LOCAL

LOCAL
Phantoms dropseason opener
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Youngstown Phantoms Junior-A hockey team opened its 2003-04 regular season with a 3-2 loss to the USA 18-and-Under National Team.
The Phantoms took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals by defenseman Charley Fetzer and forward Mike McMullen, but did not score again the rest of the night.
The score was tied 2-2 after two periods, but Team USA got the game-winning goal from Brandon Scero on a power play in the third.
Youngstown's first games at The Ice Zone will be next Sept. 27-28. Tickets are available by calling (330) 965-7500 or visiting The Ice Zone, 360 McClurg Road, Boardman.
Tickets are $7 and $9 and $5 for children ages 10 and under.
Cousineau at mall
NILES -- Former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns standout Tom Cousineau will be at Kahunaville at Eastwood Mall today at 4 p.m. Admission and autographs are free.
NATION
Islanders top Penguins
PITTSBURGH -- Jeff Hamilton scored a power-play goal and Garth Snow made 23 saves as the New York Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 1-0 in an exhibition game Saturday night.
Hamilton, who scored 22 goals for the Islanders' AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, Conn., last season, took Kenny Jonsson's pass from the left point and fired a 20-foot wrist shot past Marc-Andre Fleury at 18:49 of the second period.
Fleury, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, stopped 22 shots in his NHL debut. With the offseason trade of Pittsburgh's top goalie Johan Hedberg, good preseason performances by the 18-year-old Fleury could earn him a spot on the Penguins roster.
Snow faced only 15 shots in the opening two periods and watched shots by Pittsburgh defensemen Ross Lupaschuk and Patrick Boileau ring off the goal posts in the third period.
The Islanders, who killed nine of 10 Pittsburgh power plays in a 4-1 victory Friday night, killed all six Penguins man-advantages on Saturday.
World Cup roundup
* PHILADELPHIA -- North Korea and Norway ignored opening-day jitters and delivered their messages at the World Cup with shutout victories.
The Koreans, despite a lack of marksmanship Saturday, still managed three goals in outclassing Nigeria 3-0. The Asian champions had a 20-9 margin in shots and got two goals from Jin Pyol Hui, who also set up the other score.
Norway, ranked second in the world, often was threatened by France, but Bente Nordby was impenetrable in goal in a 2-0 win.
* COLUMBUS -- Maren Meinert assisted on two second-half goals, including the go-ahead score by Stefanie Gottschlich in Germany's 4-1 victory over Canada.
Meinert sent a cross that bounced once inside the penalty box and Gottschlich bent low to head a soft shot from 8 yards out over goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc for a 2-1 lead in the 46th minute. Meinert also set up Birgit Prinz's goal in the 75th minute for a 3-1 lead. Meinert's cross inside the 6-yard box was headed by Prinz into the top left corner.
The Canadians started aggressively and Christine Sinclair shocked Germany with a goal four minutes into the game.
Kristina Kiss lifted a 35-yard direct kick over a wall of two defenders and Sinclair outjumped a defender near the right post and headed a low shot inside the far post.
Goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg dove to her left but couldn't get a hand on the ball.
Drunken driving charge dismissed
NEWARK -- A drunken driving charge against Miami Heat forward Samaki Walker has been dismissed.
Walker was charged with drunken driving after an accident near Columbus, Ohio, in July. In the accident, Walker's vehicle rolled over, partially ejecting him.
The drunken driving and failure to wear seat belt charges against Walker were dropped, according to a posting on the Licking County Municipal Court Web site.
The decision to drop the drunken driving charge came after authorities couldn't prove that Walker had been operating the vehicle within two hours of taking a blood alcohol test, Chris Rolland, a Newark assistant law director, told the Newark Advocate for Saturday's editions.
Walker has pleaded no contest to the charge of failure to control the vehicle, which carries a maximum penalty of a $100 fine.
Walker, who signed with the Heat last month after spending the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, could not be reached for comment.
Seattle guardhas knee surgery
SEATTLE -- Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird underwent arthroscopic surgery on her left knee, which bothered her much of last season.
Bird had the operation Friday, and is expected to rehab the knee in Connecticut over the next three months.
Oracle BMW Racing beats Alinghi
SAN FRANCISCO -- If Oracle BMW Racing had been this good eight months ago, the America's Cup might very well be in the Golden Gate Yacht Club's trophy case.
Oracle beat America's Cup champion Alinghi of Switzerland by 32 seconds in Race 7 Saturday to win the Moet Cup, the first of several regattas leading up to the 2007 America's Cup.
The Moet Cup was a rematch of the America's Cup challenger finals in January off Auckland, New Zealand. With a crew full of New Zealanders, Alinghi beat Oracle 5-1, then went on to win the America's Cup with a five-race sweep of Team New Zealand.
The Kiwis' sailing crew had been decimated by defections to richer syndicates, and major breakdowns knocked their sloop out of two of the five races.
WORLD
Gatlin wins $1 million race at Moscow
MOSCOW -- Justin Gatlin of the United States earned $500,000 by winning the 100 meters at the Moscow Challenge on Saturday, celebrating one of his sport's richest prizes as he crossed the line ahead of Britain's Dwain Chambers.
World record holder Tim Montgomery was third and world champion Kim Collins finished sixth.
Gatlin won in 10.05 seconds, his arms open as he hit the line, knowing the jackpot belonged to him.
Chambers was next in 10.18 and earned $150,000. The other racers shared the rest of the $1 million purse.
Montgomery was timed in 10.19 on a night when temperatures dipped to 45 degrees.
Argentina beats Spain in Davis Cup doubles
MALAGA, Spain -- Argentina avoided elimination in the Davis Cup semifinals Saturday, with Agustin Calleri and Lucas Arnold winning their doubles match against Spain in four sets.
The makeshift Argentine team defeated Albert Costa and Alex Corretja 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a match lasting nearly four hours.
This was Spain's first Davis Cup loss this season following 12 straight victories.
Vindicator staff/wire reports