-under with Australians Mark Hensby (69) and Rod Pampling (71), Jerry Kelly (70), Jeff Maggert (68) and Brett Quigley (66).
“Tomorrow should be fun,” Stricker said. “There’s a lot of guys with the opportunity to win and we’re on a great golf course and the weather looks perfect for tomorrow.”
–Field Level Media
Tennessee on Saturday learned that it had 11 wins vacated as part of the punishment for the 200-plus recruiting violations committed by former coach Jeremy Pruitt.
All 11 games won in the 2019 and 2020 seasons have been erased, wiping the Volunteers from the top 10 all-time in college football victories.
Sixteen ineligible players competed in all the vacated victories, a Tennessee spokesperson told the Knoxville News and ESPN on Saturday. The players were ineligible due to their involvement in any of the 18 Level I violations and 200 individual infractions committed during Pruitt’s short tenure.
Tennessee went 8-5 in 2019, including a bowl win, and 3-7 in 2020. The official record book will now show 0-5 and 0-7 records for those two seasons.
The vacated wins now mean Tennessee is 856-410-53 in its history, dropping from the top 10 all-time. The Vols are now No. 11 all-time.
On Friday, the football program was placed on five years’ probation and fined $8 million after the NCAA discovered more than 200 violations during Pruitt’s tenure.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions also cut 28 scholarships for the Volunteers, while Pruitt received a six-year show cause and will be suspended for the first full season if another school hires him.
Pruitt compiled a 16-19 record in three seasons in Knoxville from 2018-20. He worked as a senior defensive assistant for the New York Giants in 2021, his most recent employment in major football.
Tennessee avoided a bowl ban. The Volunteers went 11-2 last season under coach Josh Heupel and won the Orange Bowl.
The NCAA charged the program with 18 Level 1 violations in July 2022. They included charges that Pruitt and his wife, Casey, provided $60,000 in impermissible benefits and cash payments to players’ families.
Tennessee self-imposed several penalties after the violations were announced, including a 16-scholarship reduction over the past two seasons.
–Field Level Media
Local product Micahi Danzy, a four-star prospect in the 2024 class, committed Saturday to Florida State.
A safety at Florida State University High School in Tallahassee, the 6-foot-1 Danzy is listed as the No. 13 overall athlete by the 247Sports composite.
“It feels great,” Danzy told 247Sports. “Growing up being a Florida State fan, it feels good. Being able to represent for the Danzys because they’re Florida State fans. It feels good to be able to represent for our family and Tallahassee.”
He is expected to move from the safety position to the offensive side of the ball, both as a rusher and pass catcher.
“They kind of plan to throw some passes to me, get some outside zone, get me in space so I can do what I can do,” Danzy told the outlet.
He is the 18th commit to the Seminoles’ 2024 class, which is highlighted by five-star tight end Landen Thomas from Georgia.
Florida State has the No. 10 recruiting class in the nation and No. 1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, per 247Sports.
–Field Level Media
The Dallas Fuel made an impressive start in Summer Stage qualifying action on Saturday, sweeping Poker Face in the Overwatch League’s East Region.
The Fuel won 2-0 on Lijiang Tower, 3-0 on Eichenwalde and 3-2 on Route 66 to move into an early tie for first place with the Seoul Inferno.
Also posting sweeps were the Hangzhou Spark and Seoul Dynasty.
The Spark opened with a 2-0 triumph against Guangzhou Charge on Ilios, followed by a 3-2 victory on Midtown and a 3-0 win on Route 66.
The Dynasty dropped PANTHERA 2-0 on Busan, 2-1 on Midtown and 3-2 on Dorado.
Dreamers jumped out to a 2-0 match lead against Shanghai Dragons by winning 2-0 on Lijiang Tower and 3-0 on Numbani before falling 3-0 on Circuit Royal. Dreamers sealed the match win with a 1-0 escape on New Queen Street.
Summer Stage Qualifiers in the West run through Sept. 4, with each team in the region playing a total of eight best-of-five matches. The top three teams will advance to the playoffs, while the fourth- through 10th-ranked squads will be sent to the play-ins.
East Region qualifying runs through Aug. 6. All matches will be best-of-five in a single round-robin format, with all 10 teams moving on to the Summer Stage Knockouts. Matches between the three teams based in Korea (Dallas Fuel, Seoul Dynasty, Seoul Infernal) will all be offline.
