CHICAGO (AP) — So much forall the talk about the impenetrablegoalies, and forget about thoselane-clogging defensemen. It wasall about the offense in Game 4,and the hangover could extendinto the final three games of thedeadlocked Stanley Cup finals.
Chicago’s 6-5 overtime victoryat Boston on Wednesday night wasthe highest-scoring game in thisyear’s NHL playoffs. There werebreakaways, rebounds, long slapshots and tips. Eleven goals in all,coming from all over the ice.
It all raises questions abouthow the remainder of this com-pelling series will look.
“I guess a series like this cantake some unexpected turns some-times, and you saw that last night,”Blackhawks captain JonathanToews said. “I’m not going to makeany predictions for what happensin the next game, but obviouslythere’s a lot of things we want tocarry into this game, Game 5,here.”
The biggest variable could bethe recovery of goalies TuukkaRask of the Bruins and Corey Craw-ford of the Blackhawks, who have acouple days to find their gameagain before the series resumes inChicago on Saturday night.
Rask and Crawford had beenthe best two goalies in the playoffsbefore each of them stumbledunder heavy pressure in Game 4.Rask gave up too many prime re-bound opportunities, and Craw-ford was beaten repeatedly on hisglove side.
“Every goal is stoppable, but Idon’t think there was any weakone, so to speak,” said Rask, whowas coming off a 2-0 shutout andhad allowed just eight goals in theprevious eight playoff games. “Mis-takes piled up and I wasn’t able tobail our guys out. Sometimes youdo, sometimes you don’t.”
Crawford was great in each ofthe first two finals games inChicago. He had 51 saves in thethree-overtime series opener, keep-
ing the Blackhawks in the gamelong enough for Andrew Shaw toscore the winning goal in a 4-3 vic-tory.
Crawford had 33 stops whenthe series shifted to Boston forGame 3, but Chicago was unable toget anything going against Rask.And then came more of the glove-side problems on Wednesday nightthat the Bruins have exploited allseries long.
“A couple tough breaks lastnight, especially when we had thelead at 3-1 or 4-2, Boston is goingto open up a little bit,” Blackhawksforward Patrick Kane said Thurs-day. “I think for us that we can playbetter defensively, maybe get insome shooting lanes and blocksome of those shots.”
Chicago held leads of 1-0, 3-1, 4-2 and 5-4, but Boston rallied eachtime. The glove-side issue is atricky little one for coach Joel
Monday, 6.21.13ON THE WEB: www.yankton.net
SPORTS DEPARTMENT: [email protected] PRESS DAKOTANsports
DES MOINES, Iowa — SouthDakota freshman pole vaulterPeter Chapman cleared 15 feet, 11inches to place seventh in thejunior men’s pole vault at the USAOutdoor Track and Field Champi-onships in Des Moines, Iowa, onThursday.
Chapman cleared the mark onhis first attempt, but missed onhis attempts at 16-4 3/4. Chapmanfinished his season as the SummitLeague’s champion in the eventand had a season-best mark of 16-8.
Daven Murphree won theevent with a mark of 16-8 3/4.
The Coyotes will have fourathletes in action on Friday.Meghan Dennis will lead off bycompeting in the junior women’sjavelin at noon, while ChristianNielsen will compete in the juniormen’s 200-meter dash at 12:45p.m. Madison Mills and HunterWilkes will wrap up the day bycompeting in the junior women’spole vault at 1:15 p.m.
Wambach Breaks Hamm’s Mark For Career GoalsHARRISON, N.J. (AP) — Move over Mia
Hamm. Abby Wambach is now the greatestgoal scorer in international soccer.
Wambach scored four times in the firsthalf to break Hamm’s record for interna-tional career goals with room to spare in a5-0 victory over South Korea on Thursdaynight.
The four goals gave the 33-year-oldWambach 160, two more than Hamm hadin a storied career that ended in 2004.
Wambach connected three times in thefirst 29 minutes to break Hamm’s mark of158 international goals, and she added an-other in injury time to give her a niceround number.
