SPORTS digest

Penguins add Leighton, Oleksiak via trades

The Pittsburgh Penguins received much needed help at goalkeeper after acquiring Michael Leighton from the Arizonz Coyotes in a three-player deal on Tuesday.

Arizona received forward Josh Archibald, goalie Sean Maguire and a sixth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Leighton, 36, is 37-43-4 with 10 ties, a 2.98 goals-against average and .900 save percentage in 110 NHL games.

The Penguins needed help at the net after Marc-Andre Fleury moved to Las Vegas.

Leighton played for Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford from 2007-10 while in the Carolina Hurricanes organization.

Pittsburgh also aquired defenseman Jamie Oleksiak from Dallas in exchange for a conditional 2019 4th-round pick.

Kent State hiring Syracuse’s Sean Lewis

CLEVELAND

A person familiar with the decision says Kent State is hiring Syracuse offensive assistant Sean Lewis as its new coach.

The person says Lewis has agreed to a contract with Kent State after completing his second season with the Orange. The person spoke Tuesday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been signed.

Kent State has scheduled a news conference Thursday to introduce Lewis.

Lewis was the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Syracuse. The Orange only went 4-8 this season, but one of the wins came against No. 1 Clemson.

Kent State has been looking for a coach since athletic director Joel Nielsen elected not to renew Paul Haynes’ contract following a 2-10 season. The Golden Flashes went just 14-45 in five seasons under Haynes.

Lewis appealed to Kent State because of his offensive experience and Midwest ties. A native of Illinois, he played quarterback and tight end for Wisconsin from 2004-07.

Bernard Clark named head coach at RMU

ALBANY, N.Y.

Bernard Clark, associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the University at Albany, has been hired as head coach at Robert Morris.

Clark will be introduced as the Northeast Conference school’s third coach at a news conference Wednesday, Albany announced. He was with the Great Danes for four seasons.

Clark oversaw one of the top defenses in the Football Championship Subdivision this past season. Albany finished ranked No. 9 defensively, allowing just 282.1 yards per game.

As a player, Clark won two national championships at Miami and was the 1987 Orange Bowl MVP. He played three seasons in the NFL and two in the AFL before turning to coaching. He also has coached at James Madison, Liberty, Florida International, South Florida, Hampton, Pittsburgh and Colorado State.

Increased targeting calls set FBS record

Targeting penalties in the Football Bowl Subdivision increased for the fourth straight season and an analysis by The Associated Press found that the Pac-12 and SEC had the most players flagged this season.

The NCAA reported an all-time high of 188 enforced targeting calls in 832 regular-season games. That’s 30 percent more than last year, when there were 144 in 839 games.

National coordinator of officials Rogers Redding of the NCAA says player behavior has changed for the better in the 10 years since the targeting penalty was introduced. He attributes the increase in calls to officials getting better at detecting the penalty, the willingness of replay officials to call fouls missed on the field and the recent expansion of the definition of a defenseless player.

The AP found that a nation-high 30 targeting calls against Pac-12 players. The Southeastern Conference had 27 calls.

Akron cornerback Alvin Davis Jr. was flagged three times, most in the nation, and seven other players twice apiece.

Staff/Wire Report