Maple Leafs

The deadline for submitting sports copy is 9 a.m. on Mondays. We prefer email (howardcountysports@patuxent.com). We do not accept results by phone. When two Howard County teams play, players from both teams (first and last names) must be mentioned in the write-up. Questions? Call 410-332-6578. Ice hockey Metro Maple Leafs The Metro Maple Leafs U-18AA travel hockey team won the Tier II Maryland State Championship March 9-10, sweeping a best-of-three series against the Howard Huskies at Kettler Ice Arena in Arlington, Va. The Maple Leaf team is made up of senior, junior and sophomore players, primarily from Howard and Anne Arundel counties.

The deadline for submitting sports copy is 9 a.m. on Mondays. We prefer email (howardcountysports@patuxent.com). We do not accept results by phone. When two Howard County teams play, players from both teams (first and last names) must be mentioned in the write-up. Questions? Call 410-332-6578. Ice hockey Metro Maple Leafs The Metro Maple Leafs U-18AA travel hockey team won the Tier II Maryland State Championship March 9-10, sweeping a best-of-three series against the Howard Huskies at Kettler Ice Arena in Arlington, Va. The Maple Leaf team is made up of senior, junior and sophomore players, primarily from Howard and Anne Arundel counties.

TORONTO -- Toronto General Manager Floyd Smith made four trades in eight days, and the odds are heavy that he isn't through yet. There are rumors of another blockbuster deal involving either defenseman Al Iafrate or Gary LeemanOne scenario has the Maple Leafs acquiring New York Rangers center Bernie Nicholls for future considerations, those being Leeman when he recovers from a shoulder injury, which is expected to keep him out at least a month.Smith's most recent deal -- sending two second-round draft picks and 20-year-old prospect Scott Pearson to Quebec for defenseman Michel Petit, 26, and forwards Aaron Broten, 30, and Lucien DeBlois, 33 -- was harshly graded by Toronto reporters, who cry that Smith is mortgaging the future to build a thirtysomething team.

Panthers on the prowl Harvey Fialkov Sun Sentinel Give Panthers general manager Dale Tallon props. The architect of the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup championship team brought in 11 new players and rookie coach Kevin Dineen to transform last year's Eastern Conference cellar-dwellers into the most surprising and aesthetically pleasing team in the NHL. The Panthers, featuring blossoming scorer Kris Versteeg and rejuvenated goalie...

The struggling Washington Capitals, attempting to get themselves on track for the Stanley Cup playoffs, traded defenseman Bob Rouse and center Peter Zezel to the Toronto Maple Leafs for defenseman Al Iafrate yesterday.Iafrate, 24, in his seventh season in the National Hockey League, has three goals and 15 assists in 42 games. Last season, Iafrate had a career year with 21 goals and 42 assists in 75 games. He led Toronto defensemen in scoring the past three seasons."He is an excellent player with a lot of physical tools," Capitals coach Terry Murray said after practice in St. Louis.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- With weapons like Jari Kurri and Wayne Gretzky, it wasn't a surprise that the Los Angeles Kings won Game 3 of the Campbell Conference finals on the power play.The difference on Friday was that it was the Toronto power play that won it for the Kings, 4-2, as the Maple Leafs gave up two short-handed goals at the Forum before a sellout crowd of 16,005.That gave the Kings the lead in this best-of-seven series, 2-1, the first time they have been in the lead against Toronto.

In less than 48 hours, Skipjacks goalie Byron Dafoe went from cold to hot -- playing against the same team.Giving up seven goals, as he did in a 7-4 loss Friday night to the St. John's Maple Leafs -- that's cold.Giving up one goal to one of the AHL's hottest teams, as he did yes- terday in a 4-1 victory over St. John's -- that's hot."Everybody has a bad day at work once in awhile," Skipjacks coach Barry Trotz said. "Friday was Byron's."The Skipjacks' victory before 5,829 at the Baltimore Arena -- their second-largest turnout of the season -- ended St. John's unbeaten streak at eight games.

Skipjacks goalie Byron Dafoe suspected it wouldn't be that easy. Last night, his suspicions were confirmed.Dafoe made it look easy in his first four games back after missing 20 with a sprained ankle. He allowed only 10 goals and had a 3-0-1 record.But he proved vulnerable to the St. John's Maple Leafs last night as the Skipjacks dropped a 7-4 American Hockey League decision before 2,575 at the Baltimore Arena.One streak ended and another continued. The Skipjacks were unbeaten in their previous five games, winning three.

Don Beaupre, over the course of 16 seasons of goaltending in the NHL, has 268 victories. Yesterday, he picked up win No. 24 this season for the St. John's Maple Leafs as they were pounding the Bandits, 5-2, in an American Hockey League game.During those 292 wins plus 16 more here in Baltimore in the early '90s, Beaupre probably never had it easier than he did in this one. "There wasn't much doing out there," he said. "And when there was, I gave them a goal."One shot is all the Bandits put on the Leafs goal in the first period and the "action" didn't pick up much in the second 20 minutes.

