Canada Up Next For U.S.

The United States defeated Sweden, 3-1, setting up a quarterfinal matchup with Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Moscow.

Marc Cavosie, Andy Hilbert and Jon DiSalvatore scored for the U.S. Goalie Rick DiPietro made 16 saves for an American team featuring 14 NHL draftees.

The victory improved the U.S. to 3-1-0 for six points in Group A. Canada, which defeated Switzerland, 8-4, to finish third in Group B behind Finland and Russia, will play the U.S. on Tuesday.

“There’s a big Canada-U.S. rivalry,” said Canada’s Jason Spezza, who scored twice against the Swiss. “They play a similar style as us and we have to go out there and start banging and crashing and playing our game.”

Also, Pavel Brendl scored a goal and had two assists as defending champion Czech Republic beat Slovakia, 5-0, to finish atop Group A.

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Jondon Trevena and Annie Driscoll captured their first overall titles at the three-day U.S. Speedskating Allround Championships at Butte, Mont.

Trevena won the 10,000 meters in 14 minutes, 40.95 seconds to take the men’s overall title.

Driscoll finished second to Catherine Raney in the women’s 5,000, but had fared better than Raney in earlier 500 and 1,500 races.

Tennis

Refreshed from her time off in Florida, Martina Hingis led top-seeded Switzerland to a 3-0 sweep of Thailand in the opening match of the Hopman Cup at Perth, Australia.

She routed Tamarine Tanasugarn, 6-1, 6-1, in the mixed-teams tuneup for the Australian Open. Roger Federer beat Paradorn Srichaphan, 6-4, 6-2, and in mixed doubles, Hingis and Federer defeated Tanasugarn and Srichaphan, 6-0, 6-1.

The U.S. team of Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill faces Slovakia today. Seles returns to this tournament after a 10-year absence. She is the first player to represent two countries in this event, having played for Yugoslavia in 1991.

Miscellany

Despite reports that PNC Park construction has fallen behind schedule by several weeks to a month, the Pittsburgh Pirates said they still plan to open their new ballpark April 9 against the Cincinnati Reds.

The 38,000-seat ballpark has been built under a tight construction schedule since its April 1999 groundbreaking, but the Pirates said they have not been informed by construction managers of any delays that would jeopardize the opening.

Fox Sports Net reported Sunday the Pirates have contacted at least one team scheduled to play in Pittsburgh in April, asking if the games could be played on the road if PNC Park is not completed on time.

Evander Holyfield and Johnny Ruiz will have a rematch of their summer bout March 3 at Mandalay Bay hotel casino in Las Vegas, though Holyfield may already be looking past that bout.

Holyfield, the World Boxing Assn. champion, has said only two possible opponents interest him--Mike Tyson or Lennox Lewis. But first he’ll have to beat Ruiz in a mandatory rematch for the WBA title, and he struggled through a 12-round decision with Ruiz Aug. 12

The Vasco da Gama soccer team was criticized for the stadium mayhem in which a fence collapsed and more than 100 fans were injured Saturday.

The game between Vasco da Gama and Sao Caetano was suspended by Rio de Janeiro Governor Anthony Garotinho to “prevent a greater tragedy.” He said Vasco officials were “the only people responsible.”

Of the 104 fans treated at the hospital, only three were seriously injured.

The chaos began 23 minutes into the Joao Havelange Cup at Sao Januario Stadium. Sao Caetano fans did not attend because Vasco declined to sell them tickets to the second leg of the championship.

Scuffles high in the stands set off a human avalanche. Hundreds of spectators tumbled, crushing those against the fence, which collapsed under the weight.

Allan McNish of Scotland overcame a sore back to capture the American Le Mans Series driving championship, teaming with Rinaldo Capello to win the Race of a Thousand Years before 80,000 at Adelaide, Australia.

McNish and Capello, racing in an Audi R8, finished 21 laps ahead of their nearest competitor in the six-hour endurance race through the streets of Adelaide.

Paul Tergat of Kenya won the St. Silvester road race for the fifth time, pulling away from Ethiopians Tesfaye Tola and Tesfaye Jifar in the the race at Sao Paulo, Brazil.