The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page E09

Thursday, October 2, 2008 THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER www.philly.com E9 Downie injured, but spot appears secure The young Flyer strained a knee while fighting with the Capitals' Jay Beagle last night. polit, who was bothered by a foot injury early in camp, took a left-circle pass from Lupul and scored from the slot with 13 minutes, 11 seconds remaining in the second period to snap a scoreless tie. Defenseman Steve Eminger played superbly against his former teammates, contributing an assist, playing on the power play, and killing penalties. Cote decisioned Grant McNeil in a second-period fight. Breakaways.

Alexander Ovech-Mn, coming off a 65-goal season in which he was the league's MVP, was among the Caps' scratches. The Flyers' scratches included Claude Gir-oux, Scottie Upshall, Randy Jones and Ryan Parent. The Flyers released backup goalie Maxime Ouellet. He entered training camp at 187 pounds and scored two goals in the first exhibition, and has been impressive throughout the preseason. Downie could center a physical fourth line that includes wingers Riley Cote and Arron Asham.

Sbisa signed. The Flyers signed defenseman Luca Sbisa, a native of Ozieri, Italy, who was their No. 1 pick in the June draft, to an entry-level contract. If Sbisa, 18, makes the club, he will earn the rookie minimum of the maximum rookie salary is $875,000. Sbisa, selected with the draft pick acquired in the deal that sent Umberger to Columbus, is expected to be sent to juniors and make considerably less.

Flyers 2, Capitals 1. Joffrey Lupul scored a third-period power-play goal and added an assist. Marty Biron made 19 saves for the Flyers (4-2). Former Bruin Glen Metro- and he appeared to hit the ice with his head. "Initially, I thought it was his head, but he just strained his knee a little bit," coach John Stevens said after the Flyers' 2-1 exhibition win at the Wachovia Center.

"The first prognosis is that it's not too serious." Downie, 21, probably will have an MR! on the knee. He could miss two weeks, Stevens estimated. Stevens compared Downie to former Flyer R.J. Umberger. "I look at Steve the way I looked at Umby a little last year, where he has the ability to move around to different positions," Stevens said.

Downie, the Flyers' No. 1 pick and the 29th overall selection in the 2005 draft, received the fourth-longest suspension in NHL history for leaving his feet and delivering a deliberate and danger TOM MIHALEK Associated Press off the ice by Braydon Coburn the preseason game, 2-1 By Sam Carchidi INQUIRER STAFF WRITER To put it mildly, the Flyers and forward Steve Downie have made major strides in the last season. A year ago, the Flyers were coming off the worst season in their history, and Downie was given a 20-game suspension for a preseason hit on Ottawa's Dean McAmmond. Today, the Flyers are one of the Eastern Conference's most highly regarded teams. And Downie? The winger-turned-center appears to have earned a spot as a fourth-line center, even though he suffered what the club hoped was only a minor setback last night.

Downie strained his left knee after he fell on the ice during a second-period fight with Washington's Jay Beagle. Downie's helmet came off Scoreboard Las Vegas Line By Keith Glantzand Russell Culver College Football Downie put the turnovers out of his mind "you don't want to keep negativity in your head," he said and went on a weight-training regimen that helped him lose 17 pounds and improve his speed in the off-season. philly com Online Sports Poll At practice, Iguodala takes cautious approach Who is the best big man in the Brewers-Phillies series? 1. Prince Fielder (270 pounds) Steve Downie (center) is helped and a trainer. The Flyers won ous hit to McAmmond's head.

In the regular season, he scored six goals in 32 games, but was benched after making two critical turnovers in consecutive games both led to goals against Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference finals. MLS Eastern Conference 2. Ryan Howard (255 pounds) 3. CC Sabathia (290 pounds) Results of yesterday's Philly.com sports poll question: Should the Eagles hold out Brian Westbrook for another week if he is not completely healthy? Out of 1,040 responses Yes. He could reinjure his ankle.

(697 votes) No. They need him against Washington. (343 votes) College Football AFCA Division II The top 25 teams in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records and previous ranking: Favorite Open Today Underdog TONIGHT SOUTH FLORIDA 13 13'fe Pittsburgh Memphis 4'fe 3'fe UAB UTAH 8 1 1 V2 Oregon St. TOMORROW Cincinnati 3 3'fe MARSHALL BYU 28 28'fe UTAH ST. SATURDAY WESTVIRGINIA 13 13'fe Rutgers Pen St.

10'fe 13 PURDUE MIAMI (OHIO) 8 7 Temple Boston College 6'fe 9 N.C. STATE MICHIGAN ST. 8 7'fe Iowa MINNESOTA 8 7 Indiana Maryland 13'fe 13'fe VIRGINIA NORTH CAROLINA 7 7 Connecticut MISSISSIPPI 3 2'fe South Carolina Texas Tech 6 7'fe KANSAS ST. Kansas 13'fe 12'fe IOWA ST. GEORGIA TECH 14 14 Duke Auburn 6 4 VANDERBILT at COLORADO ST.

