National Sports

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — It isn't the storybook ending the Vancouver Whitecaps had hoped for, but a first-round loss in the Major League Soccer playoffs has given the club a renewed sense of hope about the future.

CALGARY — In a battle between two Canadian Premier League rivals who played each other tight all season, their eighth meeting on Saturday fittingly came down to a controversial close call.

TORONTO — The Toronto Marlies came from two goals down to defeat the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3-2 on Josh Ho-Sang's overtime winner in American Hockey League play Saturday.

The Vanier Cup final four came into focus Saturday with Saskatchewan, Western and St. Francis Xavier joining Montreal in the U Sports football semifinals.

Canadian cricketer Saad Bin Zafar is making waves and headlines around the world. "Unknown cricketer writes name into history books with international T20 record," said England's Daily Mirror.

TORONTO — The Toronto Six won its first home game in franchise history with a 5-1 victory over the Connecticut Whale on Saturday in the Premier Hockey Federation.

GRENOBLE, France (CP) — Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto claimed ice dance silver Saturday in Grand Prix figure skating. Four-time world champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France took gold with 221.

DEBRECEN, Hungary — Canada's short-track speedskating team collected three medals on the first day of a World Cup in Hungary on Saturday. Montreal's Pascal Dion won a silver medal in the men's 1,500 metres. Kim Boutin of Sherbrooke, Que.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kelley O'Hara scored in the 97th minute and the Washington Spirit won the National Women's Soccer League championship with a 2-1 extra time victory over the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday.

STAVANGER, Norway — Canadian speedskater Laurent Dubreuil won World Cup gold in the men's 500 metres Saturday. The 29-year-old from Levis, Que., posted a winning time of 34.573 seconds. Russia's Artem Arefyev was second in 34.