Category: Sports

Penguins forward Bryan Rust put on the injured reserve with a lower body injury

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust was put on the injured reserve yesterday.

Rust will be sidelined for a minimum of six weeks due to a lower body injury that he suffered during the Penguins’ game against the Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City on Monday.

Penguins head coach Dan Muse announced Rust’s status after a morning skate in Cranberry yesterday.

Rust has five points (three goals and two assists) while averaging 17:22 of ice time per game in seven games this season for the Penguins.

Rust is also primarily skating as the first-line right winger in those games.

Silovs, Penguins blank Panthers 4-0 to spoil Florida goalie Cooper Black’s record-setting NHL debut

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs (37) reaches to block a shot-attempt by Florida Panthers’ Sam Reinhart (13) with Penguins’ Spencer Stastney (24) defending during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh’s Arturs Silovs stopped 25 shots to spoil the history-making debut of Florida counterpart Cooper Black as the Penguins beat the Panthers 4-0 on Thursday.

Black, who at 6-foot-9 became the tallest goalie ever to appear in an NHL regular season game, made 18 saves but it wasn’t enough to stop the Panthers from dropping their second game in as many nights.

Nick Robertson scored twice for Pittsburgh. Hendrix Lapierre and Evgeni Malkin both finished with a goal and an assist as the Penguins shook off a miserable Western Conference road trip in which they were badly outplayed in losses to Chicago, Colorado, Vegas and Utah.

The trip ended with 19-year-old forward Ben Kindel collapsing on Tuesday during the flight back to Pittsburgh. Kindel spent the night in a Salt Lake City hospital for observation and returned to the Penguins’ facility on Thursday. The team placed him on injured reserve but is hopeful may be able to return to practice as early as next week.

Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse shuffled his lines in hopes of a spark, and the Penguins responded by solving the towering Black, a 25-year-old from Michigan, three times.

Black, called up from Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte recently after Jacob Markstrom sustained a shoulder injury, was sharp early as the Panthers struggled to find their legs a night after an emotionally charged loss in Ottawa.

Lapierre doubled Pittsburgh’s lead at the game’s halfway point after taking a pretty feed on the rush from Ville Koivunen and Malkin’s third goal in four games was more than enough for Silovs, who was only sporadically challenged while picking up his second shutout of the season and fourth of his career.

Up next

Panthers: Continue their four-game road trip on Sunday in Chicago.

Penguins: Host Nashville on Saturday.

Penguins forward Ben Kindel back in Pittsburgh, released from a Utah hospital after collapsing on team’s flight

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel plays in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Oct. 7, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel is back in Pittsburgh and recovering after collapsing on the team’s flight back from Utah earlier this week.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said Thursday that the 19-year-old Kindel fell ill about 10 minutes after the club left Salt Lake City on Tuesday. Team medical personnel attended to him immediately, and Kindel quickly regained consciousness.

The plane turned back to the airport for an emergency landing, and Kindel was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital for observation before being released on Wednesday.

Kindel had a vasovagal episode, which is marked by a sharp drop in heart rate and blood pressure, according to Dubas. Kindel was undergoing further testing in an effort to determine the cause at the team complex on Thursday. Dubas said Kindel had no prior history of collapsing.

Dubas, who met with Kindel on Thursday morning, described the teenager as “very clearly shaken.”

The Penguins placed the 2025 first-round pick on injured reserve, and while there is no timetable for his return, Dubas added the club is optimistic Kindel could be cleared to work out by the end of the weekend, pending test results.

“We will obviously follow very strict guidelines to ensure a safe return to training and play for Ben,” Dubas said. “That’s our primary goal and paramount to his future and health, so that’s how we will handle it.”

Kindel has two points and two assists in nine games this season for Pittsburgh. He played nearly 19 minutes during a loss to Utah on Monday night.

The Penguins cancelled practice on Wednesday while the team provided off-ice resources for the players. The club was back at practice for a morning skate Thursday ahead of a visit by the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena.

