Sports News

Last updated by The Canadian Press (CP)
at 11:54 on January 7, 2009, EDT.

SCORECARD:

New York Knicks' Tim Thomas grabs a rebound in front of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Joe Smith in the fourth quarter of an NBA game in Oklahoma City. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Sue Ogrocki)

Here are the sports results from Tuesday:

Former Canadian curling great Schmirler named Freytag Award winner
PERTH, Scotland - The late Sandra Schmirler, who captured three world curling championships and Olympic gold before succumbing to cancer in 2000, the was named the winner of the 2009 World Curling Freytag Award on Wednesday. The award, named after American Elmer Freytag who founded the World Curling Federation, honours curlers for championship play, sportsmanship, character and extraordinary achievement.

Ivanovic, Mauresmo advance to Brisbane quarters

Serbia's Ana Ivanovic returns a shot against Roberta Vinci of Italy. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Tertius Pickard

BRISBANE, Australia - Facing two match points and a shock elimination, Ana Ivanovic suddenly rediscovered her game Wednesday to hold off Italy's Roberta Vinci and reach the Brisbane International quarterfinals. The top-seeded Ivanovic advanced with a 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-1 win over the 82nd-ranked Vinci and next faces former No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo, who endured a marathon three-set win over fellow Frenchwoman Julie Coin.

Andy Murray reaches the quarter-final round at the Qatar Open

Britain's Andy Murray acknowledges the crowd after he defeated Phillipp Petzschner of Germany. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Hassan Ammar

DOHA, Qatar - Scotland's Andy Murray advanced to the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open by beating Philipp Petzschner of Germany 6-2, 6-4 Wednesday. Murray broke Petzschner twice in the first set and once in the second.

Italian cyclist Piepoli says he doped in "moment of weakness"
ROME - Italian cyclist Leonardo Piepoli, who tested positive at last year's Tour de France, says he engaged in doping in a "moment of weakness." Piepoli, who was caught using an advanced version of the blood-booster EPO, also appealed to other riders not to dope. It was "a moment of weakness, craziness, irresponsibility," he said in an interview published Wednesday in Gazzetta dello Sport.

French motorcyclist dies on Dakar Rally
PARIS - French motorcyclist Pascal Terry has been found dead during the Dakar Rally in Argentina. Terry, 49, had gone missing Sunday during the second stage of the race, between Santa Rosa and Puerto Madryn, organizers said in a statement. Terry was found early Wednesday in an area of dense vegetation, about 15 metres from his motorcycle, without his helmet and with food and water beside him.

Reports: England cricket coach joins captain in quitting
LONDON - England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen and coach Peter Moores reportedly quit Wednesday following a series of disagreements between them, throwing preparations for this year's Ashes series into disarray. Moores' departure had been expected after Pietersen publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the standard of his coaching and selection decisions.

Langkow's two goals lift red-hot Flames to 5-2 win over Sharks

Calgary Flames' Mark Giordano, left, celebrates his goal with teammate David Moss during the first period. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY - Led by Daymond Langkow, Calgary exacted revenge against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. Langkow scored twice as the red-hot Flames cruised past the Sharks 5-2. Since getting trounced 6-1 by the Sharks in San Jose back on Nov. 13, Calgary has been one of the NHL's hottest teams going 15-4-3.

Derek Roy has three-point night in Sabres 4-2 win over Senators

Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller (30) makes a save on a shot by Ottawa Senators' Antoine Vermette (20) under pressure from Henrik Tallinder (10) during the second period. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/David Duprey)

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Jarkko Ruutu added another chapter to the bitter rivalry between the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres. He bit the gloved thumb of Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters during a first-period altercation Tuesday night, overshadowing Buffalo's 4-2 win. "It's a pretty goofy thing that happened," Peters said. "It's not the injury, it's the incident. Just the fact that that happened it's unfortunate. It's not good for the game of hockey."

McCabe makes successful return as Panthers beat Maple Leafs 4-2

Toronto Maple Leafs right winger Nik Antropov (left) and Florida Panthers left winger David Booth (10) battle for position during second period NHL action in Toronto on Tuesday, January 6, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

TORONTO - The evening started with fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs booing former whipping boy Bryan McCabe. It wasn't long before those taunts were turned on the home team. McCabe wasn't much of a factor in his return to the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday, although he did collect an assist to help the Florida Panthers soundly beat Toronto 4-2.

