Braiden Clark and Cohen Bidgood each recorded hat tricks as the London Knights defeated the Erie Otters 10-2 on March 6 at Canada Life Place in the first of back-to-back games between the teams.

Henry Brzustewicz had four assists for the Knights and Braidy Wassilyn had three.

London had two goals before the Erie Otters had recorded their first shot of the game.

Cohen Bidgood and Braiden Clark scored 27 seconds apart at 13:55 and 14:22 of the opening period.

Knights goaltender Seb Gatto was not called on to make his first save until the 15:10 mark and that was the only save Gatto had to make in the first 20 minutes.

Ryan Brown scored his second goal in two games and 21st of the year with 1:03 remaining on the clock and London took a 3-0 lead to the dressing room.

Bidgood’s second of the game came on a power play at 1:30 of the second period and was followed by Evan Van Gorp’s third goal in three games at the 8:00 mark, extending the Knights lead to 5-0.

Tyler Cooper of the Otters managed to steal a puck deep in the London end and scored for the Otters at 11:26. However, that goal seemed to spark London as Jaxon Cover fed Bidgood to complete his hat trick and Braiden Clark wired in his 19th goal of the season.

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The Knights led 7-1 through two periods and had held Erie to only seven shots to that point in the game.

London added three more goals in the third period as Clark completed his hat trick on a breakaway and Brody Cook scored short-handed on another breakaway.

Evan Headrick of the Otters scored a power play goal at 9:07 of the third period and Max Crete finished the scoring and brought the Knights to double-digits for the second time in 2025-26.

Alex Campeau and Cooper McAslan each earned their first OHL points with assists in the game.

The pair was taken in the first and second rounds respectively in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection.

Sixteen of the 18 London skaters recorded at least one point.

The Knights were 1-for-3 on the power play.

Erie was 1-for-1 on the man advantage.

London outshot the Otters 37-18.

Movement at the NHL trade deadline

Several former London Knights changed teams at this year’s NHL trade deadline.

After Michael McCarron went from Nashville to Minnesota and Olli Maatta ended up in Calgary after a deal between the Flames and the Utah Mammoth on March 4 and 5, respectively, more ex-Knights were given new addresses.

In a stunner, John Carlson went to bed as a member of the Washington Capitals and woke up on the Anaheim Ducks.

Jackson Edward was traded from Boston to the Philadelphia Flyers. Londoner Brett Harrison also went to Philadelphia in that deal.

Corey Perry also went back to the Tampa Bay Lightning from the L.A. Kings. Perry went to the Stanley Cup final with the Lightning in 2022.

Nazem Kadri won the Stanley Cup with Colorado that year and Kadri was traded back to the Avalanche right before the deadline arrived.

Up next

The Knights and Otters will meet again on March 7 in the second of their home-and-home series in a game that will complete their season series against one another.

Coverage will start at 6:30 on 980 CFPL, at www.980cfpl.ca and on the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

TAMPA — The last, but perhaps most anticipated, piece of the Yankees’ projected Opening Day rotation has finally joined the fold. 

Cam Schlittler, slowed earlier in camp by mid-back/left lat inflammation, made his spring debut Friday night, throwing 2 ¹/₃ scoreless innings against the Rays at Steinbrenner Field. 

As long as he continues to bounce back well the rest of the spring, the Yankees believe Schlittler can get built up to throw around 65-80 pitches in his regular-season debut. 

“We got a plan laid out, so I’m very confident that I’m going to be good to go that [first] weekend,” Schlittler said. 

The 25-year-old right-hander brought the heat from the jump, striking out the first batter he faced on three pitches, capped off with a 99.4 mph fastball.

That pitch averaged 98.7 mph across his 39 pitches, scattering two hits and one walk while striking out four. 

But the pitch that may have jumped out the most Friday was Schlittler’s cutter, which he used to strike out a pair of batters. The pitch peaked at 96.5 mph and averaged 94.9 mph, up noticeably from the 91.9 mph it averaged last season. 

“It’s nasty, too,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Couple of his live [batting practices], just standing behind him, it’s kind of wicked. I think if he can get the consistency on that downer curveball that he has, then if you want to count the cutter as the third fastball [along with a four-seam and two-seam], the three fastballs with the curveball, then he gets pretty tough to deal with.” 

Schlittler credited Gerrit Cole with having him split the cutter into two pitches before his final start of the regular season last year, focusing on a harder cutter that he predominantly threw up in the zone. 

“Continue to hopefully keep the velo and location as well,” he said. 

