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Einarson, Gushue among six rinks added to 2026 Scotties and Brier fields

Einarson, Gushue among six rinks added to 2026 Scotties and Brier fields

Toronto Star7 days ago
Three teams have been added to each of the 2026 Canadian men's and women's curling championships, Curling Canada announced Friday.
Four-time champion Kerri Einarson and her team from Gimli, Man., have been added to the field of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, set for Jan. 23-Feb. 1 at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ont. She will be joined by Calgary's Kayla Skrlik and Christina Black of Halifax.
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Toronto FC continue uphill battle vs. Charlotte FC
Toronto FC continue uphill battle vs. Charlotte FC

Canada News.Net

timean hour ago

  • Canada News.Net

Toronto FC continue uphill battle vs. Charlotte FC

(Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images) Toronto FC will attempt to continue to chip away at a sizable deficit in the Eastern Conference standings on Saturday night when they visit Charlotte FC. With 11 matches remaining in the regular season, Toronto FC (5-12-6, 21 points) reside 12 points out of ninth place for the conference's final playoff spot. While the Canadian side has an uphill challenge, the club has four points in four matches since the departures of Italian internationals Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi. Toronto FC coach Robin Fraser remains optimistic even though his team lost 1-0 to Nashville SC last Saturday. 'If you look at the last several games, I'm really proud of the character that this group shows,' Fraser said. 'Whatever the circumstances are, we're keeping ourselves in games.' The Reds will face a tough opponent in seventh-place Charlotte FC (11-11-2, 35 points), who have won three matches in a row and are unbeaten in their last four (3-0-1). Charlotte answered an early tally by Atlanta United by scoring three goals in a row in a 3-2 victory last Saturday. The win included the 10th goal of the season for Pep Biel, who has started all 23 matches in which he has played for Charlotte this season. Biel is on a tear with five goals in the last five matches, including the match-winner against D.C. United on July 16. That offensive firepower and winning matches have changed the tone of Charlotte FC. 'Yeah, I can see from the last few games ... that obviously they're a little bit chirpier and happier, as they should be having earned an extra day off by getting the result,' Charlotte manager Dean Smith said. 'You know everybody gets a little bit chirpier and a little bit more confident, and you can take that into the games then and use that.' Charlotte recorded a 2-0 win in Toronto on May 31 in the teams' only meeting this season.

Zurkowsky: Jose Maltos caps Alouettes' rally with 57-yard field goal
Zurkowsky: Jose Maltos caps Alouettes' rally with 57-yard field goal

Montreal Gazette

time2 hours ago

  • Montreal Gazette

Zurkowsky: Jose Maltos caps Alouettes' rally with 57-yard field goal

Perhaps it was the fact most everyone believed the Alouettes couldn't win without quarterback Davis Alexander that motivated the visitors. After all, it's amazing what a team can accomplish when it's backed against the wall. Perhaps it was the fact Calgary suffered one too many injuries on this night. After losing receiver Damien Alford, a Montreal native and the first overall draft choice this year, and cornerback Adrian Greene, the biggest blow occurred on the final play of the third quarter, when starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. — a former Alouette — appeared to suffer a head injury as he was sandwiched between linebackers Tyrice Beverette and Darnell Sankey after a seven-yard gain. Adams didn't return for the final quarter and was replaced by P.J. Walker, a 30-year-old veteran who played for five NFL teams and had a 5-4 record over 21 games. But Walker was making his CFL debut against what's considered one of the league's stingiest defences — and the result was predictable. One week after overcoming an 18-point deficit at home against Toronto, the Als erased an eight-point deficit on the road at Calgary, scoring nine unanswered points in the fourth quarter for an improbable 23-21 victory before 19,863 fans at McMahon Stadium Thursday night. Global kicker Jose Maltos provided the margin of victory with three fourth-quarter field goals, including the winner, a career-long 57-yarder with 70 seconds left. The kick was down the middle and probably would have been good from more than 60 yards. His previous longest field goal was 53 yards. Maltos kicked five field goals in the game, including a 10-yard chip shot in the first quarter, when the Als couldn't find the end zone from the Calgary 3. 'It feels good,' Maltos told reporters in Calgary. 'This was an important game. We're happy because we need these kind of wins. Every kick is important to me. If they need me ... I'm going to be there and try to do my best.' The Als are 4-0-1 in their last five games against the Stamps. When the teams played to a 19-19 tie last season in Calgary, Maltos kicked four field goals, including two in overtime. The win moved Montreal (5-2) into first place in the East Division, two points ahead of Hamilton, which plays in B.C. on Sunday night. The Als are heading into the most difficult stretch of their schedule, with five consecutive games against West Division teams, though three are at home. And they will probably be without Alexander for most of that stretch. He was placed on the six-game injured list after re-injuring his left hamstring against the Argonauts. Montreal hadn't won without him this season, but veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson changed that with his first victory in three starts. Bethel-Thompson completed 30 of 40 passes for 280 yards and a second-quarter touchdown to Cole Spieker. While Bethel-Thompson was intercepted by Greene in the opening quarter, he settled down. He released the ball quickly, relied on mostly short passes to various receivers and was sacked only once. While it was far from a perfect performance — especially during the third quarter, when Montreal didn't score and ran only eight offensive plays — his numbers would have been better had several receivers not dropped passes. Bethel-Thompson used seven receivers, but his favourite target was Tyler Snead, who caught seven passes for 103 yards — including a 42-yard flea flicker from backup Caleb Evans. The Als had 22 first downs, 362 yards' net offence, ran 64 plays and controlled the ball for slightly more than 34 minutes. 'It feels great to finally play my role for this team,' Bethel-Thompson said. 'I'm just so grateful to have done my job. That was an unbelievable kick at the end by Jose. 'I'll get better. I'll continue to improve. That's the fun part. I was dialed-in on doing my job and putting the team in position to make the kick. There are things I can get better at. I'm just excited to do my role.' The Als played like a team with a chip on their shoulders after critics said they couldn't win without their franchise quarterback, but Bethel-Thompson, 37, won a Grey Cup with Toronto in 2022. 'You can't buy what we just went through,' Maas told journalists in Calgary. 'It's such an incredible feeling and moment. It's something you'll never forget the rest of your life. 'He (Bethel-Thompson) deserved it. Any time you've been doubted, like he was this week. And the last few weeks, whether we could win with him? That's a hard cross to bear in my opinion when you're a quarterback. You've got to have confidence when everyone's telling you, you can't do it. I thought he played tremendous. I'm very happy for him.' Adams completed 15 of 25 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown, while tailback Dedrick Mills gained 78 yards on 14 carries and scored twice. But Walker failed miserably after being inserted, completing only three of seven passes for 20 yards. The Stamps, uncharacteristically, took 11 penalties for 121 yards. This story was originally published July 25, 2025 at 8:04 AM.

