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Canada rallies past Finland to earn spot in gold-medal game

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The Olympic men’s hockey semifinals got underway on Friday morning, and the opening course was a heavyweight clash between Canada and Finland.

Both the Canadians and Finns made it this far thanks to OT thrillers in the semi-finals, but for Team Canada, the win came at a cost. Captain Sidney Crosby was injured on a hit from Czechia’s Radko Gudas and left the game early.

Shea Theodore celebrates

Canada’s Shea Theodore (27) celebrates with teammates after scoring Canada’s second goal during a men’s ice hockey semifinal game between Canada and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Milan, Italy, on Feb. 20, 2026. (Petr David Josek/AP Photo)

Just a little before puck drop on Friday, it was announced that he would be out of the lineup against Finland.

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This was the last news Canada needed against a very good Finnish team that plays way more physically than Finnish teams in Olymipcs past.

The Finns opened the scoring toward the end of a fast and physical opening frame with Mikko Rantanen lighting the lamp just seconds into a Finnish power play after Canada’s Sam Bennett got the gate for goaltender interference.

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros came up big multiple times as the Canadians got much more rubber on net than the Finns did.

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Special teams continued to be a big story in the second as we got our first taste of the Crosby-less Canadian power play after Sebastian Aho was called for interference, but things went off the rails in a hurry.

Finland stunned Canada by managing to clear the puck out of their zone and spring Nashville’s Erik Haula for a shorthanded breakaway, which he buried to go up 2-0.

Nathan MacKinnon scores

Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon (29) scores Canada’s third goal during a men’s ice hockey semifinal game between Canada and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Milan, Italy, on Feb. 20, 2026. (Petr David Josek/AP Photo)

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About ten minutes later, Finland’s Anton Lundell took a high-sticking penalty, and — would you believe? — special teams were the story once again, only this time it was in Canada’s favor.

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Lundell’s Florida Panthers teammate Sam Reinhart deflected a Cale Makar shot from the point to get rid of that goose egg for the Canadians.

Canada continued to bring the pressure, and with just under ten minutes left in regulation, they were outshooting the Finns 29-14.

That pressure resulted in a Shea Theodore missile from the top of the circle finding the back of the net.

The Finns were unhappy about the contact that Brad Marchand made with Saros, but if you watch that again, the contact was clearly initiated by Finland’s Erik Haula in the crease.

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Canada never took its foot off the gas after that, and that pressure certainly played a role in Finland’s Niko Mikkola taking a penalty for high-sticking Nathan MacKinnon with around two and a half minutes left in regulation.

Nathan MacKinnon celebrates

Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates with teammates after scoring Canada’s third goal during a men’s ice hockey semifinal game between Canada and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Milan, Italy, on Feb. 20, 2026. (Petr David Josek/AP Photo)

And once again, special teams produced, with Nathan MacKinnon scoring the game-winner with just 35.2 seconds left in regulation.

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The Finns challenged the goal, saying the Canadians had entered the zone offside — and boy, was it close; totally worth taking a swing at — but the call stood, and Team Canada was up 3-2.

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That was how things ended, with the Canadians going on a 3-0 rally to cement their spot in the gold medal game on Sunday, where they’ll face the winner of Friday afternoon’s other semifinal game between Team USA and Slovakia.

As for the Finns, they still have some business to tend to as they’ll face the loser of that game in the bronze medal game on Saturday.

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Evaporate pursues maiden Group 1 in 2026 Futurity Stakes

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The Lindsay Park-trained Evaporate remains without a Group 1 win to date, but his handlers are convinced that top-tier glory awaits the four-year-old soon.

Ben, Will and J D Hayes have the galloper primed for an autumn opener in Saturday’s Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.

Evaporate is a more seasoned athlete this preparation, as per Ben Hayes, setting him up nicely for what lies ahead.

He boasts five prior Group 1 runs, achieving podium finishes thrice: third in the Caulfield Guineas, second place in the Toorak Handicap, and third most recently in the C F Orr Stakes behind Jimmysstar.

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In his younger days as a three-year-old, Lindsay Park entered him in the Cox Plate, where Via Sistina beat him comprehensively, and he ran fourth behind Mr Brightside in last year’s Futurity Stakes before heading overseas to New Zealand.

Following the Orr placing, Evaporate took a quick spell before the customary Lindsay Park two jump-outs leading into Saturday.

“I think he’s trialled up very well this time around,” Hayes said.

“What we really like is he seems a lot more relaxed and has shown us a really good turn of foot in both his jump-outs and his work at home.

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He’s a horse that has always shown us above average ability and it’s a race he can run very well in.

“He has already shown that he is capable at weight-for-age before and he’s a more hardened horse now.”

Co-trainer Hayes sees Evaporate tougher now, but Treasurethe Moment represents a tough hurdle on Saturday.

She resumed victorious in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes last spring, at Caulfield over 1400m, upsetting Mr Brightside.

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“It would be nice to get that Group 1 on his CV,” Hayes said of Evaporate.

“He’s a Group 1 horse, but we’re going to run into a horse like Treasurethe Moment who was amazing last spring campaign.

“But I think we’ve improved, which we have to, to beat her.”

Discover competitive betting markets for the race ahead of the Futurity Stakes.

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Gamecocks HC Dawn Staley gives Joni Taylor the biggest “bouquet of flowers” after Texas A&M HC receives a valuable honor

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Joni Taylor is the 2026 recipient of the Kay Yow Heart of a Coach Award. The Texas A&M women’s basketball coach received the award after a unanimous vote from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley took to X to give Taylor her flowers.

“@CoachJoniTaylor, there’s not a big enough bouquet of flowers to celebrate you for who you are and what you represent to us! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Much deserved!” Staley wrote.

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Joni Taylor started her coaching career as an assistant at Troy. She took up the job shortly after graduating from Alabama, where she starred as a power forward and center.

Taylor had other stints as an assistant, namely with Louisiana Tech, Alabama, LSU and Georgia. She became the Georgia Bulldogs coach in April 2015. Taylor spent seven seasons in the role, posting winning records each year.

Taylor became the Texas A&M coach on March 23, 2022. She’s looking to guide the program to success in the uber-competitive SEC. The Aggies are currently 11-11 (4-9) in the 2025-26 season. They’re fresh off an 82-74 win against the No. 21-ranked Tennessee Vols, and their next game is against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Dawn Staley and Joni Taylor made history in 2021

History was made at the 2021 Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Georgia Bulldogs. That game was the first time two Black women head coaches met in a Power Five conference tournament championship.

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Dawn Staley coached the Gamecocks to a win over Joni Taylor’s Bulldogs. The duo embraced before and after the showdown.

“You can’t dream what you can’t see,” said Taylor after the game.

“So (the SEC title game) was a chance for people to dream something that they haven’t seen before.”

Taylor has since taken her talent to Texas A&M, while Staley remains South Carolina’s coach. The latter is vying for a winning season, while the latter is aiming for yet another national championship to add to an impressive haul.