Phantoms school Green Bay

YOUNGSTOWN — In front of over 5,700 area school children, the Youngstown Phantoms (30-15-0-1, 61pts) took the Green Bay Gamblers to school Thursday morning, knocking off their Eastern Conference foe 3-1 at the Covelli Centre.

“It was awesome to see the energy with all the students and the staff and the teachers in the building. It was an electric atmosphere. Our guys were excited to play,” said Phantoms Head Coach Ryan Ward. “Overall, happy with the effort. It was an exciting, different style of a game today.”

Youngstown struck twice in the opening half of the first period to grab a 2-0 lead. Justin Kerr scored on a shorthanded breakaway 3:28 into the game, giving the Phantoms a lead they would not relinquish. Kerr, who missed 17 games with an injury, has 2 goals and 1 assist in 6 games since returning to the lineup.

“I saw the puck rolling, and thought I’d take off and take a chance,” said Kerr. “Honestly didn’t think I was going to score, but I’ll take it.” Just under five minutes later, Michael Mesic put home the rebound of Conner de Haro’s shot for a power play goal at 8:18, staking the Phantoms to the aforementioned 2-0 lead.

Green Bay answered with a power play goal of their own at 8:48 of the second, a snipe from the top of the left circle by Will Zellers, the USHL’s leading goal scorer. That would be the lone blemish on the day for Melvin Strahl, who stopped 25-of-26 shots while winning his fifth straight start. Jakub Heš tacked on an insurance marker at 8:31 of the third, putting the game out of reach for the Gamblers.

Youngstown and Green Bay continue their 3-in-3 series today at the Covelli Centre, with puck drop scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

NFL salary cap set at $279.2 million

INDIANAPOLIS — The NFL’s salary cap will be a record-high $279.2 million in 2025, an increase of $23.8 million.

The league informed teams of the new cap figure on Thursday during the NFL scouting combine.

The cap is up $102 million since 2018. It was $34.608 million in 1994, the first year the NFL had a salary cap. Total projected player costs, including benefits, are slotted at $362.48 million.

Teams must be under the cap by 4 p.m. on March 12.

Chiefs TE Kelce plans to play

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce plans to play next season rather than retire.

The 35-year-old Kelce had been mulling whether to return for a 13th season. But the four-time All-Pro made his feelings clear in a text to Pat McAfee that the host read during “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday.

“My dawg!!! I’m coming back for sure,” the four-time All-Pro wrote, according to McAfee. “Gonna try to get to the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop. Got a real bad taste in my mouth about how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!!!!”

The Chiefs’ quest to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls ended with a 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 9.

Kelce professed his love for football several times leading up to the Super Bowl. But he also said on his podcast he would “take some time” to figure out if he would retire or return for another season.

Kelce’s decision is hardly a surprise, considering Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said Tuesday at the NFL combine that he “was fired up” to keep playing after the season ended.

Kelce’s contract includes an $11.5 million roster bonus due March 15. Veach said the team was moving forward with its offseason plans “as if he’s here.”

Benintendi out with broken hand

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Chicago White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi will miss four to six weeks with a broken hand after being hit by a pitch in a spring training game on Thursday.

Benintendi was hit on the right hand with an 87 mph fastball by Cleveland right-hander Logan Allen in the first inning and left the game. The White Sox announced the diagnosis as a non-displaced fracture, with no surgery required.

The recovery timetable means Benintendi almost will start the season on the injured list. The White Sox open at home on March 27 against the Los Angeles Angels.

Benintendi signed a $75 million, five-year contract with the White Sox prior to the 2023 season. After debuting with Boston in 2016 and helping the Red Sox with the World Series in 2018, he was traded to Kansas City in 2021. He won a Gold Glove that year and was selected for his first All-Star team in 2022, before being traded to the New York Yankees for the stretch run.

Benintendi matched his career high in 2024 with 20 homers but batted just .229, his worst average for a full season, excluding the pandemic-shorted 2020 schedule. He has played in 286 games in two seasons with Chicago.

Sinner’s nomination withdrawn

LONDON — The nomination of Jannik Sinner for the Laureus sportsman of the year award was withdrawn Thursday because of the top-ranked tennis player’s three-month ban for his two positive doping tests nearly a year ago.

Laureus World Sports Academy chairman Sean Fitzpatrick said in a statement that the Italian player’s ban resulting from a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency prompted the decision.

“Following discussions by the Laureus Academy it has been decided that Jannik Sinner’s nomination for this year’s Laureus world sportsman of the year award is to be withdrawn,” Fitzpatrick said.

“We have followed this case, the decisions of the relevant global bodies and — whilst we note the extenuating circumstances involved — feel that the three-month ban renders the nomination ineligible. Jannik and his team have been informed.”

Sinner and WADA announced the settlement on Feb. 15.

WADA, which had sought to ban the three-time Grand Slam champion from the sport for at least one year, had challenged a decision last year by the International Tennis Integrity Agency not to suspend Sinner for what the ITIA judged was accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid last March.

Sinner’s explanation — that trace amounts of Clostebol in his doping sample was due to a massage from a trainer who used the substance after cutting his own finger — had been accepted.

The timing means the 23-year-old Italian won’t miss any Grand Slam tournaments. The French Open, the season’s next major, starts May 25.