ABBOTTSTOWN, Pa. – Danny Dietrich took advantage of a miscue by Ryan Smith to claim his second career opening day win at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday afternoon.

Dietrich took the lead just before the halfway point of the 30-lap Icebreaker for 410 sprint cars and never looked back after that.

Dietrich lined up for the main event third, behind pole-sitter Glenndon Forsythe and Smith. Forsythe led the field into turn 1 but the caution came out before a lap could be completed. Brett Michalski and Landon Myers got tangled up in turn one.

Both drivers were able to rejoin the field, albeit Michalski without a front wing.

Forsythe took the lead on the restart, but Smith took over the top spot coming out of turn two.

Myers brought out the second caution of the race on lap one after some contact with Jacob Allen. Myers and Allen both headed for the pits and were unable to rejoin the field for the restart.

Smith led Forsythe, Dietrich, Logan Schuchart and Kyle Moody to the cone for the first single-file restart of the season. Ryan held onto the lead, with Dietrich working on Forsythe for the second spot.

Freddie Rahmer was making his way through the field from his eighth starting spot as Dietrich got by Forsythe for second on lap four. The yellow flag waved again on lap four, this time for Chase Dietz, who was turned around in turn 4.

Dietz rejoined the field as Smith led Dietrich, Forsythe, Schuchart and Brandon Rahmer on the restart.

Schuchart got by Forsythe for third and Freddie Rahmer continued his march to the front after getting by his brother Brandon for fourth.

Meanwhile, defending track champion Brian Montieth made his way up to fifth from his 15th starting spot before the caution came out on lap seven.

The fourth caution of the race was for Adam Wilt and Dylan Norris, who got together in turns three and four. Both drivers rejoined the field and Michalski was able to get a front wing put back on under caution.

The top five for the restart were Smith, Dietrich, Schuchart, Freddie Rahmer and Montieth. Dietrich got his nose under Smith coming out of turn four, but Smith held him off.

Freddie Rahmer was going after Schuchart for third, but Schuchart held the spot.

Lap nine saw another caution when Michalski came to a stop in turn one, and it was at this point that officials called for an open red for teams to add fuel to the cars.

Smith got a good jump on the start, but Dietrich caught him on the back stretch. Smith held him off again with Dietrich staying close. Smith hit the wall coming out of turn two and that was enough of an opening for Dietrich to take the lead on lap 12.

Montieth brought out the sixth caution of the race when he came to a stop in turn four, ending his afternoon.

Dietrich led Smith, Schuchart, Freddie Rahmer and Brandon Rahmer to the cone for the restart. Dietrich went to the bottom of the track going into turn one, with Smith trying a higher line. Dietrich held off Smith, while Freddie battled Schuchart for third.

Smith got sideways going into turn one on lap 15 bringing out the yellow flag once again. Chad Trout also had issues in turn one and also came a stop.

With the second-place car out of the running, the top five for the restart were Dietrich, Schuchart, Freddie Rahmer, Brandon Rahmer and Brock Zearfoss.

Freddie drove through the middle of turns one and two to take second from Schuchart, but Schuchart got him back on the next lap.

Pole-sitter Forsythe got by Zearfoss to take fifth, but Zearfoss stayed within striking distance and took the spot back on lap 20 before the eighth caution of the race when Alan Krimes got turned around in turn four. He was able to rejoin the field.

Dietrich got a good jump on Schuchart and Freddie on the restart. The ninth and final caution of the race, which in some aspects felt like a marathon, came on lap 22 for fifth-running Zearfoss. He came to a stop in turn four, ending his afternoon.

With eight laps to go the field lined up once again behind Dietrich for the restart. Dietrich and the rest of the top five – Schuchart, Freddie Rahmer, Brandon Rahmer and Anthony Macri – started to pull away from the rest of the field.

Dietrich was just catching the tail end of the field when the white flag waved. Lapped traffic did not come into play and Dietrich took the checkered flag 1.145 seconds ahead of Schuchart.