LANDOVER -- The Washington Capitals went into last night's game knowing it was win or else, and the or else meant waking up today perhaps just one point out of fifth place in the Patrick Division standings.But Michal Pivonka came through the back door with 13 minuteleft against Toronto, to stake the Capitals to a 2-1 lead that sparked the 3-1 victory that broke a five-game winless streak. Toronto had been 10-1-1 in its past 12 games.Washington's Kevin Hatcher scored a short-handed goal into an open net with one second left.

Alex Ovechkin scored the winner in the shootout as the Washington Capitals took a 5-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Verizon Center. In the second round, Ovechkin used a wrister to be Jonas Gustavsson through the five-hold and, after Michal Neuvrith made a blocker save on Nikolai Kulemin's wrister, Alexander Semin sealed the win as he blasted a slap shot past Gustavsson. Semin had a goal and an assist while Tomas Fleischmann, Jason Chimera and Mike Green each lit the lamp for the Capitals, who have won four of their last five.

Phil Kessel and Niklas Hagman scored shootout goals in a 2-1 NHL victory over the Washington Capitals, giving the host Toronto Maple Leafs their first win in six games. Hagman also scored in regulation for the Maple Leafs (4-11-6). Alex Ovechkin replied for Washington (13-5-5) with his 16th of the season. Laurel Park: Trainer Eddie Gaudet wrapped up a productive week with a win in a $30,000 allowance test. Lamster ($15.40) gave the Bowie-based conditioner his fourth win of the week in six starts.

For the fourth straight year, the Maple Leafs are the NHL's most valuable team, according to Forbes magazine's annual survey. The Leafs are worth $470 million, an increase of 5 percent over last year. They easily are worth more than the next franchise, the Rangers at $416 million, up just 1 percent. The Canadiens are third ($339 million), followed by the Red Wings ($337 million), Flyers ($273 million), Bruins ($271 million) and Blackhawks ($258 million). The Hawks had the biggest rise in value, up 26 percent, followed by the Capitals at 15 percent to $183 million.

WASHINGTON - -The Washington Capitals unfurled another Southeast Division championship banner before a boisterous, red-clad crowd Saturday night at Verizon Center. Then the most exciting team in franchise history showed exactly why it's regarded as such. Alex Ovechkin, Mike Knuble and Brooks Laich each scored before 14 minutes had been played, and the Capitals took a five-goal lead into the third period before hanging on against the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-4. "I was once told that anytime you win you shouldn't complain, because there are so many times you lose," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said.

Baseball ASTROS -- Agreed to one-year contract with OF Michael Bourn. RAYS -- Agreed to one-year contract with P Jason Hammel. Football BEARS -- Signed QB Rex Grossman to one-year contract. Hockey MAPLE LEAFS -- Signed F Alex Steen to two-year contract extension. WILD -- Signed D Nick Schultz to six-year contract extension.

Moves Baseball DEVIL RAYS -- Recalled P Jeff Ridgway and P J.P. Howell from Triple-A Durham. INDIANS -- Recalled P Jeremy Sowers from Double-A Akron. NATIONALS -- Claimed P Enrique Gonzalez off waivers from Diamondbacks. ROCKIES -- Purchased contract of outfielder Seth Smith from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Transferred P Aaron Cook to60-day DL. YANKEES -- Recalled P Tyler Clippard and P Chase Wright from Double-A Trenton. Basketball NBA -- Reinstated referee Joey Crawford to officiating staff.

LANDOVER -- Don Beaupre was having a pretty good night in the net last night for the Washington Capitals until the final five minutes.Then he turned it up a couple of notches down the stretch to draw words of praise such as "great" from coach Terry Murray."

It's only speculation, but don't bet against this daily double.The best guess is Brian Sutter will end up coaching the Calgary Flames not far from the family homestead in Viking, Alberta, and Dave King will be named coach in Toronto where Cliff Fletcher can tutor him to succeed him as the next Maple Leafs general manager in a few years.Flames general manager Doug Risebrough returns tomorrow from the World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and has scheduled a meeting later this week with Sutter, whom St. Louis fired after losing this year to the Blackhawks in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Baseball MLB -- Reduced suspension of Brewers 1B Prince Fielder from three games to two. Suspended Indians minor league OF Juan Valdes 50 games for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. BRAVES -- Designated P Bob Wickman for assignment. Recalled P Jose Ascanio from Double-A Mississippi. CARDINALS -- Sent P Brad Thompson to Triple-A Memphis. Activated P Todd Wellemeyer from 15-day DL. DODGERS -- Agreed to terms with former Orioles P David Wells. Designated P Brett Tomko for assignment.