June 09, 2012|Sports Digest
NHL
Capitals to part ways with veteran Halpern
Potomac native Jeff Halpern said Friday that general manager George McPhee called recently to inform him the Washington Capitals wouldn't try to re-sign him. Halpern, a 36-year-old center set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, said he wasn't surprised by the news. "I just think how the last 20 games went, it was there," said Halpern, who signed a one-year deal as an unrestricted free agent last summer for a second stint with his hometown team. He was brought in to anchor the fourth line, take key faceoffs and contribute on the penalty kill. Through the first five months of the season, Halpern did just that. He had a team-best 58.3 percent success rate on draws, fifth best among faceoff leaders in the NHL, and in the early stages of coach Dale Hunter's tenure he garnered promotions to the top two lines. But as Hunter grew increasingly comfortable with Jay Beagle, Halpern's role diminished late in the season. He was scratched in 12 of the final 15 regular-season games and the first 12 playoff contests, getting into the postseason lineup only after Beagle broke his left foot in Game 5 against the New York Rangers.
—Katie Carrera, The Washington Post
Boxing
Hand injury causes Mitchell to skip July bout
Seth Mitchell's next fight, scheduled for July 14, has been canceled because of a hand injury that has not healed fully from his last bout, the undefeated Brandywine heavyweight and his camp said. Mitchell was set to face Johnathon Banks in Las Vegas in a little more than a month, but a recent visit to an orthopedist revealed a sprained medial collateral ligament MCL in his right hand incurred in his April 28 knockout of Chazz Witherspoon in Atlantic City, N.J.
—Gene Wang, The Washington Post
Et cetera
Georgia tackle Dulaney latest to join 2013 UM class
Jajuan Dulaney, a 6-foot-4, 263-pound offensive tackle, committed to Maryland, picking the Terps over offers from Cincinnati and East Carolina. Dulaney comes from the same school — McEachern High in Powder Springs, Ga. — as incoming Terps wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo. Dulaney, who plans to make his first trip to College Park this month, joins Gilman quarterback Shane Cockerille, Charter School of Wilmington (Del.) cornerback Jarrett Ross and Wicomico linebacker-defensive end Derrick Hayward as part of Maryland's 2013 recruiting class.
—Matt Bracken
WNBA: Cappie Pondexter scored 25 points to help the New York Liberty (3-5) defeat the host Washington Mystics, 76-70. Crystal Langhorne (Maryland) poured in 24 points and Michelle Snow added 10 points and 12 rebounds for Washington (1-5), which cut a 29-point deficit to three with 1 minute, 37 seconds left.
Major League Lacrosse: The Chesapeake Bayhawks placed midfielder Kevin Kaminski on the practice squad and activated defenseman Michael Simon from the practice squad.
Women's college track and field: Maryland senior Kiani Profit was second in the heptathlon 800-meter run in 2 minutes, 10.71 seconds and finished ninth overall in the two-day competition at the NCAA Division I championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Profit had 5,625 points. She was 108 behind Wisconsin junior Dorcas Akinniyi for eighth place.
Men's college lacrosse: Hofstra senior goalie Andrew Gvozden (Severna Park) was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Scholar All-America team.
—From Sun staff and news services