“Whether you like it or not, the show goes on tonight,” Dubas said. “And so we have to gear up and get ready for that. And that’s the number one: take care of our people. And the number two: put them in a place to perform.”

Pittsburgh, which also placed forward Bryan Rust on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue, has dropped four straight games and sits at next-to-last in the Eastern Conference.

Penguins forward Ben Kindel suffers seizure during medical episode on team’s flight from Salt Lake City

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins’ Ben Kindel (81) is defended by Winnipeg Jets’ Josh Morrissey (44) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Salt Lake City, UT) Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel is recovering after suffering a medical episode yesterday on the team’s flight from Salt Lake City, Utah.

Multiple reporters in Pittsburgh have recently indicated that the nineteen-year-old Kindel suffered a seizure during the flight.

According to the Penguins, Kindel is conscious, alert and stable.

Penguins forward Ben Kindel hospitalized in Utah after having medical emergency on team flight

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins’ Ben Kindel (81) is defended by Winnipeg Jets’ Josh Morrissey (44) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel was being evaluated at a Salt Lake City hospital on Tuesday after having a medical emergency on the team’s flight home from a four-game trip.

The club said the 19-year-old Kindel had an unspecified issue shortly after the team’s plane took off from the Salt Lake City airport on Tuesday.

The plane returned to the airport while Kindel was tended to on the flight by the team’s medical staff. He was taken by ambulance to the University of Utah hospital.

The team said Kindel was conscious, alert and stable.

Kindel, in his second season with the Penguins after being selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2025 draft, has two goals and two assists in nine games. He played 18 minutes, 53 seconds in a 5-4 loss to Utah on Monday night.

Report: Steelers signing wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to team’s practice squad, marking return to Steelers

(Caption for Photo: Steelers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling goes for a pass in a Dec. 21, 2025, game against the Lions in Detroit. Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) According to a report from “The Athletic” last night, the Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to sign veteran wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the team’s practice squad.

The Los Angeles Chargers released the thirty-two-year-old Valdes-Scantling on Saturday.

He returns to the Steelers after playing for them in 2025 and caught 10 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown.

One of the NFL teams that Valdes-Scantling previously played for was the Green Bay Packers, and he has chemistry with Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy.

Valdez-Scantling played for the Packers from 2018-2021, and Rodgers was the Packers’ starting quarterback at that time, and McCarthy was the head coach for the Packers during the 2018 season.

Valdez-Scantling’s return to the Steelers comes as the Steelers are dealing with injuries to several of the team’s wide receivers.

The Steelers played a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa on Sunday without wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr., Ben Skowronek and Roman Wilson.

Valdez-Scantling’s accolades include being a two-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver in his only two seasons playing for the Kansas City Chiefs (2022 and 2023).

Mammoth hold off late charge from Penguins for 5-4 win

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Utah Mammoth right wing Kailer Yammamoto, front right, scores against Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs (37) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, October 19, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

(SALT LAKE CITY- AP)– — Clayton Keller, Kevin Stenlund, Nate Schmidt and Nick Schmaltz all tallied a goal and an assist to help the Utah Mammoth beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 on Monday night.

Kailer Yamamoto added a goal, and Sebastian Cossa had 15 stops for Utah.

Erik Karlsson, Richard Rakell, Egor Chinakhov, and Declan Carlile each scored for Pittsburgh. Bryan Rust assisted on two goals. Arturs Silovs tallied 24 saves.

Karlsson’s deflected power-play goal put the Penguins on the board just 71 seconds into the game.

Keller leveled the score with a backhand at 6:00 of the first with his third goal in three games. Lawson Crouse snagged the puck near the boards and redirected it around Karlsson’s leg to Keller between the circles.

Stenlund tapped in the puck from close range with 9:50 left in the first to give the Mammoth their first lead.

Rakell tied it up on another power play goal at 7:01 of the second, flicking in a wrist shot near the left post.