Ali Daie of Iran holds the men’s recordwith 109.
The historic 159th came on a line-driveheader that ripped into the twine in theback of the net off a corner kick by MeganRapinoe.
“I’m just so proud of her,” Hamm said.“Just watching those four goals, that’swhat she is all about. She fights for theball, she’s courageous and she never givesup. Her strength and perseverance is whatmakes her so great and it’s what defendersand opposing teams fear.
“From being her teammate early in hercareer, I know all she ever wanted to dowas win, and she continues to do that. I’mjust glad I got to share 158 with her. It wasshort, but it was fun.”
After the record-setting goal, Wambachturned and ran a couple of steps in the di-
rection of the U.S. bench, then stopped asRapinoe jumped into her arms. TheRochester, N.Y., native was then mobbedby teammates on the field and those whostreamed off the bench as the crowd of18,961 at Red Bull Arena cheered wildly.
After the hugs, Wambach turned to thestands and blew a kiss toward her parents,Judy and Peter.
Chants of “Ab-bee, Ab-bee, Ab-bee,”cascaded through the stadium as officialsgot the ball and gave it to the U.S. bench.
The four goals in the friendly were thesecond most by Wambach in an interna-tional game, and will allow the spotlightthat has followed her in her chase ofHamm’s record to finally dissolve.
Her first goal Thursday came on a shot
in the box past South Korean goalkeeperKim Jung-mi in the 10th minute. The sec-ond came nine minutes later in thefriendly on a flicking header.
Lauren Cheney set up the first twogoals on crossing passes on plays thatWambach eluded Korean defender ShimSeo-yeon.
Wambach’s fourth goal was an easytap-in after Alex Morgan made a run downthe right side and centered the ball to theon-rushing Wambach, the 2012 FIFAWomen’s World Player of the Year.
Wambach had a chance for a fifth goal,which would have tied her single-gamerecord, but she could not get her head ona cross early in the second half.
Wambach was given a standing ovationby many in the crowd when she was re-placed in the 58th minute by Christen
Press. Before leaving the field, she ex-changed hugs with long-time teammatesRapinoe, Heather O’Reilly and Carli Lloydand a few other players. As she got to thesideline she applauded the crowd andthen hugged her coaches and teammates.The crowd chanted “Abby Wambach” inreturn.
Chaney added the final goal for theUnited States on a header in the 64thminute.
Goalkeeper Hope Solo made her firststart for the United States since havingwrist surgery in early March. She facedone weak shot as the ball stayed in theSouth Korean half most of the game.
Chapman SeventhAt USA Junior
Championships
U.S. Star Becomes Tops On International Career Goals Chart
Baseball | South Central League
Menno Blanks CardinalsMENNO — Macon Oplinger
struck out eight batters in a com-plete game 2-hit shutout as theMenno Mad Frogs came out ontop of a 1-0 pitchers dual Thurs-day night in South Central Leagueamateur baseball action inMenno.
Oplinger allowed only a dou-ble to Simon Healy and a single toWes Robertson in helping theMad Frogs (2-7) snap a 7-gamelosing streak.
Seven different players had asingle for Menno, which scoredits only run in the bottom of thefirst inning on an RBI ground outby Jay Thaler.
Josh Homme pitched all eightinnings for Irene and struck outfive batters.
Both teams return to actionSunday night, with Menno atTabor and Irene at home againstFreeman.IRENE (5-4)............................................000 000 000 — 0 2 1MENNO (2-7).........................................100 000 00X — 1 7 1
Josh Homme and Pat Sees; Macon Oplinger and Jay Thaler
Crofton 5, Lesterville 0CROFTON, Neb. — Matt Tramp
and Rand Thygeson combined ona 2-hit shutout as the CroftonBluejays blanked Lesterville 5-0 inSouth Central League actionThursday night.
Tramp pitched six innings andThygeson went the final threeframes for the Bluejays (8-1), whohave won eight straight leaguegames.
Crofton has now pitchedshutouts in three of its last fiveSCL games.
