logo
Sceptres sign F Clair DeGeorge to one-year contract

Sceptres sign F Clair DeGeorge to one-year contract

Reuters24-06-2025
June 24 - The Toronto Sceptres have agreed to terms with forward Clair DeGeorge for the 2025-26 season, the PWHL team announced Monday.
The 26-year-old free agent from Alaska played for the Montreal Victoire in 2024-25 and recorded two assists in 26 regular-season games.
With Minnesota in the inaugural PWHL season in 2023-24, she had one assist in 23 games in the regular season and appeared in all 10 playoff games for the Walter Cup champions.
"We are excited to welcome Clair to our organization," Sceptres general manager Gina Kingsbury said. "Clair is a 200-foot center that is defensively responsible with some offensive upside. She will bring PWHL experience to our lineup including being a Walter Cup champion."
At Ohio State, DeGeorge scored the winning goal in double-overtime that sent Ohio State to the 2022 Frozen Four. She added a goal and an assist in the final to secure the Buckeyes' first national championship.
"In becoming a Sceptre, I am excited for the opportunity to develop as a player and experience the electrifying support from Toronto's fans," DeGeorge said. "I hope to bring not only my love for the game and support for teammates, but to bring my size, speed, and vision on the ice."
--Field Level Media
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Blue Jays complete sweep of Yankees and take over AL East lead
Blue Jays complete sweep of Yankees and take over AL East lead

Reuters

time16 hours ago

  • Reuters

Blue Jays complete sweep of Yankees and take over AL East lead

July 4 - George Springer had two homers and four RBIs and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting New York Yankees 8-5 Thursday night to complete a four-game series sweep. Springer had four homers in the series as Toronto moved into first place in the American League East, one game ahead of the Yankees. Addison Barger added three hits with a homer and two RBIs and Nathan Lukes had three hits and two RBIs. Trent Grisham hit a solo homer for the Yankees. Jasson Dominguez added four hits. Toronto scored once in the first against Clarke Schmidt. Springer walked and came home on Barger's double. Grisham led off the third against Chris Bassitt (8-4) with a homer to left center on a cutter. The Blue Jays regained the lead in their third. Lukes led off with a double to right and Springer homered to center. The Yankees tied the game in the fourth. Dominguez lined a triple to the gap in left center and scored on Anthony Volpe's single. Austin Wells doubled and Volpe scored from third on a wild pitch. Clayton Beeter (0-1) took over in fourth for Schmidt, who allowed three runs, four hits and two walks with one strikeout and was removed with right forearm tightness. Beeter walked Will Wagner, who took second on Davis Schneider's single. After Leo Jimenez's sacrifice, Lukes finished a 14-pitch at-bat with a two-run double past third base. Barger led off the home fifth with a homer to right center on a hanging slider. Braydon Fisher replaced Bassitt in the sixth after a two-out walk to Grisham. Bassitt allowed three runs, eight hits and three walks with nine strikeouts. Aaron Judge led off the seventh with an infield single, took second on Cody Bellinger's single and scored on Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s double off the left-field wall. After Dominguez struck out, Chad Green replaced Fisher. Green retired Volpe on a groundout, but Bellinger scored on the play to trim the deficit to 6-5. Wells drew a walk to put runners on the corners, but Green induced pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton to ground out to end the threat. Judge was walked intentionally with two out and no one on base in the eighth and southpaw Justin Bruihl replaced Green and fanned Bellinger. Springer hit a two-run homer off Luke Weaver in the home eighth. Jeff Hoffman pitched around a double in the ninth to earn his 21st save. --Field Level Media

Emma Hayes' USWNT revolution gathers pace in dominant summer window
Emma Hayes' USWNT revolution gathers pace in dominant summer window