NHL roundup: Tuesday's action on the ice

Pittsburgh Penguins' Petr Sykora (17) works in front of Atlanta Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen during the third period. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Gene J. Puskar)

For one night, the Pittsburgh Penguins looked like the talented team that went to the Stanley Cup finals last season. Petr Sykora ended Pittsburgh's seven-game drought without a power-play goal while scoring twice and Evgeni Malkin came out of a slump with three assists, leading the Penguins to a 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday night.

Canadian juniors still riding high after championship win over Sweden

Cody Hodgson signs an autograph for a fan at Pearson International Airport. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tamsyn Burgmann

TORONTO - Fresh off their championship victory, members of Canada's junior hockey team arrived at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Tuesday with gold medals around their necks and fans cheering their appearance. A small throng of supporters was on hand to greet several members of the team, which won its fifth straight world junior title with a 5-1 win Monday night over Sweden at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa.

NBA roundup: Tuesday's action on the boards

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers reacts to an official's call. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Kathy Willens

Even Charlotte Bobcats rookie D.J. Augustin wasn't intimidated by the suddenly tender Boston Celtics. Raymond Felton scored 25 points and rookie Augustin added 11 of his 20 in overtime as the lowly Bobcats stunned Boston 114-106 Tuesday, sending the Celtics to their fifth loss in seven games.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees is AP Offensive Player of Year

This Sept. 7, 2008 file photo shows New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees throwing a pass in the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in New Orleans. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Alex Brandon, File

NEW YORK - Drew Brees understood what breaking a record set by Dan Marino would mean to the New Orleans Saints. So coming up 15 yards short was disappointing to the Saints quarterback, who won The Associated Press 2008 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award Tuesday.

Grange leads men's World Cup slalom after first leg; Miller disqualified

France's Jean-Baptiste Grange speeds down the course through the fog. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Marco Trovati

ZAGREB, Croatia - Jean-Baptiste Grange of France led the men's World Cup night slalom Tuesday after the opening leg, and Bode Miller was disqualified because the size of his ski boots did not meet FIS rules. Miller, the defending overall World Cup champion, finished the opening leg in 29th place but was disqualified between runs as his ski boots were too high, the International Ski Federation said.

David Beckham makes AC Milan debut in friendly in Dubai

AC Milan's David Beckham, right, controls the ball as Marcell Jansen of Hamburg tries to close him down during the friendly soccer match between AC Milan and Hamburg SV in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2008. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Nousha Salimi

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - David Beckham failed to make much of an impact on his debut for AC Milan on Tuesday, exiting at halftime before the Italian powerhouse beat Hamburg 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. The former England captain, who is on a three-month loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy, was greeted by a huge ovation from the crowd ahead of the friendly and displayed a few good touches with his famous right foot. Playing in a largely defensive role in midfield, Beckham provided a steady performance before being replaced by Mathieu Flamini after a scoreless first half.

Carlos Sainz wins 4th stage of Dakar Rally, Canada's Hatton withdraws

Volkswagen driver Carlos Sainz of Spain competes to win the 4th stage of the Argentina Dakar Rally 2009 between Ingeniero Jacobacci and Neuquen, Argentina, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Christophe Ena

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Spaniards dominated the fourth stage of the Dakar Rally on Tuesday as Carlos Sainz beat Nasser Al Attiyah of Qatar by six seconds. Marc Coma again won the motorbike stage while Canadian Donald Hatton withdrew.

Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer easily advance at Qatar Open

Switzerland's Roger Federer waves to the crowd after he defeated Potito Starace of Italy at the ATP Qatar tennis open in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Hassan Ammar

DOHA, Qatar - Rafael Nadal routed Fabrice Santoro 6-0, 6-1 Tuesday in his first ATP Tour match of the year, with Roger Federer and Andy Murray also breezing into the second round of the Qatar Open. The top-ranked Nadal needed only 46 minutes for the win, breaking Santoro three times in each set.

French skipper Le Cam freed from capsized Vendee Globe sailboat
PARIS - Skipper Jean Le Cam was rescued from his capsized yacht west of Cape Horn by fellow French rival Vincent Riou in the Vendee Globe solo around-the-world race on Tuesday. Le Cam was reported by race officials to be healthy and aboard Riou's boat, PRB. The rescue came as a surprise. Organizers expected a Chilean naval vessel to extract Le Cam on Wednesday.

December racing fatalities double over '07 at Kentucky horse track
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Officials at a Kentucky horse track are trying to determine if their ban on a certain type of shoe aimed at making racing safer actually had the opposite effect after fatalities doubled in December compared to the previous year. Turfway Park in Florence reported that eight horses died from racing injuries during its 21-day holiday meet that ended Dec. 31. During the same meet in 2007, which included six additional race days, four horses died on the track and one other in the paddock.