Thygeson doubled in the win,while Nick Hegge, Aaron Losingand Cody Wilken all had two sin-gles.
Tyler Edler pitched the wholegame for Lesterville (3-6).
Crofton travels to Beresfordfor a non-league game Sunday,while Lesterville visits Wynot onSunday night.LESTERVILLE (3-6)...............................000 000 000 — 0 2 2CROFTON (8-1) ..................................010 101 20X — 5 10 0
Tyler Edler and Zach Johnson; Matt Tramp, Rand Thygeson(7) and Carl Schieffer
JEREMY HOECK/P&DMenno Mad Frogs starter Macon Oplinger delivers a pitch during Thursday night's South Central League ama-teur game against Irene in Menno. Oplinger tossed a two-hitter as Menno won 1-0.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) —Tyson Gay was barely out ofbreath after breezing through his100-meter heat. Same with JustinGatlin moments later.
Gay and Gatlin hardly workedup a sweat as they easily cruisedthrough the first round of the 100on Thursday at the U.S. trackchampionships. Their times werehardly blistering, but that wasn’tthe point on this windy day, onlyadvancing in as little effort as pos-sible.
By moving on, they’re movingtoward a showdown in Friday’sfinal.
“It felt good,” said Gay, whotrimmed his hair to be more aero-dynamic. “Just get the nerves out.”
This was a game within a gamebetween the two — show justenough, but not too much.
Gay powered down his lane towin his heat in 10.28 seconds.Gatlin easily cruised across theline in 10.37, taking second in hisheat. He estimated he ran atmaybe 70 percent, conserving hisenergy for when he really needs it,possibly to hold off Gay.
“Tyson is something of anenigma,” Gatlin said. “When he’shealthy, he’s one of the most dan-gerous sprinters you can competeagainst.”
And he’s healthy, maybe ashealthy as he’s ever been. Askedabout his hip, the one that’s givenhim problems for quite some time,Gay simply said, “Feeling good.”
Gay has the world’s top timethis season. But Gatlin has some-thing perhaps even more impres-sive — a recent win over UsainBolt, which very few sprintershave done since the Jamaican’srise to power.
While Gay and Gatlin were thecenter of attention early on at na-tionals, Dentarius Locke of FloridaState stole some of the spotlight ashe turned in the top time of 10.19,just ahead of Jeff Demps.
“I just went out there and ranmy race,” Locke nonchalantly said.“I know tomorrow will be a differ-ent day. Hopefully everything willfall into place.”
The women’s 100 lacked somestar power as world championCarmelita Jeter was out with asore right quadriceps and AllysonFelix skipped the race to save en-ergy for the 200. Barbara Pierrewon in 11.18.
For Jeter, there’s a safety net,with an automatic spot at worlds re-served for her courtesy of her winin 2011. Given that, her coach, JohnSmith, said there’s no reason to takeany chances. He feels confidentJeter will be ready to defend hertitle in Moscow in August, providedshe backs off the throttle now.
The 33-year-old Jeter capturedthree medals at the LondonOlympics, finishing third in the200, second in the 100 and helpingthe 400-meter relay team to gold.
Gay, Gatlin EasilyAdvance In 1stRound Of 100
TRACK | PAGE 9A CUP | PAGE 9A
SCOTT STRAZZANTE/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/MCTThe Chicago Blackhawks celebrate Brent Seabrook’s goal against theBoston Bruins in overtime in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Wednes-day, June 19, 2013, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Chicago’s6-5 win evens the series, 2-2.
High-Scoring Game 4 Flips Script On Stanley Cup
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Wes Reanever stops hearing from peoplewho are amazed he passed on theopportunity to play major collegefootball to indulge in his baseballpassion at Mississippi State.
“When we do win this nationalchampionship,” he said after prac-tice Thursday, “I’ve got a one-lineanswer for all the guys who say,‘Why didn’t you play football?’ I canshow them the ring and say, ‘That’swhy.”
