Penalty Box

PITTSBURGH -- It's probably fortunate Vince McMahon was off peddling his World Wrestling Federation somewhere last night. If he had caught a peek at what transpired here in the third game of the Pittsburgh Penguins-Washington Capitals NHL playoff series, he would certainly be going into his pocket for a piece of the action.Welcome to HockeyMania I! First off, the Pens won, 6-4, their first victory in the best-of-seven. And the sellout crowd at the Civic Arena was treated to a virtuoso performance by the Marvelous One, Mario Lemieux.

One potential byproduct of the new rules in men's college lacrosse this season: more disparity in offensive efficiency, a stat that looks at goals per offensive possession and adjusts for strength of schedule. In data from Brian Coughlin , a stats expert who has done analysis for Division I programs and contributes to Inside Lacrosse, Denver has the league's highest adjusted offensive efficiency. The Pioneers score at 51 percent (numbers adjusted for strength of schedule). That's markedly higher than last season's best, Massachusetts' 42 percent.

PHILADELPHIA -- This is not a story for anyone with a (obscene adjective) weak heart. It is a story of crime and punishment, of assaults and batterings, of bodily fluids and blood, of aggression and ear-curling language, of knuckles and more blood. It is a story of men who blatantly break rules and pay for their anti-social behavior with time.In case you couldn't guess, it is a (obscene adjective) hockey story. You didn't know that? You (obscene adjective) moron!It is a story about a night in the penalty box.Hockey is the only sport with a penalty box. It is the adult version of being sent to your room.

He sits quietly in a wheelchair at a long-term care facility in his native Guelph, Ontario. Aldo Guidolin doesn't talk - multiple strokes have robbed him of his speech - but his brown eyes follow ice hockey games on TV and the movements of those who call on the aging defenseman. At 80, life is a struggle for Guidolin, whose brawling 17-year career included four seasons with the New York Rangers and six as a popular player and coach with the Baltimore Clippers of the American Hockey League.

Along with junior goalkeeper Mike Fisher, senior defenseman David Henry is the veteran voice on a Holy Cross defense looking to improve on the 11.1 goals per game the unit surrendered last year. Henry, a Davidsonville native and Severn graduate, has made 26 starts in the team's last 30 contests and was named a captain in the offseason. Because of the Crusaders' expected youth on defense, Holy Cross coach Jim Morrissey said Henry must avoid last season's habit of collecting fouls.

Tamir Linhart scored the winning goal with 3:15 left, as George Mason (6-4-1) ended the six-game winning streak of No. 20 Loyola (8-2) with a 2-1 victory yesterday in Fairfax, Va.The winning play began with a corner kick on the right side of the field. Sophomore John Ferrandino made a short pass to freshman Craig Melton, who dribbled along the top of the penalty box before lofting a left-footed shot toward the goal. Linhart dived and headed the ball just inside the right post for his eighth goal.

Despite having played soccer nearly her entire life, when Parkville junior striker Sheree Geroux entered high school, she thought she would give cross country a try. "My older sister was a good runner, so I had to follow in her footsteps," Geroux said. "But soccer is my passion. We would run around the soccer field, and I would think, `I want to play.' I played for my club team, but it wasn't enough. I had to play more." Two years later, she is now the Knights' leading scorer. Yesterday afternoon, Geroux scored four goals and assisted on one to lead Parkville to a 5-3 victory over No. 13 Franklin in a Baltimore County Division I game in Reisterstown.

He sits quietly in a wheelchair at a long-term care facility in his native Guelph, Ontario. Aldo Guidolin doesn't talk - multiple strokes have robbed him of his speech - but his brown eyes follow ice hockey games on TV and the movements of those who call on the aging defenseman. At 80, life is a struggle for Guidolin, whose brawling 17-year career included four seasons with the New York Rangers and six as a popular player and coach with the Baltimore Clippers of the American Hockey League.

Yesterday may not have been the best day Franklin senior forward Martha Mitchell had in her life, but it had to rank near the top. Mitchell scored four goals, including the game-winner in overtime, and assisted on the other to lead the Indians to a stunning 5-4 upset over No. 6 Westminster last night in the final of the Lady Owls Invitational soccer tournament. Earlier yesterday, Mitchell scored four goals in Franklin's 6-1 semifinal victory over La Plata of Charles County. "That's about as absolutely unbelievable as you can possibly get," Franklin coach George Wagner said of Mitchell's eight goals in one day. "They were no fluke goals either."