Utah surged back in front with a pair of goals late in the second. Schmidt reclaimed the lead with 8:16 to go, blasting a slapshot home from near the blue line. Yamamoto tipped in the puck from the low slot with 5:20 left to extend the lead.

Schmaltz’s power play goal made it 5-2 for Utah at 1:36 of the third. Silovs denied his initial shot, but Schmaltz threaded a backhand around the goalie’s left leg on second effort.

The Penguins cut the deficit to one late in the third period with goals from Chinakhov and Carlile. Chinakhov found the back of the net at 2:55 of the third. Carlile followed with a score off a wrist shot with 5:05 left.

Up next

Penguins: Host Florida on Thursday.

Mammoth: At Seattle on Thursday.

Steelers coach Mike McCarthy shrugs off foot injury after halftime tent visit in Steelers’ game against the Buccaneers in Tampa

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy talks on the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike McCarthy was able to laugh off an injury after spending halftime of Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the medical tent after his foot was stepped on.

The team’s medical staff and the Steelers overcoming a 13-point, second-half deficit to win 26-19 in overtime made him feel a lot better.

McCarthy limped across the field toward the visiting locker room at Raymond James Stadium before turning and walking slowly to the tent behind Pittsburgh’s bench. He returned to the sideline for the second half with the Steelers trailing 13-3.

“I don’t recommend it,” McCarthy said of his time in the injury tent. “It’s really hot in there.”

McCarthy credited the Steelers’ medical staff for making sure he was able to stay on the sideline and said he was able to communicate with the team from the tent while assistant head coach/secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. handled the duties.

“Joe has head coach responsibilities normally, so they didn’t miss a beat,” McCarthy added.

NFL halftime periods are 13 minutes, which meant that there wasn’t going to be much time for McCarthy to get into the locker room and then get back on the field.

Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said that not much happens at halftime, anyway.

“People don’t realize what happens at halftime, I think,” he said. “There’s like a huddle by the coaches in the back and the players … we’re just BS’ing and talking among ourselves about things that happened. Some sandwiches get eaten and bananas. … There’s not a whole lot of stuff that happens at halftime.”

Rodgers said that he received word that McCarthy was in the tent and was happy the coach was good to go for the second half.

“I’m glad he’s OK,” Rodgers added. “He’s from Pittsburgh. He toughed it out.”

The Steelers rallied with 16 points in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 19 before winning in overtime.

Steelers kicker Chris Boswell breaks Steelers franchise record for career field goals

(Credit for Photo: Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell (9) kicks a field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Tampa, FL) Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell now owns the Steelers franchise record for most career field goals. 

Boswell, who is in his 12th NFL season out of Rice University, now has 312 career field goals in a Steelers uniform. 

He kicked a 52-yard field goal right at the end of the first half of the Steelers’ game yesterday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa to tie the previous Steelers franchise record of 309 field goals set by Gary Anderson. 

Boswell broke the record with a 39-yard field goal in the fourth quarter of that same game and made two more field goals before the game ended in overtime. 

Boswell has made 13 field goals out of 17 attempted and is a perfect 12 for 12 on extra points so far this season.

Four of his made field goals this season were distanced at 50 yards or longer.

Brighton Township Bears youth football team officially barred from their league’s 2026 playoffs

(File Photo of a Football)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Brighton Township, PA) The Brighton Township Bears youth football team has now been officially barred from participating in the 2026 playoffs of the Beaver County Youth Football League.

This decision follows a failed attempt by the Bears organization to overturn a league ruling which removed the team from playoff contention.

That suspension occurred after a player reached the age of thirteen years old during the season, which broke age rules set by the league.

The Bears organization informed families of the final ruling via a written notice last week and the statement confirms: “We recognize how deeply disappointing this is for our players, cheerleaders, coaches, and families who have dedicated so much time and effort throughout the season.”

The Bears organization requested that families maintain a respectful demeanor online as well as during any engagements with opposing teams to avoid any further penalties.