Freddie Rahmer held onto third and Brandon Rahmer finished fourth. Macri crossed the line fifth after starting 10th in the main event.

The finish:

1. 48-Danny Dietrich ($4,000); 2. 1s-Logan Schuchart; 3. 51-Freddie Rahmer; 4. 88-Brandon Rahmer; 5. 39M-Anthony Macri; 6. 2w-Glenndon Forsythe; 7. 99-Kyle Moody; 8. 5E-Tim Wagaman; 9. 59-Jimmy Siegel; 10. 91-Tony Fiore; 11. 5-Dylan Cisney; 12. 0-Rick Lafferty; 13. 87-Alan Krimes; 14. 73B-Brett Michalski; 15. 49H-Bradley Howard; 16. 44-Dylan Norris; 17. 15-Adam Wilt (DNF); 18. 3z-Brock Zearfoss (DNF); 19. 72-Ryan Smith (DNF); 20. 1x-Chad Trout (DNF); 21. 21-Brian Montieth (DNF); 22. 75-Chase Dietz (DNF); 23. 1a-Jacob Allen (DNF); 24. 19m-Landon Myers (DNF).

BUTTONWILLOW, Calif. – Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour competition got rolling Saturday during a weekend hosted by Cal Club at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.

The day opened with a second round of qualifying, followed by 25-minute timed races on the 2.95-mile circuit – being run counterclockwise this year.

The opening round of this year’s GT-3 Challenge presented by MPI takes place this weekend as part of the Hoosier Super Tour at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, and the first race in the series was Saturday under dry conditions.

Michael Lewis, in the No. 32 Goodyear Mazda RX-7, started on pole and led every lap on his way to victory. Behind him, however, things got interesting.

Taz Harvey, in a Mazda RX-7, held the second spot for most of the race. But Jose Rodriguez, also in a Mazda RX-7, hounded Harvey almost the entire time until he grabbed the second spot with only a couple laps to go.

Harvey brought his car home in third to round out the podium.

The GT-3 Challenge is a series boosting participation in the GT-3 class and supported by Mazda, Max Papis Innovations, Penske Racing Shocks, AiM Sports and Hoosier Racing Tire, with new partners Goodyear Tire, Carbotech Performance Brakes and Bell Racing Helmets jumping aboard this year.

There are five scheduled GT-3 Challenge rounds in 2020 – the others taking place during Hoosier Super Tour events at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and Watkins Glen Int’l, as well as Road America in July, and finally SCCA’s National Championship Runoffs in October.

Saturday’s second race group consisted of fast, open-cockpit formula and prototype cars. And just as they pulled off grid for their pace lap, a light rain began to fall on the circuit.

On slick tires, these cars don’t take kindly to wet surfaces. And on the opening lap in turn one, they showed it, as a bunch of cars got squirrely, sliding sideways and collecting other cars.

Those who emerged victorious after 25 minutes had one heck of a story to tell.

“There was a big melee at the exit of turn one. I’m not sure who was even involved in it, but cars were going everywhere,” said Bill Weaver, who drove his No. 67 James G. Parker Insurance Associates Star Formula Mazda to victory in the Formula X class. “I hit somebody. The front of my car launched up into the air, probably about three feet into the air. But it came down and the wheels were still on, so I just kept driving it.

“No front wing and a wet track is exciting to say the least, but we got it done, finished the race and had a great time.”

Aaron Bailey, who drove his No. 21 BRE/HRX USA/Goodyear/G-LOC Brakes Stohr WF1 to a Prototype 1 win in the same race, also had a tale to tell afterwards.

“That’s the craziest race I’ve been in for a long time,” Bailey said. “I got hit on the start, but another car collected me and actually saved me from spinning completely. It started getting wetter and wetter, slicker and slicker, and I just tried to keep it together as much as I could and drive smooth.”

Over the last two years, Mike Miserendino has claimed all four Hoosier Super Tour Spec Racer Ford Gen3 races at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.

