US women defeat Canada to take gold

The United States won its second women's world hockey championship yesterday in Harbin, China, upsetting Canada, 4-3, behind two goals from Natalie Darwitz. Harvard alum Angela Ruggiero and Jenny Potter also scored for the United States, which had lost to Canada in nine of the last 10 finals. The Americans won the title in 2005. Harvard's Sarah Vaillancourt, Dartmouth alum Katie Weatherston, and Ruggiero's former Harvard roommate, Jennifer Botterill, scored for Canada, the 2006 Olympic champion . . . Philadelphia Flyers left wing Patrick Thoresen was released from the hospital after tests revealed no serious injury from a shot that hit him in the groin area in Friday's 5-4 loss to Washington. The 24-year-old forward was taken to Washington Hospital Center, where two ultrasound tests turned up negative. "They were checking to see if there was a rupture," general manager Paul Holmgren said . . . Former UNH goalie Kevin Regan of South Boston earned a shutout in his professional debut as the Providence Bruins defeated the host Manchester Monarchs, 3-0. T.J. Trevelyan, Jeff Hoggan, and Martins Karsums scored for the Bruins.

San Francisco outfielder Dave Roberts had surgery on his troublesome left knee, and it could be 12 weeks before he rejoins the Giants. Fred Lewis will play regularly in Roberts's spot in left field. Roberts batted .118 with one RBI in six games. Team orthopedist Ken Akizuki performed the 45-minute procedure to clean out cartilage behind Roberts's kneecap . . . Scott Spiezio was released by the Atlanta Braves from their top minor league affiliate less than a week after the veteran infielder pleaded guilty in a drunken-driving case. Spiezio spent 12 years in the majors . . . The last baseball Barry Bonds hit out of the park sold for $376,612, the winning bid coming from a buyer who wanted to remain anonymous. There were 13 bids on the ball caught by Jameson Sutton Sept. 5 during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

Detroit Tigers lefthander Dontrelle Willis was placed on the 15-day disabled list after an MRI confirmed he has a hyperextended right knee. Willis injured the knee while delivering a pitch in the first inning Friday against the Chicago White Sox and minutes later was taken out of the game . . . Atlanta's Fulton County Medical Examiner's office says it will be several weeks before it knows the cause of death of Georgia Tech pitcher Michael Hutts, who was found dead in his apartment Friday. Coroner's investigator Mike Alsip told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution there was no obvious violent cause of death and results of toxicology tests will be used to determine the cause.

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe broke the world's oldest short-course record in Manchester, England, winning the 200-meter individual medley in 2 minutes 6.13 seconds to take her fourth gold of the week. The previous mark of 2:07.79 had been held by American Allison Wagner since the inaugural edition of the meet in December 1993. Mireia Belmonte of Spain finished second, also inside the old mark in 2:07.47. Ryan Lochte set a world record in the 100 individual medley semifinal in 51.25.

A witness in the federal investigation into performance-enhancing drugs said he advised and supplied drugs to track coach Trevor Graham and his athletes, including Maurice Greene, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion who has never been previously linked to performance-enhancing drugs, and Marion Jones, The New York Times reported on its website. Angel Guillermo Heredia, identified as Source A in the felony indictment, said he has provided prosecutors with the names of many elite track athletes . . . Lindsay Davenport withdrew from the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Fla., because of fever and aches before her semifinal against Maria Sharapova. Sharapova will play Dominika Cibulkova, an 18-year-old Slovakian who defeated Alize Cornet, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, to earn her first WTA final . . . Miguel Cotto battered Alfonso Gomez for five rounds in Atlantic City to retain his World Boxing Association welterweight title and set up a fight with Antonio Margarito, who knocked out Kermit Cintron in the sixth round to win the International Boxing Federation crown in an earlier bout . . . Light heavyweight Antonio Tarver defeated Clinton Woods with a unanimous 12-round decision to retain his lightly regarded International Boxing Organization crown and seize the IBF title from his British foe in Tampa . . . Four-time national champion and 2004 Olympian Taraje Williams-Murray of Wakefield was upset by Nick Kossor in the USA Judo Senior Championships in Virginia Beach . . . Colorado extreme skier John Nicoletta, 27, lost control when he tried to ski off a band of rock called the Headwall, tumbling to his death in the Subaru Freeskiing World Championships at the Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood, Alaska. He was a Westford native and 2000 graduate of Lawrence Academy in Groton.