Schlittler has the potential to elevate the Yankees’ rotation this year if he can build off his 14-game cameo last season, when he was called up in July to replace the injured Clarke Schmidt and pitched to a 2.96 ERA the rest of the way. He was even better in the playoffs, delivering an historic performance against his hometown Red Sox in the clinching Game 3 of the AL wild-card series, striking out 12 across eight shutout innings. 

Boone said that Schlittler’s confidence, combined with his competitiveness, is what impressed him the most. 

“He comes up and he’s able to make adjustments without it being stressful,” Boone said. “He was just at ease right away, in the best kind of way.”

The City of Vancouver is releasing more details about how soccer fans can watch the FIFA World Cup games from the official fan zone.

“We’re hoping to make it the best place to watch the matches in all of British Columbia and Vancouver, so they can expect to get into the festival for free and experience some of that world-class World Cup atmosphere that you can only experience in an official site, which the Fan Festival will be,” Jessie Adcock, Vancouver host committee lead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup told Global News.

She said the site, which will be at the PNE grounds at Hastings Park, will have multiple screens, food and drink vendors and family events.

“This is going to include the PNE site minus Playland, and so will be also the first large festival to take advantage of the new amphitheatre,” Adcock said.

“It will be transformed from what it is right now, you know, when it’s not activated, to all the parking lots and the various buildings all being used, all the gardens and the various spots across the site will be animated and brought to life.:

1:57
Pedestrian zone coming to Granville Street

Adcock said that the Freedom Mobile Arch Amphitheatre will be ready in time and will be the location of the premium ticket seats to watch the games.

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“One of the things that the amphitheatre affords us is a brand new spot from which to offer different types of premium experiences,” she said.

“So there’ll be options for group hosting, food and drink options, and reserved seating. And so look out for our newsletter, for updates to our website, as well as follow us on socials to get all that information as soon as it gets released.”

The cost for these tickets has not yet been released.

Entry to the site in general will be free, Adcock said.

“The goal with the fan festival is to make it inclusive and accessible and family-friendly and affordable,” Adcock said.

“So we understand that, you know, tickets to the matches are in high demand straight across the 16 cities, not just Vancouver. And so one of the drivers and the goals of the fan festival is to make it a place for everyone to come and watch.”

Adcock said there will be security on site and the city is working with the Vancouver Police Department and its provincial partners so that everyone feels safe.

“For us, it’s really important that our whole community gets an opportunity to participate,” Adcock added.

“We’re excited to put Vancouver on the map, we’re excited to create an environment where families can come in, enjoy the matches that they want to enjoy. Soccer is such a multicultural, global event… and it’s our goal to make sure that everybody has a very, very good experience and creates lifelong memories.”

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TORONTO – Bobby McMann is headed west.

The struggling Toronto Maple Leafs dealt the winger to the Seattle Kraken for a second-round pick in the 2027 draft and a fourth-round pick in 2026 ahead of Friday’s NHL trade deadline.

Veteran centre Scott Laughton, the other pending unrestricted free agent forward on the roster, is also saying goodbye to Toronto. He was sent to the Los Angeles Kings for a conditional third-round selection in an upcoming draft.

McMann leaves Toronto as a developmental success for the organization. The 29-year-old signed with the club’s American Hockey League affiliate out of the NCAA in 2020 before working his way through the system and making his NHL debut during the 2022-23 season.

A late-bloomer from Wainwright, Alta., McMann put up 19 goals and 13 assists for 32 points in 60 games in 2025-26.

The six-foot-two, 217-pound forward played a total of 200 regular-season games for the Original Six franchise, finishing with 91 points (54 goals, 37 assists) and 121 penalty minutes. McMann added three assists in 13 playoff contests last spring.

McMann, Laughton and defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who’s signed two more seasons, were all held out of Toronto’s lineup Wednesday and Thursday for “roster management purposes” ahead of the deadline.

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Sitting eight points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot heading into Friday’s action, the Maple Leafs had a brief surge with three straight road wins heading into the Olympic break, but have dropped six straight (0-4-2) to fall eight points back of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

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Toronto has only been in a post-season spot a total of 48 hours since Nov. 7 and owns a 4-10-4 record since Jan. 12.

Laughton was originally acquired by the Maple Leafs, who will have the third-round pick in the Kings’ trade upgraded to a second if L.A. makes the playoffs, from the Philadelphia Flyers along with a couple of late-round selections ahead of last season’s deadline for forward prospect Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional 2027 first-rounder.

The 31-year-old from nearby Oakville, Ont., had a total of 10 goals and six assists for 16 points in 63 regular-season games with the team he cheered for as a kid.

