Kovalchuk's OT goal gives Russia title

Ilya Kovalchuk scored his second goal of the game in overtime yesterday, giving Russia its first title at the world hockey championships since 1993 with a 5-4 win over Canada in Quebec. Canada took a 4-2 lead into the third period, but couldn't hold off the Russians. Alexei Tereshchenko and Kovalchuk scored to tie it, setting the stage for the overtime winner. Canada's Rick Nash was sent to the penalty box after accidentally sending the puck over the glass from his end. The Russians then put out four forwards for the 4-on-3 advantage and Kovalchuk beat Canadian goalie Cam Ward with a wrist shot at 2:42 of the extra period. Canada's loss kept the home-team curse alive in the world hockey championships, which has not been won by the host country since the Soviet Union in 1986. Canada won the title last year in Moscow. The loss also ended a 17-game winning streak for Canada dating to last year's tournament.

After qualifying for next Sunday's Indianapolis 500 during "Bump Day," A.J. Foyt IV crashed hard during a later practice session. Foyt's car caught fire and he had a slight burn to the back of his neck, but he was otherwise unhurt. Foyt, the grandson of the four-time Indy winner, had already conquered the 20-mile-per-hour winds at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on his qualifying run before finding real trouble - his fuel tank cover came off and the spraying fuel was ignited from the heat of the engine. With flames shooting from the rear of the car, he spun hard into the wall going into the third turn. Foyt was taken to the infield hospital for a routine examination and later released and cleared to drive. Foyt bumped Marty Roth, the slowest of the first 33 qualifiers, from the tentative field, but about 90 minutes later Roth bounced back into the lineup by bumping Buddy Lazier, who rejoined the field on one of the final runs of the day . . . Although his victory Saturday night in the Sprint Cup Series All-Star race in Concord, N.C., didn't count toward ending his 52-race winless streak in official NASCAR events, Kasey Kahne will gladly take the confidence boost - and $1 million payout. "I'm already looking forward to next weekend's [Coca-Cola] 600," Kahne said.

Padres ace Jake Peavy will miss his scheduled start tonight against St. Louis with soreness in his pitching elbow. The reigning Cy Young winner will visit with team physicians this morning to determine the root of the discomfort the righthander has experienced in his elbow during his last three or four starts. "It's not like a normal soreness," Peavy said. "We don't know how big, but it's always better to be safe than sorry." . . . One day after leaving a start with a hip injury, Astros ace Roy Oswalt said he's unsure about making his next scheduled start Thursday . . . Alex Rodriguez remains on target to rejoin the Yankees tomorrow after hitting a grand slam in a simulated game in Tampa . . . The Mariners optioned slumping rookie catcher Jeff Clement to Triple A Tacoma after he hit just .167 in 15 games . . . Chris Carter's grand slam propelled Pawtucket to a 7-1 win at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the first game of a doubleheader, but the PawSox dropped the second game to the Yankees, 7-3 . . . Zachary Daeges drove in three runs for Portland as the visiting Sea Dogs beat the New Britain Rock Cats, 7-6.

Rafael Nadal beat defending champion Roger Federer, 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, to win the Hamburg Masters and add the only major clay-court title missing from his impressive collection. It was the reverse of last year's final, when Federer won his fourth title in Hamburg and snapped Nadal's 81-match winning streak on clay. Nadal rallied from big deficits in the first two sets, although he lost the tiebreaker in the second. He led, 4-1, in the third and held on to raise his record against the top-ranked player to 8-1 on clay and 10-6 overall. The second-ranked Spaniard has 26 career titles, 21 of them on clay. Federer had won 41 straight matches in Germany . . . Jelena Jankovic overcame tightness in her neck and French teenager Alize Cornet, 6-2, 6-2, to win the Italian Open in Rome for the second straight year.

Tamika Whitmore scored 14 of her 17 points in the first half, Asjha Jones and Lindsay Whalen each had 16 points, and the Connecticut Sun (2-0) squandered most of an 18-point lead in the third quarter before finishing off host New York, 77-63, to spoil the Liberty's WNBA season opener . . . Former UConn star Charde Houston scored 21 points in her WNBA debut to help the Minnesota Lynx win their season opener, 84-70, over the visiting Detroit Shock . . . More than four months after Andrew Bynum injured his left knee, it's been decided the Los Angeles Lakers center will undergo arthroscopic surgery . . . Akron basketball player Rydell Brooks was arrested early yesterday after shooting at police officers during a foot chase following a traffic stop. He was being held in Summit County (Ohio) jail and faces attempted murder and felonious assault charges . . . In Major League Soccer, Edson Buddle had three goals and the Los Angeles Galaxy scored four times in a span of 14 minutes in a 5-1 victory over FC Dallas in Frisco, Texas . . . Jenn Stuczynski broke her American record in the pole vault at the Adidas Track Classic in Carson, Calif., clearing 16 feet 3/4 inches. Tyson Gay swept the 100 (10.05 seconds) and 200 meters (20.08) . . . Michael Phelps dominated at the Santa Clara Grand Prix in California, winning the 100 freestyle, 200 individual medley, and 100 backstroke - the first time he has beaten rival Aaron Peirsol in a backstroke event. North Easton's Erik Vendt set a US Open record in the 1,500 freestyle in 14:46.78.