The Guardian

timea day ago

  • The Guardian

Emma Hayes' USWNT revolution gathers pace in dominant summer window

The US women's national team have just wrapped up another successful window in an experimental year. After beating Ireland 4–0 in back-to-back friendlies, they defeated an experienced Canada side 3–0 in Washington, bringing their 2025 record to 8-0-2 while continuing to field youthful lineups full of emerging talent. Emma Hayes' return to Audi Field came nearly one year to the day since they drew 0–0 with Costa Rica in their final tune-up before going on to win Olympic gold in Paris. Since then, the four-time world champions have turned their focus to the 2027 World Cup. Hayes has worked diligently to build the depth and cohesion needed to challenge for the title. As of this window, Hayes has capped 24 new players during her tenure and started 36 different players in 2025 alone. With European-based players rested (with the exception of Naomi Girma), and key Olympic contributors absent due to pregnancy or injury, Hayes continued to hand out valuable experience. Here are the biggest winners and losers from this summer's international window. Sam Coffey Coffey made her 38th appearance against Canada and, while she's no newcomer, few players have cemented their importance to the team quite like her. After the win, Hayes noted Coffey was 'in the form of her life' and praised her drive to improve. Speaking to the media, Coffey said she would have preferred at least one more goal to 'really seal it'. Hayes on her mentality: 'She is always, always wanting to improve her game. It never ends. It's never enough. She'd sit and watch film permanently if she could.' After scoring in Wednesday's victory, the Portland Thorns defensive midfielder now has three goals in five matches – level with Cat Macario and just behind forwards Lynn Biyendolo and Ally Sentnor among the team's top scorers. Claire Hutton Speaking of defensive midfielders scoring goals: Hutton rose to head home Rose Lavelle's perfectly placed corner in the 36th minute, notching her first goal for the US in just her sixth appearance. The 19-year-old has shown clear progress, translating her strong form with the first-place Kansas City Current to the international stage. Slotting in near-seamlessly alongside Coffey, Hutton has offered glimpses of a dynamic midfield partnership for the future. Rose Lavelle Lavelle returned to the USWNT for the first time in 2025 during this window and wasted no time reminding everyone of her quality. Starting the first and third matches, she was as deft and creative as ever in midfield. Lavelle scored and assisted against Ireland in her first game back, nearly scored off the bench in the second and was arguably the best player on the pitch against Canada. Hayes said: 'She's unique in the world game. There aren't many players like Rose Lavelle, and I genuinely think there is another level for her to reach with our team.' Avery Patterson and Lilly Reale Beyond Arsenal's Emily Fox, the full-back spots remain among the most contested in Hayes' squad. Twenty-one-year-old Gotham left-back Lilly Reale and 23-year-old Houston Dash right-back Avery Patterson – both converted full-backs with versatility – each earned two starts this window and made a strong case for long-term inclusion. Reale, making just her second senior appearance against Canada, limited the influence of veterans such as Janine Beckie while combining well with Alyssa Thompson down the flank. Hayes on Reale: 'I think Lilly Reale is showing steady progression. It's great to have a left-footer as an option on that side. She's strong defensively, tough to get behind.' Patterson, in her sixth cap, helped contain players like Ashley Lawrence and also provided a threat going forward, scoring in her first start of the window and providing an assist against Canada. Hayes said of the pair: 'I think they're at a similar level. Avery's better going forward; Lilly's better going backwards naturally. But they're both fast learners, and they're both adaptable.' Alyssa Thompson A word here for Thompson, whose pace and skill on the left wing made an impact in every match she played. The 20-year-old Angel City winger showed moments of individual brilliance, scoring her second international goal against Ireland in Colorado and adding a third in the next match off the bench. Though she didn't score against Canada, she remained a constant threat – her positioning and energy keeping her firmly in the mix amid a crowded field of elite forwards. Jane Campbell and Casey Murphy Another unsettled position in Hayes' squad is goalkeeper, which has been vacant since Alyssa Naeher's retirement. Manchester United's Phallon Tullis-Joyce has emerged as a likely No 1, following a clean-sheet debut against Brazil in April. With Tullis-Joyce resting alongside other European-based players, Hayes rotated her depth options this window and found promise in Seattle Reign's Claudia Dickey and Utah Royals' Mandy McGlynn. Dickey started the first and third matches and made several solid stops against Canada, including a late save. McGlynn featured in the second game and held her own, though Ireland didn't offer many tests. Meanwhile, Campbell and Murphy may now need exceptional league performances to claw their way back into the conversation. The doubters Hayes has been measured in her assessments, methodical in her team-building, and realistic about the road ahead. After beating Canada 3–0, she stressed that the team 'hasn't done anything yet'. That's true, but over the past year, confidence and experience have spread across a broader pool of talent. There's still work to be done, but Wednesday's dominant performance was a compelling reminder that this is a team quietly assembling the tools required to contend for the World Cup.