On Saturday, Miserendino looked set to do it again as he came to the white flag with the lead over TJ Acker.

But during the back half of the last lap, the top-two drivers encountered traffic and Acker, driving the No. 62 MBI Racing/Cindescency racecar, ended up crossing the finish line first.

“We had a couple lapped cars to deal with … and I thought that would give Mike the tow to keep out in front of me,” said Acker, who also took a win Saturday in Formula Enterprises 2 driving the No. 62 Bulldog Motorsports Formula Enterprises/Mazda car. “But I got a good run and I think we were three-wide coming off the back straight. I had the inside and had the position getting up the hill and got the lead.”

Winning one Hoosier Super Tour event is pretty special. Winning two Hoosier Super Tour races on the same day, that’s even more special.

Beyond Acker, two other drivers accomplished that feat on Saturday.

One was Christopher Qualls, who drove his Ford Mustang to victory in both Touring 2 and American Sedan. Michael Lewis achieved the same by driving his No. 12 Goodyear Jaguar XKR to victory in GT-1 after claiming the GT-3 win earlier in the day.

Leading Spec Miata to the start line Saturday was Dakota Dickerson, a champion from SCCA Pro’s F4 U.S. and F3 Americas series.

But early on up front it was Steven Powers, Justin Casey, Tristan Littlehale and Nick Leverone. Several of those drivers took a turn at the front or applied copious amounts of pressure to whomever was leading.

On the last lap, Leverone made an amazing run down the backstretch and tried to challenge Powers, who was leading.

But it wasn’t quite enough, and Powers pulled away to victory in his No. 145 Mazda Miata.

Behind Powers, Leverone was passed by Casey, Littlehale and Dickerson who claimed second, third and fourth.

To view a full list of class winners, advance to the next page.

LAS VEGAS -- Amid a sports-filled weekend that included the heavyweight championship boxing match and a NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, hockey fans were reminded about believing in miracles on Saturday night.

Prior to the game between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers, members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team were honored, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the team's epic run to the gold medal in Lake Placid, New York.

"I think as time has gone on, I've had a greater appreciation for my good fortune that I had and to be able to make that team and how it all worked out and that I could be a part of that," John Harrington said. "I think that as the years have gone on that it's humbling to think that I was a part of that. I'm humbled because it's still being talked about 40 years later and I was lucky enough to be a part of it."

The only missing players were Mark Johnson, who is head coach of Wisconsin's women's hockey team; Bob Suter, who died in 2014; and forward Mark Pavelich, who was jailed last year on assault charges and ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial. Also missing was coach Herb Brooks, who was killed in a car accident in 2003.

The ceremony 40 years to the exact day veteran broadcaster Al Michaels asked the world, "Do you believe in miracles?" culminated a two-day celebration that included President Donald Trump introducing the team during a rally and a meet-and-greet with fans in Las Vegas on Friday night.

"Relive the Miracle," originally planned for UNLV's Thomas and Mack Center on Saturday afternoon, was canceled due to poor ticket sales.

Saturday night's sellout crowd greeted Michaels and the former Olympians with enthusiasm and pride, providing them with a standing ovation and a thunderous "U-S-A!" chant as they exited the ice after Florida's Aleksander Barkov and Vegas' Max Pacioretty took the ceremonial opening puck from Team USA captain Mike Eruzione.

NHL Network analyst Brian Lawton, who became the first U.S.-born hockey player drafted first overall in the NHL entry draft when he was taken in 1983 by the Minnesota North Stars, said although the league was not akin to American-born players back then, watching the U.S. team strike gold gave him a bolt of confidence he could play at the next level.

"You could count the number of first-round picks that were American on one hand back then," said Lawton, who is still the only U.S. high school hockey player to be drafted first overall and is one of only eight Americans to be taken first overall. "It was Canada's game and Canada only, and I felt that my first few years in the league. For me, it was significantly important. I wasn't a great player in the NHL, but obviously just by virtue of no one else having done it before -- I was the first American ever picked first and all that stuff -- in some small way hopefully helped other kids down the road."

Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said while it was a tremendous sports story -- one that was chronicled in several films, most notably the 2004 motion picture "Miracle" -- it was the opening puck drop for the evolution of ice hockey in the United States.

"It was the single most important event in the growth of hockey in the United States, McCrimmon said. "When you compare the landscape of U.S. players today with what it would have been at that time, it's incredible how the sport has grown. I just think it was on the front end of tremendous growth in the sport in the U.S."

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban lashed out anew at the overall quality of NBA officiating in a series of tweets Saturday night after Dallas lost 111-107 to the Atlanta Hawks.

Cuban's rant began with a tweet after Atlanta's John Collins converted on a follow shot, which was credited after a goaltending call was overturned. The basket sealed the game for the Hawks with 8.4 seconds remaining.

"So they call a goaltend," Cuban's tweet began. "They literally blew the whistle that it was a goaltend. There was a putback after the whistle. After review they said no goaltend but count the basket? WTF is that? That's NBA officiating."

In a follow-up tweet, Cuban's said, "1 of the refs told us it was an inadvertent whistle, so it was not goaltending. Doesn't matter that people stopped. They thought the whistle came after the putback. So the basket counted. So what where they reviewing if it wasn't a goaltend?"

Crew chief Rodney Mott explained the call after the game.

"The ball was blocked and reviewed," Mott told a pool reporter. "The ball hit the rim, so it was deemed an inadvertent whistle because it was ruled a good block. By rule, it's an inadvertent whistle. It's Rule 2. Because he (Collins) was in his shooting motion when my whistle blew, it's deemed a continuation, so therefore, the basket counts."

Cuban has been fined more than $2 million by the league over the years for his public criticism of officiating.

"Refs have bad games," he tweeted. "Crews have bad games. But this isn't a single game issue. This is the same s--- that has been going on for 20 years. Hire former refs who think they know how to hire, train and manage. Realize 2 years later they can't. Repeat."

MIAMI -- In the arena he made "his house" and the county nicknamed after him, Dwyane Wade stared up at the rafters with a wide grin as his No. 3 jersey was lifted to its rightful place.

Dressed in an all-black suit and shirt combination, Wade stood at center court at halftime and delivered a powerful, emotional speech. He gave thanks to his family, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, his late agent Henry Thomas, Heat Nation and former teammates and coaches among others, but maybe his most impactful message came in his final words, which included a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant.

"Kobe said the most important thing is to try to inspire others so they can be great in whatever they try to do," Wade recalled to a capacity Heat crowd on Saturday night. "I hope I inspired you. Thank you for making me a part of your legacy. Please know you're a huge part of mine."

After the ceremony he expanded on his remarks about Bryant, saying, "The impact that the passing of Kobe has done on myself and so many others is it's made us sit down and stop. Life goes so fast. We move at a rapid pace. It's made me enjoy the moment more. It's made me want to create more memories. It definitely put a lot of things in perspective. As athletes, we're looked at as superheroes. We looked at Kobe as a superhero. That moment has touched all of us and will continue to. Kobe was leading the way -- he retired and showed us in his next act after retirement that you can master that as well. He mastered basketball, he mastered being an amazing father, he mastered being a husband, he mastered being a creator. He was showing us the way and now we don't have that. So I do have a responsibility to be that guy and show the way for the next generation."

In the midst of a three-night celebration of his career, Wade declared that after this weekend concludes with the airing of his documentary, "D. Wade: Life Unexpected," on ESPN on Sunday night it will mark the end of "basketball Dwyane Wade."

As Wade walked onto the court for his jersey retirement ceremony, he turned to his oldest son, Zaire, and said: "This is it. I'm getting out of your way now."

Wade is the fifth Heat player to have his jersey lifted to the rafters, but hearing American Airlines Arena erupt with cheers made it clear that Wade is second to no one in this city.

