The Komets are 1-1-0 in their first ECHL season, and there’s already an influx of new players.
On Tuesday, the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks assigned right wing Matt Kennedy to the Komets, and the American Hockey League’s Norfolk Admirals sent down defenseman Nick Schaus, both according to the AHL website.
Fort Wayne general manager David Franke confirmed he is close to signing free-agent defenseman Colten Hayes, who had three goals, 23 points and 90 penalty minutes in 48 games last season with Reading.
Kennedy, a fifth-round pick of Carolina in 2009, had one goal and six points in 42 AHL games with Syracuse last season.
Schaus had four goals and eight points in 45 games with Syracuse, and he also played 10 ECHL games with Elmira under former Komets coach Pat Bingham. He was a teammate of Chris Auger at UMass-Lowell.
No players had yet been let go to make room. The Komets play at Kalamazoo, Mich., Friday night.
Today, the Komets will hold an open house for season-ticket holders at the Lutheran Health SportsCenter’s Thirsty Penguin from 6 to 8 p.m. The entire team will be there and there will be prizes.
Auto racing
Around the tracks
NASCAR and Fox Sports Media Group announced a $2.4 billion, eight-year extension that runs through 2022 and keeps the prestigious Daytona 500 and the first third of the Sprint Cup Series schedule on the network. …
AJ Allmendinger will get another start with Phoenix Racing this weekend at Kansas Speedway.
Baseball
Ratings down
Television ratings for baseball’s division series are down from last year. The 18 games on TBS, with all four series going the distance, averaged a 2.4 rating. That’s down 11 percent from the 2.7 for 19 games in 2011.
Knee injection for 76ers center
Philadelphia center Andrew Bynum is scheduled for another injection on his injured right knee. Bynum was to receive an injection of Synvisc – a gel-like substance that sometimes provides relief for inflamed tissue on Monday.
Cycling
Olympic BMX rider dies in car accident
Olympic BMX cyclist Kyle Bennett was killed in an automobile accident in Conroe, Texas, north of Houston. He was 33. Bennett was a three-time BMX world champion and won an automatic spot on the first U.S. BMX Olympic team in 2008.
FOOTBALL
Irish-Sooners set For 8 p.m. kickoff
Notre Dame’s game at No. 10 Oklahoma (4-1) will kickoff at 8 p.m. Oct. 27 and will be broadcast by ABC, the network announced. It will by the fourth night game for the No. 5 Irish (6-0) this season.
Irish players earn weekly honors
Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o was named the Lott IMPACT player of the week for the third time this season after his 11-tackle performance in Saturday’s 20-13 overtime victory against Stanford. Safety Matthias Farley, who had eight tackles and returned an interception 49 yards against the Cardinal, was named the independent defensive player of the week. Kicker Kyle Brindza, who connected on field goals of 29 and 22 yards and had touchbacks on all four of his kickoffs, was named the independent special teams player of the week.
Saint Francis falls to 9th in NAIA poll
Saint Francis dropped from seventh to ninth in the recent NAIA coaches poll. The Cougars (4-2) lost at No. 1-ranked Marian on Saturday, 45-38. Marian (6-0) received 13 of 14 first-place votes to remain atop the poll. No. 2 Georgetown (7-0) received the other first place vote. Missouri Valley (6-0), Morningside, Iowa (6-0) and William Penn (7-0) remained unchanged in the top five. Saint Francis will play at William Penn on Saturday. It is the 162nd consecutive poll in which Saint Francis has been in the top 25.
Time, TV set for Purdue-Minnesota
Purdue’s Oct. 27 football game at Minnesota will begin at 3:30 p.m., the school announced Monday. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Texas coach not ready to retire
Texas coach Mack Brown, 61, dismissed suggestions he may be ready to retire, saying he’s still got energy and the backing of the school and its big boosters. Brown, who is 17-14 over the last three seasons, is under contract until 2020.
Hockey
NHL talks to resume today
The NHL and the locked-out players’ union will resume negotiations today in Toronto after a four-day break following two days of meetings last week. The announcement came on the same day players missed their first scheduled paycheck of the regular season. The NHL has called off 82 games through Oct. 24 – the first two weeks of the season. More cancellations likely will be made soon if a deal isn’t reached.
