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YSU hockey game tickets aid Haiti

BOARDMAN — Tonight’s Youngstown State hockey club team’s game against Slippery Rock will have a slightly different twist.

Money from tickets for admission to the American Collegiate Hockey Association Div. I game at the Ice Zone at 7 p.m. will be donated to the Red Cross to aid the Haiti earthquake relief effort.

Tickets are $2 students, $5 non-students.

The Brad Patterson-coached team’s season continues through February.

Fight Night tickets

BROOKFIELD — General admission tickets will be available at the door for tonight’s Fight Night at the Yankee Lake Ballroom.

Gates open at 6 and the first bell is at 7:30 p.m. For more information go to mmabrawlroom.com.

nation

Penguins transactions

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins reassigned forward Nick Johnson to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, indicating that injured forwards Pascal Dupuis and Max Talbot will be ready to play against the Flyers.

Johnson and forward Dustin Jeffrey returned to the minors on Friday, a day after Johnson scored a goal in his first NHL game.

Dupuis (facial injury) and Talbot (undisclosed injury) sat out the Penguins’ 6-3 loss to Washington on Thursday night, when Johnson — playing on Evgeni Malkin’s line — scored in the second period. Pittsburgh is at Philadelphia on Sunday.

NFL viewership highest in 16 years

NEW YORK — The NFL has drawn the most viewers for the divisional round of the playoffs in 16 years, with an average of 33 million per game.

The audiences for Arizona-New Orleans, Baltimore-Indianapolis, Dallas-Minnesota and New York Jets-San Diego were up 15 percent from 28.8 million viewers in 2008.

The Cowboys-Vikings game Sunday attracted 37.7 million viewers, the most-watched program on television since last February’s Super Bowl

Jets-Chargers later Sunday drew 35.6 million, followed by the Saturday night game between the Ravens and Colts at 3.06 million. Cardinals-Saints brought an audience of 27.9 million.

Bubba Watson swims ahead at Hope Classic

LA QUINTA, Calif. — Long-hitting Bubba Watson is using the wet weather to his advantage in the Bob Hope Classic.

Watson shot a 10-under 62 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Alex Prugh after the second round, which began and ended in driving rain.

The storm wiped out play Thursday and threatened Friday, but there were just enough hours in between squalls for an impressive day by Watson, who’s trying to show there’s more to his game than his jaw-dropping drives.

Lopez hopes to follow Trinidad to boxing top

NEW YORK — Former champion Felix Trinidad says Juan Manuel Lopez will be the next great boxer to come out of Puerto Rico.

Lopez has won a junior featherweight title and is moving up in weight to challenge for a 126-pound belt tonight at Madison Square Garden.

Trinidad won five titles during his career, following the path of Wilfredo Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez and Esteban De Jesus from the island nation.

Trinidad said during Lopez’s weigh-in Friday that he’s “happy to be passing the torch” to Lopez, who is fighting WBO champion Steven Luevano in the main event.

world

Pair only US men left at Aussie Open

MELBOURNE, Australia — John Isner is one of two American men standing at the Australian Open.

Isner advanced to the fourth round along with Andy Roddick. It’s only the second time the 24-year-old player has gone that far at a Grand Slam.

Fresh off his first ATP title win in Auckland this month, the big-serving Isner defeated 12th-seeded Gael Monfils of France 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5).

Until he defeated Roddick in the third round at the U.S. Open, Isner hadn’t gotten past the first round of his last five majors.

But his strong performance at Melbourne Park doesn’t surprise him.

Greipel wins 4th stage of Tour Down Under

ADELAIDE, Australia — Andre Greipel of Germany has won his third stage of the Tour Down Under to consolidate his overall lead with two stages remaining.

Greipel, who won the opening two stages on Tuesday and Wednesday, claimed the 93.5-mile fourth stage Friday — the longest during the six-day race — from Norwood in Adelaide’s suburbs to the oceanside town of Goolwa.

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong established a 15-second break late in the stage but was caught with two miles remaining and finished back in the field.

The Tour Down Under ends Sunday.

Vindicator staff/wire reports