A three-time champion, a Finals MVP and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Wade is arguably the greatest athlete in South Florida history. But he resonated in this market because he was more than just an athlete. He felt human and superhuman at the same time.

"I hope their memories of me were of someone who gave everything he had on the basketball court, someone who was unselfish, someone who did it the right way, did it his way," Wade said. "[Someone] who in the midst of doing it his way made sure he uplifted others, empowered others, brought others along the journey. When I came into this game, all I wanted was respect. I wanted respect for the way I play the game. You don't know until it's over if that respect is there. The last year and a half I felt that everything I tried to give the game, the game has given back to me. Hopefully it's motivation and inspiration for so many kids and families out there.

"If I'm the face of anything in this world, I'm the face of imperfection. I'm the face of falling down but getting back up. I want that message for the kids. What I share in my documentary, I want that to ring loud and clear. None of us are perfect. But it's how we come back from mistakes, how we come back from when we fall and get back up that determine who we are."

On the court, the current Heat team did its best to impress Wade, setting a franchise record for most points (82) in a half in the opening two quarters Saturday evening. The Heat led the Cleveland Cavaliers 82-52 at half, their first 30-point halftime lead since 2010, before cruising to a 124-105 win.

Heat president Pat Riley and Wade shared a special moment during the ceremony. Riley called Wade on stage with a passionate but succinct closing: "Dwyane, it's all yours, my man. I love you."

Wade then proceeded to open his speech by claiming that Riley knew he had to select Wade in the 2003 draft once the Marquette guard put up a triple-double against Riley's Kentucky Wildcats in the Elite Eight.

Wade's words about Spoelstra were also special as he spoke about early head-butting between the two strong personalities that later became a strong, lifelong bond. He talked about how much he appreciated that journey.

Spoelstra spent a few moments Saturday evening before the game reminiscing about his time with Wade. "He has all the qualities of a champion, a winner, a Hall of Fame player and talent but his humanity, empathy and ability to articulate his feelings separates him from everyone else," Spoelstra said. "It was hard not to get emotion at halftime. It was awesome for our players to see that."

Wade said he got texts earlier Saturday from young stars like Donovan Mitchell and Devin Booker thanking him for paving the way for them. He smiled. That's part of his legacy.

"I'm most proud that I've inspired different generations to want to be better, to want to be greater, to want to do things they never thought they would," Wade said. "My goal is to bring people with me and lift others up along the way. That's legacy. When you're able to change someone's life and help their families have generational wealth. It's not how many points I score or how many times I dunk the ball. That's not legacy to me. Legacy to me is how much change I can create."

CHANDLER, Ariz. – Jeg Coughlin continued his perfect season at the NHRA Arizona Nationals, taking home the No. 1 qualifying spot for the second consecutive NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event.

Brittany Force (Top Fuel) and Matt Hagan (Funny Car) also raced to the No. 1 qualifying spot in their respective classes after a rain-delayed day at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, with the fourth qualifying session being cancelled due to weather.

The trio were also No. 1 qualifiers at the season opener in Pomona.

Coughlin has dominated the season so far, having taken home the No. 1 qualifying position and event win in Pomona two weeks ago.

Saturday qualifying in Phoenix was no different after Coughlin rocketed to the top with a pass of 6.536-seconds at 208.52 mph. The five-time Pro Stock world champion is currently embarking on his “Breaking Barriers Tour,” announcing that he will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2020 season.

He will race rookie Marty Robertson in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday.

“I think coming into the weekend here we were obviously riding right off of back-to-back Pomona wins,” said Coughlin. “Coming into this weekend as the defending champion kind of gave us another little feather in our cap. The team has been aggressive. We’ve been very fortunate our car has been performing really, really well. From behind the wheel, I can tell you we have quite a rocket. It feels amazing.

“I think that gives us a lot of confidence going into race day.”

