BRAMPTON, Ontario — For all the focus on the United States’ young and retooled roster, it was who else but Hilary Knight — the team’s most experienced and accomplished star — who played a pivotal role in securing her nation’s 10th women’s world hockey championships gold medal and first in four years.
Knight, 33, scored three times, including the go-ahead goal with 3:10 left in regulation, in a 6-3 win over Canada, and on their cross-border rival’s home soil in suburban Toronto on Sunday.
Apologizing for her voice being hoarse from a celebration that featured the Americans singing a rousing rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Knight broke into a smile and said, “Yeah, it’s been a while.”
The Americans overcame three one-goal deficits and the sting of losing the past three gold-medal meetings against Canada — the past two world championships and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games — to reclaim gold for the first time since a 2-1 shootout win over Finland in 2019.
“It’s hard to beat Canada. It’s hard to beat Canada in Canada, right? So we definitely felt like an underdog,” Knight added. “People are always rooting against us, but somehow we persevere and it feels sweeter that way. “
Caroline Harvey had a goal and assist, and Abbey Murphy and Cayla Barnes, with an empty-net goal, also scored. The Americans scored four unanswered goals in the third period. Aerin Frankel stopped 24 shots.
The U.S., which featured a roster of five players making their tournament debut, overcame three one-goal deficits before Knight scored twice in the span of 27 seconds to capitalize on a two-player advantage with the game tied at 3.
With Brianne Jenner off for tripping and Claire Thompson penalized 1:11 later for delay of game, Knight snapped in a shot from the mid-slot to beat Ann-Renee Desbiens high on the glove side. Knight made it 5-3 by deflecting in Harvey’s shot from the left point. As for her first goal, Knight tied the score at 2 by converting a 2-on-1 break with Amanda Kessel 8:30 into the second period.
Jenner scored twice and added an assist, and Marie-Philip Poulin had a goal and assist for the Canada, which settled for its ninth silver medal, to go along with 12 golds and one bronze. Desbiens stopped 16 shots in losing her first tournament game in 17 career starts.
“I think we’re in a little bit of disbelief now. Not that we don’t know the opponent is a great hockey team, but we believe so fully in our group,” Jenner said.
“I think there’s a lot of moments in that game. You know, I think it’d be easy to put blame elsewhere. But I think we have to look at ourselves,” Jenner added. “I mean we’ve got to figure out a way to hold those leads.”
The U.S. hadn’t defeated Canada with a gold medal on the line since the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea. Otherwise, Canada and the U.S. have met in the world tournament’s 21 other gold-medal games.
“They definitely had our number for a few years, so this one feels a little extra special,” U.S. veteran forward Kessel said. “I’ve been another side of it where you’re just winning, winning, winning. And you kind of have their number and it’s a confidence thing. So I think this was huge for us.”
The U.S. finished with a tournament-leading 43 goals, and bounced back from a 4-3 shootout loss to Canada in the preliminary round. And the Americans beat a veteran-laden Canadian team that featured a majority of players who have been together since winning in Beijing.
“The message was pretty clear. There’s not a lot you can say in those situations where you can make them feel any better,” Canada coach Troy Ryan said. “I think they’ll learn from this experience and just grow as a group.”
Knight finished with a tournament-leading eight goals, and tied for third with 12 points. Overall, she upped her tournament-record career goal total to 61, while also extending her record point total to 101. Knight also won her ninth tournament gold medal, which tied the record set by Canada’s Danielle Goyette.
The victory also came with Knight filling in as captain after Kendall Coyne Schofield announced she was pregnant last month.
“Obviously not having Kendall here, we felt that it’s sort of like a hole in your heart,” said Knight, who was having difficulty reaching Schofield because of poor cell service in the arena.
“She’s definitely missed,” Knight said. “And we’re happy that we could get this win. And we can’t wait for her to come back and join us.”
The Americans responded each time after Canada scored, with Harvey tying the game at 3 at the 5:40 mark of the third period. Keeping the puck in at the left point, the 20-year-old defender took a few steps in and snapped a shot beating Desbiens on the glove side.
Harvey enjoyed a breakout tournament by finishing with four goals and a tournament-leading 14 points. This capped a phenomenal year for Harvey, who last month celebrated winning an NCAA title in her freshman year at Wisconsin.