Women buck trend, look to grow rodeo sport of ranch bronc riding
Women buck trend, look to grow rodeo sport of ranch bronc riding

The Independent

timea day ago

  • The Independent

Women buck trend, look to grow rodeo sport of ranch bronc riding

Sophia Bunney launched the first time she tried ranch bronc riding, landing 'quite a ways away from the horse.' 'I'm very stubborn and I don't like being defeated,' said the 18-year-old from Cessford, Alberta. In other words, the teenager was hooked on a sport that pits women against bucking horses for eight seconds. 'I always kind of wanted to hop on a bronc,' Bunney told the Canadian Press. 'In Grade 3, we did 'what do you want to be when you grow up?' and I said I wanted to be a female bronc rider.' Unlike saddle bronco riding, a rodeo mainstay, ranch bronc uses a regular western saddle — not a specialized one — and riders hang on with two hands instead of one. A hand is on a rein and the other on a strap wrapped around the saddle horn. Pearl Kersey, who won the Canadian women's ranch bronc title over the weekend in Ponoka, Alberta., is president of Women's Ranch Bronc Canada and teaches it at clinics. 'I've got teenagers, 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds and this year a woman in her 50s. I was like, 'You sure?'' Kersey said. 'She doesn't want to compete. She wants to try it before she gets too old. We have bucking machines. She doesn't necessarily need to get on a horse. They can go through all the drills and the bucking machine, and if they're comfortable enough, they can get on a horse.' Getting used to it It took a while for 19-year-old Blayne Bedard, who grew up cow riding in the Canadian Girls Rodeo Association, to master keeping her feet forward toward the horse's shoulders. 'If they come back, I'm like a pendulum and I just go head over teakettle,' Bedard said. 'For the longest time, that was my biggest problem with riding ranch bronc and why I kept bucking off was because my feet weren't moving and they'd come behind me and I'd get lawn-darted right away.' She's improved to the point where Bedard has competed in the last two Canadian championships. 'I like the look of it, too,' Bedard said. 'You get cool pictures.' One of the lessons Bedard picked up at a Kersey clinic had nothing to do with riding form — and everything to do with what goes inside a boot. 'I put baby powder in my boots every time before I ride, and I wear my mom's boots that are a size too big for me, because if you get your foot stuck in a stirrup -- which I've had a few times -- you need your boot to be able to come off so you're not being dragged by the horse,' she said. Exposure for the sport Women's ranch bronc isn't part of the $2.1 million Calgary Stampede starting Friday, but women's breakaway roping will debut at the 10-day rodeo. Breakaway and barrel racing are the two women's events on a program that also features men's bull riding, saddle bronc, bareback, steer wrestling and tie-down roping. The Ponoka Stampede adding women's ranch bronc to its lineup in 2022 was a big step forward, Kersey said. Inclusion in the Calgary Stampede would be another milestone. 'The ultimate is the same with girls in breakaway roping, which is getting into pro rodeos because that's when you get the big money,' she said. 'We're way bigger with the added money than we were, but it takes time. ... It takes a while to get contestant numbers up.' Kersey, 36, has qualified for the world finals July 19-20 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where she won in 2019 and has twice finished second. Kersey intends to retire from competition after this year, but continue teaching. One of her students, Calgary's Emma Eastwood, picked it up quickly thanks to years of riding horses and a stint as an amateur jockey. She attended Kersey's clinics last fall and this spring, and won an event in just her third time competing. 'It is difficult to try and think through your ride and hang on through all that adrenaline,' said the 27-year-old massage therapist. 'Things kind of get a little blurry, and it's hard to process everything going on so quickly.' Rodeo bucking events have traditionally been the domain of men. Kersey, Eastwood and Bedard say the cowboys have been welcoming, though Bunney's experience has been mixed. Kersey said she has heard from many. 'Women have come up to me and said, 'Thank you for doing what you're doing.' They might not go into ranch broncs, but it just gave them the power in themselves to go pursue something that they wanted that they didn't think they could because they were women,' Kersey said. 'Other girls tell me, 'I saw you ride at Ponoka,' and they're like 'I want to try it.' Sometimes it's a confidence-booster thing. Sometimes they want to see if they'll like it and some are like 'Yeah, I'm doing this.''

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store