Coughlin’s teammate Erica Enders sits in the second position with a 6.554-second pass at 208.33, with Aaron Stanfield close behind in third after going 6.567 seconds at 207.69.

In Top Fuel, Force stole the top spot away from Steve Torrence after posting a 3.670-second pass at 327.11 in her Flav-R-Pac dragster. Saturday’s No. 1 qualifier marks Force’s second No. 1 of the season and the 20th of her career.

Force is looking to take home her first win at Phoenix, set to face off against Terry Totten in the opening round of eliminations.

“We were trying to run a little bit quicker than that,” Force said. “That was barely around Torrence, but we stole the No. 1 spot. We got our second (green No. 1 qualifier) hat of the season. Really what our plan is, is to go out and win on race day. We’ve been consistent all weekend long with the three runs that we’ve had, but we need to do the same thing all day long tomorrow. It’s consistency. We made some mistakes carrying it over on race day a couple of weeks ago in Pomona, but we’re ready for race day.

“We’re ready to go out and hopefully win the thing.”

Reigning Top Fuel champion Torrence sits in a close second after a run of 3.671 seconds at 326.48. Leah Pruett rounds out the top three with a pass of 3.680 seconds at 328.06.

Hagan finds himself in the No. 1 spot for the second race in a row this season with a run of 3.859-seconds at 331.61 in his MOPAR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat.

Saturday’s No. 1 qualifier marks Hagan’s 38th career start from the No. 1 spot and his second pole at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.

Hagan will face off against Jeff Diehl in the opening round of eliminations.

“We have a really great race car,” said Hagan. “It’s driving well and it’s handling well. The car has been really performing. I’m just really excited about tomorrow. We’re going to have great weather on race day and we’re going to get after it. Dicky (Venables, crew chief) is one of those guys that really rises to the occasion all the time. When you’re strapped in that car and the conditions are right he can really throw down and always put you right where you need to be. Not a lot of guys out there can really say that.”

Following close behind Hagan is John Force in second, after posting a 3.861-second pass at 331.94. In the third spot is Robert Hight after a pass of 3.867 seconds at 330.55.

LAS VEGAS – Saturday proved the old racer’s adage true that “it only rains in the desert when NASCAR comes to town.”

Unfortunately for the stars of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, that was the reality of the situation all afternoon, with rain showers delaying the start of the Boyd Gaming 300 and then ultimately postponing the majority of the event to Sunday evening.

Fifty of the 200 scheduled laps were completed in a brief window before persistent storms settled in the Las Vegas area and made hopes of a nighttime resumption impossible.

The remaining three quarters of the event will be run at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET Sunday, following the conclusion of the NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 at the track.

FS2 will carry the broadcast of the second Xfinity Series race of the season.

After starting from the front row, Chase Briscoe dominated the opening stage, leading twice for 26 of the first 45 laps en route to his fifth career stage win and first of the season.

“I wish we’d been able to keep it going, because our car was really good, but now we get to sit in the rain,” Briscoe noted during the rain delay. “Hopefully we can get it going soon … they say it never rains here a full day and I feel like that’s all it’s done, but it is what it is.

“I’m sure our balance will be a little different than what we had, but I felt like we were pretty close (to where we needed to be).”

Ross Chastain steamrolled from 25th on the grid to second, followed by Austin Cindric, Brandon Jones and Justin Allgaier.

Michael Annett, Harrison Burton, Noah Gragson, Justin Haley and Riley Herbst completed the top 10 and all scored bonus points during the first stage break of the afternoon.

Briscoe led the lead-lap cars down pit road at the intermission and won the race off pit road, but Joe Graf Jr. stayed out and will be the race leader when action resumes Sunday.

Briscoe, Cindric, Chastain and Jones will follow in the top five. Racing will pick up at lap 51.

Aside from the stage caution, the only other yellow came on lap 19 when Daniel Hemric lost control of his No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro on the frontstretch and overcorrected, shooting back across the track and making hard right-side contact with the outside SAFER Barrier.