Qualifying action continues Saturday with four matches in the West:
–Toronto Defiant vs. Vancouver Titans
–Atlanta Reign vs. Washington Justice
–Boston Uprising vs. Houston Outlaws
–London Spitfire vs. New York Excelsior
West Region standings (win-loss record, map differential):
1. San Francisco Shock, 2-0, plus-4
T2. Atlanta Reign, 1-0, plus-3
T2. Florida Mayhem, 1-0, plus-3
T2. New York Excelsior, 1-0, plus-3
5. Los Angeles Valiant, 1-0, plus-1
T6. Boston Uprising, 0-0, 0
T6. Toronto Defiant, 0-0, 0
T6. Vancouver Titans, 0-0, 0
9. Washington Justice, 0-1, minus-1
T10. Houston Outlaws, 0-1, minus-3
T10. London Spitfire, 0-1, minus-3
T10. Vegas Eternal, 0-1, minus-3
13. Los Angeles Gladiators, 0-2, minus-4
East Region standings (win-loss record, map differential):
T1. Seoul Inferno, 1-0, plus-3
T1. Dallas Fuel, 1-0, plus-3
3. Dreamers, 1-0, plus-2
4. Seoul Dynasty, 1-1, plus-1
T5. Hangzhou Spark, 1-1, 0
T5. Shanghai Dragons, 1-1, 0
7. Guangzhou Charge, 1-1, minus-1
8. O2 Blast, 0-1, minus-2
T9. PANTHERA, 0-1, -3
T9. Poker Face, 0-1, -3
–Field Level Media
Team Vitality swept Complexity Gaming on Saturday to advance to the grand final of Group A at the BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Vitality await the winner of Complexity-Ninjas in Pyjamas in the lower bracket final. NiP swept Evil Geniuses earlier Saturday to advance while Complexity dropped down in the aftermath of the loss to Vitality.
Also Saturday, Team Liquid advanced to the upper bracket final in Group C with a hard-fought 2-1 win over G2 Esports.
Vitality made easy work of Complexity, winning 16-1 on Inferno and 16-6 on Vertigo. Every player finished with a positive kills-to-deaths differential for Vitality, with Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut leading the way with plus-22. Lotan “Spinx” Giladi led Vitality with 37 kills.
Liquid opened with a 16-9 win on Ancient before losing 19-17 in overtime on Mirage. Liquid clinched with a 16-14 win on Vertigo, rallying from a 5-0 deficit. Keith “NAF” Markovic led Liquid with 70 kills and a plus-16 K-D differential.
Liquid will play FaZe in the upper bracket final of Group C.
NiP slugged out a 22-20 win on Inferno and 16-11 win on Vertigo to advance to the lower bracket final in Group A.
The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event began with a double-elimination group stage, with the field split into three groups of four teams.
All matches are best-of-three as winners of each group will advance straight to the Fall Final. The remaining teams advance to the seeded play-in stage.
Play continues Sunday with two matches in Group B:
BIG vs. Astralis (lower bracket semi)
Team Heroic vs. Natus Vincere (upper bracket final)
BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023 Final prize pool and points distribution:
1-3. $27,500, 2,400 BLAST Premier points, qualifies to Fall Finals — TBD
4-6. $17,500, 1,800 BLAST Premier points, qualifies to Fall Finals — TBD
7-9. $8,500, 800 BLAST Premier points, qualifies to Fall Showdown — TBD
10-12. $5,666, 300 BLAST Premier points, qualifies to Fall Showdown — TBD
–Field Level Media
Filip “NEO” Kubski will coach FaZe Clan’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team at Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2023, according to a Dust2.us report.
NEO replaces Robert “RobbaN” Dahlstrom, who announced his decision to quit coaching Thursday.
NEO, 36, of Poland, is regarded as one of the greatest Counter-Strike players of all time. He played for FaZe Clan briefly in 2019.
FaZe Clan are slotted into Group B at the 24-team $1 million IEM Cologne, which runs from July 26 through Aug. 6.
The team’s active roster features Havard “rain” Nygaard, Helvijs “broky” Saukants, Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken, Finn “karrigan” Andersen and Robin “ropz” Kool.
–Field Level Media
DeWanna Bonner heated up from the perimeter on the way to 28 points as the Connecticut Sun defeated the Washington Mystics 92-84 on Sunday afternoon in Uncasville, Conn.
Alyssa Thomas provided 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Sun, who put together a sterling fourth quarter.
Tiffany Hayes and reserve Tyasha Harris each added 10 points for Connecticut (14-5), which has won two games in a row.
The Sun stretched a three-point edge to 92-81 coming down the stretch. Washington posted only three points in the final 3 1/2 minutes.
Bonner made six of Connecticut’s 13 3-point baskets, going 6-for-12 from distance. She notched her second-highest point total of the year.
Tianna Hawkins scored 14 of her season-high 24 points in the third quarter, while Brittney Sykes and reserve Myisha Hines-Allen both ended up with 14 points for the Mystics (10-8), who lost for the fourth time in their last six games.
Elena Delle Donne returned to action for the Mystics after missing more than a week with an ankle injury. She didn’t score in a starting role in 13 minutes before limping off the court late in the second quarter. She was averaging 19.5 points per game coming into the weekend.
Hawkins made 10 of 12 shots from the field and went 3-for-3 on free throws. The Mystics finished with 18 turnovers.
The Sun scored the final five points of the first half to lead 46-41 at the break, with Bonner and Thomas combining for 29 of those points. Both teams shot above 54 percent from the field in the opening half, attempting a combined 18 shots from 3-point range.
A five-point lead slipped away from the Mystics in the final part of the second quarter as they managed just four points — and one field goal — in the last four-plus minutes of the half.
Connecticut finished the game just 13-for-21 on free-throw attempts.
–Field Level Media