Laughton, who was selected 20th overall at the 2012 draft, has 281 points (116 goals, 165 assists) and 414 penalty minutes across 724 contests with the Flyers and Maple Leafs. The six-foot-one, 190-pound forward has added 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 37 playoff games.

The Maple Leafs made their first move on Thursday, shipping depth centre Nicolas Roy to the Colorado Avalanche for a conditional 2027 first-round pick along with a fifth in June. The 29-year-old was part of the sign-and-trade deal with Vegas for Mitch Marner last summer that brought the star winger’s long march out of his hometown to a close.

The Maple Leafs’ stunning slide down the standings came after another training camp filled with promise and talk of end the league’s longest Stanley Cup drought.

Sure, Marner had exited in a disastrous example of asset management — he had a no-movement clause over the final two years of his contract and nixed at least one swap that would have netted Toronto an acceptable return — but there was hope new faces could fill the void by committee.

Roy, Matias Maccelli, and Dakota Joshua were brought in up front. A veteran defence corps remained intact. John Tavares and Matthew Knies had new contracts. Auston Matthews and William Nylander were both healthy. The goaltending duo of Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll were back looking to build on excellent statistical showings.

When the puck dropped in October, things never looked right.

Injuries played a part, but Toronto was simply second-best in too many facets on too many nights. A porous power play, woeful defensive structure, injuries and a seeming lack of effort all played a part a disappointing campaign that has 19 games left on the schedule.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is riding the wave from the global spotlight on women’s hockey during the 2026 Olympics.

Sixty-one PWHL athletes competed in the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games, putting up a competitive 18-day tournament that ended in victory for the U.S. team. In the lead-up to the high-profile gold-medal game, experts had told Global News that the Olympic stage was a venue to “take the PWHL global in a different way” and see whether new interest could be sustained.

There are early indications that Olympic glow isn’t fading, the league says.

In an emailed statement to Global News, the PWHL said Feb. 22 to 28 was its largest home venue ticket sales week since it expanded to eight teams in April 2025.

In addition, the PWHL’s website traffic was “almost six times higher” during the Olympic period compared with a typical non-PWHL game period, while “73 per cent of website traffic represented new users visiting thepwhl.com for the first time during the Olympics.”

On YouTube, PWHL video views “increased 200% over the Olympic period,” suggesting that fans wanted to stay engaged with the players through the league’s channels.

The PWHL also reported to Global News that during the month of February, merchandise sales increased 101 per cent compared with the season-to-date trend before the Olympics.

Cheri Bradish, a sports business professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, said the data makes sense.

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“It’s not surprising we see those numbers,” she said. “Those global touchpoints like the Olympics really help grow the game, and it grows the profile of the individual players.

“We’re in the third season of the PWHL, and at the end of the day, it’s indicative of the growth and interest in the league from a fandom perspective.”

The league also reported that the 61 Olympians in Milan collectively increased their social media followings by 38 per cent and more than 760,000 followers from puck drop in Italy through Feb. 25.

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The league announced Thursday that games in Madison Square Garden in New York City and TD Garden in Boston are sold out — the first time PWHL teams will play in these arenas.

The New York Sirens will host the Seattle Torrent on April 4 at Madison Square Garden, while the Boston Fleet will take on the Montreal Victoire on April 11 at TD Garden. These matchups also represent the largest home game attendance for both the Fleet and the Sirens.

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Amy Scheer, PWHL executive vice-president of business operations, said the league is seeing a “historic season.”

“Playing for the first time at these two world-class arenas will be another step in what has already been a historic season for our league, and the atmosphere for fans and players alike will be nothing short of incredible,” she said in a statement.

The PWHL also experienced sold-out crowds in three of the first four games in its Canadian markets post-Olympics, in Ottawa (8,572) Saturday at TD Place, Montreal (10,172) Sunday at Place Bell and Toronto (8,671) Tuesday at Coca-Cola Coliseum.

While not an official sell-out, Vancouver’s crowd of 13,264 on Sunday represented the highest Canadian attendance following the Olympics and exceeded the Goldeneyes’ home average at Pacific Coliseum.

A new U.S. attendance record was also set last Friday, with 17,335 fans attending the Toronto Sceptres and Torrent matchup at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.

Bradish said the heightened tempo the league is experiencing was present before the Olympics began.

“This isn’t just a moment in time, this is a movement in time,” she said.