Hemric was uninjured in the incident and later took responsibility for the crash on Twitter.

I can say this happened or that happened, but at the end of the day, it’s my job to get to pit road to work on it without crashing. I failed miserably at that today. My lip is hung out, I’ll pout the rest of the weekend, but I’ll be ready to answer the call come Monday.

— Daniel Hemric (@DanielHemric) February 23, 2020

The remainder of the Boyd Gaming 300 will commence roughly one hour after the conclusion of the NASCAR Cup Series event on Sunday.

When both of the Carolina Hurricanes goaltenders left Saturday's game versus the Toronto Maple Leafs with injuries, 42-year-old Dave Ayres came in as the emergency backup goaltender -- and stopped eight of 10 shots he faced to seal a 6-3 win for the Canes.

Ayres allowed goals on the first two shots he faced before stopping the final eight in succession.

Ayres, a Zamboni driver and arena maintenance worker for the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, has been the regular practice goaltender for the Marlies and has appeared at Maple Leafs practices and skills sessions this season.

"It was awesome, I had the time of my life out there," Ayres told the Sportsnet broadcast after the game. After he was named the No. 1 star, the crowd in Toronto gave him a loud ovation.

Per NHL rules, Ayers was paid $500 for the game, and was allowed to keep his game-worn jersey.

Carolina had a 3-1 lead when Ayres took over. James Reimer started in goal, but left 6:10 into the first period with a lower body injury. Petr Mrazek left in the second period after he collided with Toronto forward Kyle Clifford.

Ayres, a Whitby, Ontario, native, came into the game with a No. 90 Hurricanes jersey, but was wearing a helmet featuring Toronto Marlies decals. Several Toronto players came to give him stick taps after the second period.

Ayers' own hockey career was derailed by a kidney transplant in 2004. Ayres' mother, Mary, was his kidney donor. Ayres' last competitive action was an eight-game stint with the Norwood Vipers of the Allan Cup Hockey League. He allowed 58 goals, had a .777 save percentage and a 0-8 record.

The Canes mobbed Ayres after he made a save at the final buzzer. Ayres is the second backup goaltender to gain notoriety over the past three years. In March 2018, Chicago-area accountant Scott Foster was called on in a Blackhawks game and made seven saves over 14 minutes to seal the win -- and achieve viral fame.

The health status of both of Carolina's goaltenders is unclear. The NHL's trade deadline is 3 p.m. ET Monday.

SAN DIEGO -- Elijah Mitrou-Long scored 19 points, including two free throws with 11.5 seconds left, and UNLV handed No. 4 San Diego State its first loss of the season, 66-63 on Saturday night, to end the Aztecs' 26-game winning streak.

San Diego State, which had been the nation's only undefeated team since Jan. 15, erased most of a 14-point deficit when it pulled to 64-63 on Malachi Flynn's 3-pointer with 14.5 seconds left. Mitrou-Long was fouled by Matt Mitchell with 11.5 seconds left and made both free throws.

Flynn missed a contested 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds left and the ball went to the Rebels. After a long pass down the court, Mitchell ended up with the ball, and his desperation shot at the buzzer fell short.

SDSU (26-1, 15-1 Mountain West) unveiled the regular-season conference banner before the game and then looked nothing like the team that raced to the best start in school history. The Aztecs trailed by 14 midway through the second half and were down 11 with 4:32 to go.

They were uncharacteristically porous on defense and sloppy on offense, missing easy shots and committing careless turnovers.

SDSU had been projected as the No. 1 seed in the East in the NCAA tournament. Providing the Aztecs don't stumble again, the loss could keep the Aztecs in the West as the No. 2 seed. Gonzaga is the projected No. 1 seed in the West, where the regionals will be at Staples Center up the freeway in Los Angeles.

Amauri Hardy scored 17 points and Bryce Hamilton added 11 points and 10 rebounds for UNLV (15-14, 10-6).