Rea was one of the nation’s topoffensive line prospects coming outof Gulfport, Miss., in 2010. A na-tional title in football certainlywould have been possible for himconsidering how much interest heattracted from Southeastern Con-ference programs.
Rea took official football recruit-ing visits to Alabama and LSU, andAuburn also wooed him until he letit be known he would play baseballin college.
“That’s where my heart was,” hesaid. “Looking back on it, if I wereto say I could win a national cham-pionship in football or baseball, I’dpick baseball every time. So that’swhat we’re working for right now.”
The Bulldogs’ 6-foot-5, 272-pound first baseman hit a key homerun in super regionals against Vir-ginia and drove in the go-aheadruns in a College World Series-open-ing win over Oregon State. He’s bat-ting .444 in Omaha, with twodoubles, and .296 for the season.He also scooped a bouncing throwfrom closer Jonathan Holder for thelast out against Indiana on Monday.
Mississippi State will play Ore-gon State on Friday needing onewin to advance to next week’s best-of-three finals. If the Bulldogs lose,they’ll play Oregon State again Sat-urday.
Coach John Cohen said peoplewho know Rea best know that he’sa “baseball guy.”
“I think people, because of hissize, just assume he’s this big phys-ical guy who has a brute-type per-sonality. He is a baseball savant. Hegets it.”
Mississippi State football coachDan Mullen is one of Rea’s biggestfans, even though he playfully con-tinues to encourage Rea to putdown his baseball glove and put onfootball pads.
“Coach Mullen teases him re-lentlessly about being a sissy,”Cohen said. “It’s all good-naturedfun.”
Right fielder Hunter Renfroe,Rea’s roommate for three years,said Rea still follows footballclosely in the fall. When they watchgames on television, Renfroe said,Rea dissects plays and talks aboutwhat he would do differently if hewere on the field.
“He was a great football player,no doubt about that,” Renfroe said,“and he could have been a greatone for us. He’s a great baseballplayer now, and that’s all he needsto worry about.”
THE OTHER GUYS: UCLA is inits third CWS in four years, andcoach John Savage said his teamfeels like outsiders.
Savage isn’t complaining. It’sjust that the Bruins have drawn un-
Bulldogs’ Rea:Picking Baseball
Over Football Easy
CWS | PAGE 9A
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Policesaid Thursday they have no sus-pects in a burglary at the home ofOklahoma football coach BobStoops.
Norman Police Sgt. JenniferNewell said officers received a callfrom the house at 8:30 a.m.Wednesday reporting that a break-in had occurred overnight. Newellsaid the exact time of the burglaryis part of the department’s ongoinginvestigation.
Newell said several members ofthe Stoops family were home whenthe burglary occurred, but no onewas injured.
“There were people at thehouse at the time,” she said.Newell would not confirm whetherStoops was at the house. He andseveral Oklahoma players were inWichita, Kan., on Wednesday nightfor an appearance at an OU Club ofWichita event.
Newell said a number of items
were reported missing after theburglary, including a vehicle.
“It was personal property andmy understanding is a vehicle aswell,” she said.
Newell said she was not awareof any other burglaries reported inthe same neighborhood recently.She also said she did not know ofadditional security precautionsthat are being taken following theburglary.
Police: No Suspect In Burglary At Stoops’ Home
NEW YORK (AP) — The daugh-ter of former New York Yankeesmanager Joe Torre made a quick-thinking save Wednesday when shecaught a baby who had tumbled offof a second-floor Brooklyn apart-ment’s fire escape, the baseballgreat has confirmed.
Cristina Torre did not respondto a request for comment.
Police said a 44-year-old womancaught a 1-year-old boy who fellfrom a fire escape outside a Brook-lyn apartment building but did notidentify the bystander. They saidthe baby somehow climbed out ofthe apartment onto the fire escapeand tumbled from above. That’swhen Torre caught the baby as shewalked on the sidewalk below.
The baby is in stable condition,police said, while the parents werecharged with reckless endanger-ment and acting in a manner injuri-ous to a child under 17.
Torre’s DaughterCatches Falling Baby