“Statistics and analysis have shown us that this will be a sustained growth, and that’s the way of building a business model, not just necessarily a halo of the Olympics. I think we know strategically that we’re beyond that level, it’s bigger and broader than that.”

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Mets got a look into their potential near future on Thursday, when Jorge Polanco started at first base, with Brett Baty behind him in right field. 

Both players looked fine, but went largely untested in a 7-4 loss to the Nationals. 

They likely won’t be as fortunate when the regular season comes and more unpredictable plays develop. 

Baty and Polanco are doing what they can to be as prepared as possible. 

Baty, who played the outfield — but only left — in the minors, is still adjusting to balls moving in the opposite direction of what he’s used to seeing when he’s on the left side of the field.

He agreed with manager Carlos Mendoza’s decision to keep him on the right side of the diamond for the foreseeable future, either at first base or in right field. 

“When he mentioned it, I didn’t even think about it, but it’s a good plan,’’ Baty said. “It makes sense.” 

And though Baty and Polanco said they were growing more comfortable at their new positions, they acknowledge it’s too early to say just how good they’ll be once Opening Day hits in three weeks. 

But the fact that they are both learning first base — along with Mark Vientos, who is away from the team and playing third base for Team Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic — has helped. 

“There’s no ego with him,’’ Baty said of Polanco, primarily a middle infielder during his lengthy MLB career. “He wants to play, and he’ll play wherever. We’re both bouncing ideas off each other, working on our footwork. It’s good to have both [of] us there working — and Mark, too, when he was here.” 

Polanco, who made a smooth play on a sharp grounder from Keibert Ruiz in the third inning, taking the ball himself, said he’s also feeling more comfortable at first base. 

“He’s engaged with the dugout and the movement from batter-to-batter [and] pitch-to-pitch,’’ Mendoza said. 

Some scouts remain skeptical that the Mets’ rotating group of players will be successful. 

In addition to Polanco, Baty and Vientos, there’s Bo Bichette moving from shortstop to third base. 

Bichette made a high throw to first after a nice stop and has said he’s growing more accustomed to the hot corner after a few weeks of work. 

But the reason the Mets want them to make adjustments in the field is because they want them in the lineup. 

Bichette had two hits and Baty hit an opposite-field homer. 

“It was good to see him drive the ball the other way,’’ Mendoza said of Baty’s blast.

If you are young, energetic and willing to dress like a football-obsessed rodent, there may be a job for you with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The defending CFL champions are hosting auditions for the next person to embody their beloved, furry mascot Gainer the Gopher.

“Gainer the Gopher is a critical part of our game day experience,” the job ad reads.

“Whether it’s game day at Mosaic Stadium or a community appearance throughout our province, Gainer represents the heart, spirit and fun of Rider Nation.”

The team’s online job posting says they’re looking for someone who can dance, hug, give high fives and also improvise — all while staying in character in the sweltering summer heat.

It says applicants submitting video auditions must be at least 18 years-old and hold a valid driver’s licence. Videos should showcase an applicant’s enthusiastic personality, performance style and how they would portray the iconic mascot.

The team declined an interview request, saying it doesn’t discuss job postings and hiring processes.

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Those willing to put their name forward have big paws to fill.

It all began in 1977, when local TV reporter Don Hewitt — at the request of former Roughriders president Gord Staseson — slid himself into a primitive gopher getup and scampered his way onto the green of the Roughriders’ gridiron.

As he remembers it, fans weren’t too sure of this new mascot.

“I ran out to absolute silence,” he told The Canadian Press in November. “Nobody responded, really.”

Fans eventually grew to love Gainer, but Hewitt said there was a downside to the sweet smell of success. “They’d wash the (gopher) suit once at the end of the season,” he said. “It just stunk so bad.”

In the years since his debut, the Richardson’s ground squirrel from Parkbeg, Sask., has done everything from commercials to promotional appearances with Premier Scott Moe.

Gainer has been the face of pleasure — and occasional pain.

During one game, he flattened into a pancake the trademark straw fedora of former Regina mayor Henry Baker. In another, he got into a tussle with Bonhomme, the snowy-smiling ambassador of the Quebec Winter Carnival.

In 2006, the Calgary Stampeders barred Gainer from the field because they felt he would distract from their own mascot.

More than 10 years later, a new, slimmer Gainer with bright green eyes drew criticism from fans. Within a week, the club tweaked the look back to the traditional rodential visage.

Hewitt said he has not spoken to most of the mascot actors who came after him, but that anyone donning the costume should love and embrace the team.

He also said they should remember that Gainer’s autograph is a paw print because “gophers can’t read or write.”

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press