Flynn scored 24, Mitchell 13 and Jordan Schakel 10 for SDSU.

SDSU pulled to 62-60 with 25.6 seconds left after Flynn's two free throws and Aguek Arop's layup.

Mitrou-Long then made two free throws with 19.9 seconds left for a four-point lead.

Hardy's jumper gave UNLV a 44-30 lead three minutes into the second half, before SDSU pulled within seven, thanks to Flynn's layup and Schakel's 3-pointer. But Hardy then made a jumper from the free throw line and a layup to put the Rebels back up by double digits.

UNLV took advantage of numerous SDSU breakdowns to take a double-digit lead midway through the first half and pushed it to 37-25 at halftime on a steal and slam dunk by Mitrou-Long.

SDSU had the lead just once, at 14-13 after Flynn's 3-pointer, then allowed UNLV to go on a 10-0 run. Mitrou-Long started it by converting a 4-point play when he hit a 3-pointer and was fouled by Flynn. UNLV's Cheikh Mbacke Diong scored inside, then Hardy hit a floater and Mitrou-Long made a layup.

SDSU's only points in a four-minute span were two free throws apiece by Mitchell and Flynn. UNLV kept connecting, though, getting a bank shot by Hamilton and a 3-pointer by Mitrou-Long to take its first double-digit lead, 28-18, with 7:12 before halftime.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Aztecs will drop from their No. 4 spot in the Top 25, which matched the highest ranking in school history.

BIG PICTURE

UNLV: The Rebels lost at home to SDSU by just four points on Jan. 26. They came out strong on the road and let SDSU have the lead just once in the first half, at 14-13 after Flynn's 3-pointer.

SDSU: Mitchell was recognized before the game for reaching the 1,000-point plateau, which he accomplished in the previous home game, on Feb. 11 against New Mexico.

UP NEXT

UNLV hosts Boise State in its home finale on Wednesday night. SDSU hosts Colorado State in its home finale on Tuesday night.

February 23: Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United, Lahore

Our XI: Fakhar Zaman, Chris Lynn, Ben Dunk, Colin Ingram, Dawid Malan, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Shinwari, Seekkuge Prasanna, Hussain Talat, Haris Rauf

Captain: Fakhar Zaman

Zaman is a dasher who is difficult to stop when he gets going. He was the highest run-scorer for his side in PSL 2019 with 285 runs at a strike rate of 137.68. In T20s, 63% of his runs come in boundaries and in PSL 2019, 67% of his runs came in boundaries. Once he gets his eye in, he could get you loads of points.

Vice-captain: Shadab Khan

On a pitch that is expected to be a bit tacky, a wicket-taking legspinner as your vice-captain is a good choice. Shadab has picked up seven wickets in his last five T20 games (domestic and international) and also scored a 64 not out.

Hot Picks

Usman Shinwari: Shinwari picked up 13 wickets at a strike rate of 14.3 for Karachi Kings last season. His career strike rate is 16.4, which suggests he had an above-par tournament the last time. He also picked up five-for in the last T20 game he played.

Haris Rauf: Rauf has picked up 35 wickets in wins and six wickets in losses in T20s, which clearly suggests that if he picks up wickets, his team wins. His 20 wickets in the recent BBL is the most by an Asian bowler in a single season of the competition.

Value Picks:

Hussain Talat: Talat is a genuine allrounder with 1696 runs and 31 wickets in T20s. He has a strike rate of 122 with the bat and 18.6 with the ball, so he can get you points in either half.

Seekkuge Prasanna: The Sri Lankan has been a regular in the BPL and CPL over the years, but this will be his maiden PSL stint. He started off as a legspinner who could bat a bit but has developed into a proper power-hitter. Prasanna has a batting strike rate of 161.35 in the format to go with his 115 wickets at a strike rate of 7.11.

Point to note

• The average Powerplay score in all T20s since 2018 at the Gaddafi Stadium is 49 in the first innings and 40 in the second innings.