DETROIT -- The Thunder tried a reversal of fortune, but came up short, losing to the Detroit Turbos, 14-13, in front of 4,112 fans at Joe Louis Arena last night.There were two goals in the last 14 seconds of regulation, but Duane Jacobs scored the winner with 2.7 seconds left for the Turbos (5-1).The Thunder (0-6) must win its last two games, both against the New York Saints (1-5), to make the Major Indoor Lacrosse League playoffs."We've been building every week," coach Skip Lichtfuss said.

In a game marred by 63 penalty minutes -- 42 of which were against the home team -- the Baltimore Bombers suffered their first-ever loss Sunday afternoon, 20-9 to the Boston Rockhoppers at Du Burns Arena. The Rockhoppers (3-1) scored nine straight goals to break open a tied game at the half and take sole possession of first place in the North American Lacrosse League, dropping the Bombers to 2-1. Bombers coach Hunter Francis was displeased with his team's effort. “Before the game I felt we were focused and calm.

Jan. 10, 1991: "We're a better team than we were yesterday," Orioles manager Frank Robinson says after the trade that brings slugging Houston Astros first baseman Glenn Davis to Baltimore in exchange for three young players - pitchers Curt Schilling and Pete Harnisch, and outfielder Steve Finley. Schilling blossoms into one of baseball's best, while Harnisch and Finley become All Stars. Davis, meanwhile, hits 24 home runs in three years, and retires. Jan. 12, 1983: Brooks Robinson becomes the 14th player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first try, excluding the five-member inaugural class.

When Salisbury and SUNY-Cortland meet Sunday in the NCAA Division III men's lacrosse final at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., there might be no one on the field as emotional as Sam Bradman. The senior midfielder is always excited when he steps onto the field for a game, but in recent years, he has been able to tone it down and save his energy for scoring goals and making plays. But Bradman is still vulnerable to letting his emotions get the best of him. For instance, in last Sunday's 7-2 victory over Stevenson in the semifinal round, Bradman was flagged for a one-minute unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty after scoring a goal to give the Sea Gulls a 3-0 lead with 6:59 left in the third quarter.

When Salisbury and SUNY-Cortland meet Sunday in an NCAA tournament Division III final at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., it's arguable that anyone on the field will be as emotional as Sam Bradman. The senior midfielder is always excited when he steps onto the field for a game, but in recent years, he has been able to tone it down and save his energy for scoring goals and making plays. But Bradman is still vulnerable to letting his emotions get the best of him. In Sunday's 7-2 victory over Stevenson in the semifinal round, Bradman was flagged for a one-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after scoring a goal to give the Sea Gulls a 3-0 lead with 6:59 left in the third quarter.

Along with junior goalkeeper Mike Fisher, senior defenseman David Henry is the veteran voice on a Holy Cross defense looking to improve on the 11.1 goals per game the unit surrendered last year. Henry, a Davidsonville native and Severn graduate, has made 26 starts in the team's last 30 contests and was named a captain in the offseason. Because of the Crusaders' expected youth on defense, Holy Cross coach Jim Morrissey said Henry must avoid last season's habit of collecting fouls.

There were no tantalizing bicycle kicks like last year, and the "beautiful game" was a little ragged at times, but Baltimore's exposure to international soccer still produced its share of memorable moments Saturday night. Much of the meaningful action unfolded in the first half at M&T Bank Stadium, where a modest crowd announced at 36,569 saw two early scuffles, one suspect red card and one spectacular goal. Throw in an own goal by Manchester City in the second half, and European champion Inter Milan dominated for a 3-0 victory in the preseason friendly.

The Spirit is waiting word from National Professional Soccer League commissioner Steve Paxos concerning the action to be taken following Saturday night's incident at Kansas City.The Spirit and host Attack were involved in a bench-clearing brawl that interrupted the third quarter for 30 minutes.Spirit forward Jon Parry was ejected for punching Attack midfielder Goran Hunjak, and Brad Smith and Lance Johnson were dismissed for leaving the penalty box. All three could face one-game suspensions upon further notice from Paxos.

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- In the sixth minute of yesterday's World Cup match between Brazil and Russia, the temperamental Brazilian star known around the world as Romario found himself alone with the ball and bearing down on the Russian goal. The horn-blowing, yellow-shirted Brazilian fans filling Stanford Stadium leapt to their feet.When Romario's tame shot flew right to the goalkeeper, the fans groaned and sat down, and the Brazilian samba drummers went silent. Romario stopped and stared at his offending right foot, then at the goal, slowly shaking his head in disbelief.