Maltos' late go-ahead field goal lifts Alouettes to 23-21 win over Stampeders
Maltos' late go-ahead field goal lifts Alouettes to 23-21 win over Stampeders

CTV News

time2 hours ago

  • CTV News

Maltos' late go-ahead field goal lifts Alouettes to 23-21 win over Stampeders

Montreal Alouettes' Jose Maltos, right, kicks a field goal during second half CFL football action against the Calgary Stampeders in Calgary, Thursday, July 24, CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh CALGARY — Jose Maltos received a hero's welcome from his teammates after kicking the longest field goal of his CFL career. Maltos booted the go-ahead 58-yard field goal with 1:10 remaining as the Montreal Alouettes (5-2) earned a 23-21 win over the Calgary Stampeders (5-2) in front of 19,863 fans at McMahon Stadium on Thursday. When the Mexican-born kicker returned to his team's locker room, he was mauled by his teammates who congratulated him while chanting: 'Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé.' 'It feels good – important game, important kick,' said Maltos, whose previous longest kick was from 53 yards out. 'My teammates are great. I love them and I'm grateful to have them on my side. 'We're happy because we need these kind of wins. Every kick is important to me, so that was pretty good.' Following his heroics – which included four other field goals, a convert and a single – Maltos received praise from Montreal head coach Jason Maas. 'He's made some clutch kicks for us since he's taken over and he's got an outstanding percentage career-wise already,' Maas said. 'He just has a good knack for those types of moments and that's what he's shown us. That was a tremendous (game-winning) kick. It was one of the best kicks I've seen.' Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 30-of-40 passes for 280 yards to go with one touchdown to Chris Spieker and one interception. 'Man, we needed that one,' Bethel-Thompson said. 'It feels great to finally play my role for this team. It's a special locker room. What coach Maas has built is a special place and I'm just so grateful to have done my job. That was an unbelievable kick at the end by Jose.' Dedrick Mills had a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Stampeders (5-2), who had won their previous three games. 'We ran the ball well for three quarters, but not the fourth quarter,' said Calgary coach Dave Dickenson. 'And that's when you need to run the ball … and we just didn't do it.' Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a touchdown pass to Dominique Rhymes and also completed a short pass to Erik Brooks in the end zone for a two-point convert after Mills' second rushing score. Near the end of the third quarter, Adams scrambled out of the pocket and ran for a seven-yard gain before he was hit hard by Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette. Although he got to his feet and walked to the sidelines, he was assessed for a head injury and didn't return to the game. 'I'm expecting it was on the one hit.' Dickenson said. 'I'm not really going to speculate on what happened, but I know that he went in the tent and didn't come back, so that was obviously something that we know can happen. 'A lot of teams are playing with their backup QB, including Montreal, so we have to be able to function and get points and get first downs, and we weren't able to do it.' Defensive back Adrian Green picked off an errant pass by Bethel-Thompson for his league-leading fourth interception of the season and ran it back to Montreal's 44-yard line to help set up Calgary's first touchdown. Four plays later, Mills ran for a seven-yard touchdown with 1:53 remaining in the first quarter, which gave Calgary a 6-0 lead after a missed convert by Rene Paredes. After Tyler Snead's 42-yard diving catch put Montreal at Calgary's nine-yard line, the Stampeders held the Alouettes to a 10-yard Maltos field goal. Adams then engineered a five-play, 77-yard drive that he finished off by tossing a 33-yard TD pass to Rhymes at 5:10 of the second quarter to put the Stamps up 13-3. The Als responded at 9:18 when Spieker caught a seven-yard TD pass from Bethel-Thompson to cap off a quick eight-play, 77-yard drive. On the ensuing kickoff, Maltos booted an 88-yard single to pull the Als within two points of the Stamps. Maltos finished off the first half by making a 36-yard field goal with no time left on the clock to put Montreal ahead 14-13. The Stamps drove the ball 65 yards down the field before Mills ran in for a nine-yard score on the sixth play of the drive at 3:43 of the third quarter. A successful two-point convert gave the Stamps a 21-14 edge. Thanks to a pair of field goals by Maltos in the fourth quarter – a 28-yard kick at 6:22 and another from 20 yards out at 12:17 – Montreal cut Calgary's lead to just 21-20. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025. Laurence Heinen, The Canadian Press

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