Denisa Krizova scored twice, including the go-ahead goal, and added an assist as the Czech Republic won its second consecutive bronze medal with a 3-2 win over Switzerland in a rematch of last year’s third-place game.
Kiira Yrjanen scored the go-ahead goal 6:48 into the second period, and Finland is returning to Group A in next year’s world championships following a 3-1 win over Sweden on Sunday. The Finns, who have won 13 silver medals and a silver in 2019, bounced back after finishing a tournament-worst seventh last year in Denmark.
Former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy, accused of causing a crash that killed a 78-year-old man on Dec. 17 and then fleeing the scene without rendering aid or calling authorities, turned himself in to authorities Sunday night, was jailed and then released on $151,000 bail, according to police records.
Lafourche (Louisiana) Parish Sheriff’s Office records indicate that Lacy was charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run with death and reckless operation of a vehicle.
According to a news release from Louisiana State Police on Friday, Lacy was allegedly driving a 2023 Dodge Charger on Louisiana Highway 20 and “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a designated no-passing zone.”
“As Lacy was illegally passing the other vehicles, the driver of a northbound pickup truck abruptly braked and swerved to the right to avoid a head-on collision with the approaching Dodge,” a Louisiana State Police news release said.
“Traveling behind the pickup was a 2017 Kia Cadenza whose driver swerved left to avoid the oncoming Dodge Charger. As the Kia Cadenza took evasive action to avoid impact with the Dodge, it crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a southbound 2017 Kia Sorento.”
Police alleged that Lacy, 24, drove around the crash scene and fled “without stopping to render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash.”
Herman Hall, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, who was a passenger in the Kia Sorento, later died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to state police. Hall was 78.
The drivers of the Cadenza and Sorento also sustained moderate injuries, according to police.
Lacy’s agent, Rocky Arceneaux, said in a statement that his client is “fully cooperating with the authorities.”
Lacy played two seasons at Louisiana before transferring to LSU in 2022. This past season, he had 58 catches for 866 yards with nine touchdowns and declared for the NFL draft on Dec. 19, two days after the crash.
Jake Trotter covers college football for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2011. Before that, he worked at The Oklahoman, Austin American-Statesman and Middletown (Ohio) Journal newspapers. You can follow him @Jake_Trotter.
ARLINGTON, Texas — As the confetti fell around him, Jack Sawyer raised his arms, lifted his head and closed his eyes. As a boy growing up in a Columbus suburb playing catch with his dad in the backyard wearing a scarlet and gray jersey, Sawyer had often dreamed that one day he might become an Ohio State hero with an iconic moment that would go down in Buckeyes history.
On Friday night, playing against Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, that moment finally happened.
On fourth-and-goal with just over two minutes remaining, Texas needed one play to tie the score and potentially force overtime. Instead, Sawyer ended the Longhorns’ season and catapulted the Buckeyes to the CFP National Championship game, where they will face Notre Dame.
Sawyer screamed past right tackle Cameron Williams and sailed toward Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, his freshman-year roommate at Ohio State. As he crashed into Ewers’ back, the ball popped loose. Off one bounce, Sawyer scooped it up and raced 83 yards for a touchdown that won’t be forgotten in Columbus.
“I almost blacked out when I saw nothing but green grass ahead of me,” he said.
With that play, the Buckeyes defeated Texas 28-14. And Sawyer cemented an Ohio State legacy.
“To make a play like that in that moment. … You want to leave a legacy behind? You become a legend. He just became a legend at Ohio State,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day told ESPN on the field after the game.
The longing for just that moment is why Sawyer put off the NFL to come back for his senior season. After three losses to Michigan with no Big Ten championships or national titles, Sawyer and several other Ohio State seniors who could have been Day 1 or 2 NFL draft picks opted to return for “one last ride,” as he put it.
Their disappointing 2023 season ended with a deflating loss to Missouri in the same Cotton Bowl stadium. Sawyer said he just couldn’t stomach ending his Ohio State career that way.
“I wanted to go to the NFL and chase my dream more than the next guy,” Sawyer told ESPN over the summer. “But I haven’t won a championship. And you walk around the Woody [Hayes Athletic Center] and all you see is championships and championship posters and banners. Having not helped our team win any of those, it’s something that wears on me and it’s something that motivates me every day.”
