MILAN (AP) — The United States and Canada will face off for Olympic gold for a seventh time since women’s hockey debuted at the 1998 Nagano Games in a border rivalry that never gets old. And this time, the Americans are the favorites at the Milan Cortina Games. The U.S. clinched its berth with a 5-0 win over Sweden in semifinal play. And the defending champion Canadians followed with Marie-Philip Poulin scoring twice to set the Olympic career goal record in a too-close-for-comfort 2-1 victory over Switzerland. The outcomes set up the latest showdown between the sport’s global powers in the gold medal final on Thursday.
MILAN (AP) — Olympic hockey knows all about big hits. That includes “Heated Rivalry” a gay hockey romance TV series in which two players from opposing teams carry out a secret relationship. The steamy connection between the characters — Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov — has attracted fans to both the show and the sport itself. The show’s impact was evident even before the Winter Olympics when co-stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie carried the Olympic flame. And it hasn’t stopped there. Athletes and fans from Canada and the U.S. are feeling the show’s impact.
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Elana Meyers Taylor has won her first Olympic gold in women’s monobob, and she made history as the oldest American woman to do it at the Winter Games. She rallied in the final heat at the Milan Cortina Games and dropped to her knees in tears. Germany’s Laura Nolte took silver. Kaillie Humphries Armbruster took bronze for the United States. Meyers Taylor already owned five Olympic medals, but she had never won gold. Her sixth medal ties Bonnie Blair for the most by a U.S. woman at the Winter Games. Kaysha Love finished seventh.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Nate Heise hit a go-ahead 3-pointer and Tamin Lipsey came up with an offensive rebound in the final seconds to cap No. 6 Iowa State’s rally in a 70-67 victory over Big 12 leader and second-ranked Houston on Monday night. Heise was 3 for 3 from 3-point range hours after sister Taylor Heise scored to help the U.S. Women’s Olympic hockey team beat Sweden 5-0 to reach the gold-medal game in Milan. The Cyclones (23-3, 10-3) closed with a 17-4 run to take down a second top-10 team in three days. Iowa State topped No. 8 Kansas 74-56 on Saturday. The Cougars (23-3, 11-2) had their six-game winning streak snapped and their lead in the conference was cut to a half-game over No. 4 Arizona.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Dolphins are releasing star receiver Tyreek Hill, ending the All-Pro’s four-year tenure in Miami. Hill is recovering from a season-ending injury suffered in a game against the New York Jets on Sept. 29 that required surgery to repair significant damage to his left knee, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament. It is one of several major roster cuts the Dolphins made on Monday. The Dolphins acquired Hill in a trade with Kansas City ahead of the 2022 season and gave him a $120 million, four-year contract extension.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Michael Jordan celebrated a Daytona 500 win as a team owner when Tyler Reddick won NASCAR's season opener. The victory comes after Jordan led the federal antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR that NASCAR settled in December. If there are hard feelings, it was not evident Sunday. NASCAR chairman Jim France congratulated Jordan in victory lane. Jordan and partner Denny Hamlin say the relationship between teams and the sanctioning body have been good since the settlement. They say both sides want progress.
Geno Auriemma has tied Tara VanDerveer for most appearances in the AP women’s basketball Top 25 poll when UConn remained No. 1. Auriemma has led the Huskies to 654 appearances in the poll during his 41-year Hall of Fame career to match VanDerveer, who retired from Stanford in 2024. UConn has been ranked for the past 621 consecutive weeks, dating to the preseason 1993-94 poll, and once again was a unanimous choice at No. 1 from the 31-member national media panel. Monday was the 900th poll in the 50-year history of the rankings.
Michigan is No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the first time in 13 years, ending Arizona’s nine-week reign. The Wolverines claimed 60 of 61 first-place votes in Monday’s new poll to climb one spot and supplant the Wildcats. Arizona had been unbeaten entering last week before falling at Kansas and at home to Texas Tech. It marks Michigan's first No. 1 ranking since January 2013. Houston, Duke, Arizona and UConn rounded out the top five. No. 24 Wisconsin and No. 25 Alabama were the week's new additions. They replaced Clemson and Kentucky.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Judge says he felt frustrated watching top free agents sign elsewhere during much of the offseason, but likes New York's late additions, After the first full-squad workout, he says the slow offseason felt “brutal.” Judge spent time describing his right elbow injury from last season and worried whether he would need surgery. He says tests after the postseason cleared him, and his arm now feels at full strength. He also talked about his MVP season and facing a hard-throwing young pitcher in camp.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — New York Mets owner Steve Cohen likes the vibe in a revamped clubhouse, and says he’ll never have a captain in charge of that scene. Cohen says, “As long as I’m owning the team, there will never be a team captain.” The Mets said goodbye to popular slugger Pete Alonso, star closer Edwin Díaz and two other Mets stalwarts before Christmas. But they added free agent Bo Bichette and traded for All-Star pitcher Freddy Peralta. Cohen says he likes the clubhouse energy going into manager Carlos Mendoza's third season.
Finals
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (6)Iowa State 70 (2)Houston 67
Final (3)Duke 101 Syracuse 64