Sawyer nearly had that moment six weeks ago. Yet, in a turn, what followed was a career low point for him and the Buckeyes.
He intercepted Michigan quarterback Davis Warren at the goal line midway through the fourth quarter. But with the score tied, the Buckeyes couldn’t capitalize on the turnover. On their ensuing possession, the Wolverines nailed a game-winning field goal for a stunning 13-10 victory, handing the Buckeyes — and Sawyer — their fourth straight loss in the series.
As Michigan’s players planted their flag at midfield of The Horseshoe, Sawyer charged in along with his teammates and ripped it away, leading to a melee that lasted five minutes and was finally broken up by police with pepper spray.
But with the expanded 12-team playoff, Ohio State’s seniors got one final chance to end their careers with hardware. With his scoop-and-score, Sawyer brought the Buckeyes within a game of winning their first national championship since 2014.
“The resiliency of this team from a month ago has been incredible,” said Sawyer, who became the first FBS player in a decade to produce multiple pass breakups and a sack in three straight games, according to ESPN Research, all coming during Ohio State’s playoff run. “We sat up here last year with a sore taste in our mouth and heard a lot of things. We come back and heard the same things a month ago. But we kept swinging.”
The underdog Longhorns kept swinging too.
After the Buckeyes took a 21-14 lead, Ewers led Texas all the way to the Ohio State 1-yard line. But on second-and-goal, safety Lathan Ransom dropped Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner for a 7-yard loss on a risky sweep.
“We had a plan to try to get the ball on the edge,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “It’s one of those plays if you block it all right, you get in the end zone — and we didn’t.”
After an incompletion, Texas faced fourth-and-goal from the 8. Ewers, who began his career at Ohio State before transferring to Texas after one season, said he thought he had time to get off the pass. But his onetime roommate got to him before he could.
“Obviously, it’s not like I tried to give him the game,” Ewers said. “He is a great player, great individual, great person. … It sucks, but Jack’s a good player and he made a great play.”
Sawyer’s fumble recovery was the longest in CFP and Cotton Bowl history. As Ohio State quarterback Will Howard took a knee, Day jumped into Sawyer’s arms.
“I don’t know if there’s a guy … who loves being a Buckeye more,” Day said. “This is somebody … who has always wanted to be a Buckeye, who has always wanted for a moment like this. So to see him get the moment that he had today — I mean, he’s become like family to me.”
Day and Sawyer both cautioned that their last ride together isn’t over quite yet. They have one game left and a national title still to win. But they also both acknowledged the magnitude of the moment. And Sawyer’s looming place in Ohio State history.
“I love Columbus, I love the state of Ohio, I love Ohio State football,” Sawyer said. “And I’m so fortunate to be playing in the national championship my last year here.”
Minnesota defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman has resigned his post with the Gophers and accepted the same position at Miami.
Hetherman helped the Gophers to an 8-5 record this season, including a 5-4 mark in the Big Ten. Minnesota closed the season with a 24-10 victory over Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl earlier this month.
The Hurricanes fired defensive coordinator Lance Guidry last month after late-season defensive woes effectively cost Miami a chance to play for a conference championship, as well as a potential berth in the College Football Playoff.
Guidry spent two seasons on the Miami staff after arriving from Marshall. Though Miami showed growth in the early part of the season, the Hurricanes regressed in the final month, including a 42-38 loss to Syracuse in the regular-season finale with an ACC championship game berth on the line.
Miami blew a 21-0 lead, finished the regular season with losses in two of its final three games and failed to advance to Charlotte to play for the conference title. Miami finished two spots outside the final CFP spot.
Then, in its season finale, a 42-41 Pop-Tarts Bowl loss to Iowa State, Miami blew a 10-point third-quarter lead — allowing the Cyclones to score the go-ahead touchdown with 56 seconds remaining. Guidry was fired three days later.
“In a continuous effort to always improve all aspects of our program, I have decided to make a change on defense,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said at the time. “We will move forward and make decisions that provide our players, staff and program the best opportunity to win and develop at the highest level.”
The Hurricanes open next season at home against Notre Dame, which will play for the CFP title next week.