Pk 2 UNLV W. MICHIGAN 4 5 Ohio NOTRE DAME 7'fe 7 Stanford x-Tulane 20 20 Army MICHIGAN 2 2'fe Illinois Missouri 9 10'fe NEBRASKA Texas 13'fe 13'fe COLORADO MIAMI 3 2'fe Florida St. CALIFORNIA 8 9'fe Arizona St. Florida 22 24'fe ARKANSAS ALABAMA 17 16'fe Kentucky atUCF 14'fe 13'fe SMU BOWLING GREEN 20 20'fe E. Michigan AIR FORCE 6 6 Navy Nevada 23'fe 24'fe IDAHO TCU 26 24'fe San Diego St.

UCLA 16'fe 17 WashingtonSt. ARIZONA 18 21 'fe Washington TENNESSEE 17 15'fe N. Illinois Ball St. 5'fe 7'fe TOLEDO Akron 3'fe 3'fe KENT ST. at SOUTHERN MISS.

7 7'fe UTEP Oklahoma 27 26'fe BAYLOR OKLAHOMA ST. 23'fe 25 Texas Ohio St. 2 1'fe WISCONSIN TULSA 15 14 Rice SOUTHERN CAL 16 16'fe Oregon NEWMEXICO 10'fe 12 Wyoming FRESNO ST. 20 22'fe Hawaii VIRGINIA TECH 28 27'fe W. Kentucky 3 2'fe LA-MONROE Fla.

International 7 6'fe NORTH TEXAS x-atTad Gormley Stadium, NewOrleans Home team in CAPITALS. Transactions Minor League Baseball With his ankle aching, the 76ers star watched the morning workout at Penn State. By Kate Fagan INQUIRER STAFF WRITER STATE COLLEGE, Pa. In the long grind of an 82-game NBA season, staying healthy is often a player's primary concern. Sometimes avoiding a nagging injury requires sacrificing an hour or two of early-season court time.

That appeared to be the case yesterday, the second day of the 76ers' training camp at Penn State, as swing-man Andre Iguodala, his left ankle elevated, watched the morning session from a chair along the sideline. The Sixers will be practicing at the Bryce Jordan Center twice a day through Sunday. Iguodala sprained the ankle during Tuesday's night practice. He said he rose for a jumper and landed on someone's foot. He finished the practice.

"It's very, very, very sore," Iguodala said. "But I'm not patient, so I'm ready to get back to practice. I'm not worried about it; I'm cool." At first Iguodala said he did not think he would practice during the night session, but a few minutes later he said he would try to work out. During end-of-practice conditioning, a trainer worked on stretching with guard Ka- Pts. GF GA x-Columbus 15 6 5 50 45 31 New England 12 8 6 42 36 35 Chicago 12 9 5 41 34 25 NewYork 9 9 8 35 35 38 DC.

United 10 13 3 33 41 46 Kansas City 8 10 8 32 29 35 Toronto FC 7 12 7 28 26 36 Western Conference Pts. GF GA Houston 10 5 10 40 35 29 ChivasUSA 10 10 6 36 34 37 Colorado 10 12 4 34 38 37 Real Salt Lake 9 10 7 34 33 34 FC Dallas 8 9 9 33 39 33 Los Angeles 7 11 8 29 50 54 San Jose 7 10 8 29 26 31 RankTeam Record Pts. Prv. IValdostaSt. (21) 4-0 640 1 2.

Grand Valley St. (2) 4-0 619 2 3. North Alabama (1) 5-0 601 3 4. Abilene Christian (2) 4-0 578 4 5. West Texas 5-0 535 6 6.

Pittsburg State (Kan.) 5-0 512 7 7. Northwest Missouri St 4-1 498 8 8. Bloomsburg (Pa.) 5-0 462 10 9. California (Pa.) 4-1 381 14 10. Minnesota-Duluth 5-0 374 15 1 1 Tuskegee (Ala.) 4-0 365 13 12.

Central Washington 4-1 345 9 1 3. Tarleton State (Texas) 5-0 331 16 14. Delta State (Miss.) 3-1 297 17 15. Chadron State (Neb.) 4-1 269 18 16. Nebraska-Omaha 3-1 258 5 17.

Midwestern State (Tx.) 4-0 211 21 18. 5-0 190 22 19. Indiana (Pa.) 3-1 185 12 20. Catawba (N.C.) 3-1 131 23 21. Edinboro(Pa.) 4-1 127 24 22.

Central Missouri 4-1 88 19 23. Carson-Newman (Ten.) 82 11 24. West Virginia State 4-0 81 25 25. Ferris State (Mich.) 4-1 65 AFCA Division II The top 25 teams in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records and previous ranking: RankTeam Record Pts. Prv.

1. Mount Union (30) 3-0 990 1 2. Wisconsin-Whitewater (10) 963 2 3. Mary Hardin-Baylor 3-0 916 3 4. Capital (Ohio) 3-0 854 4 5.

Muhlenberg (Pa.) 3-0 740 7 6. Wabash (Ind.) 3-0 727 5 7. North Central (III.) 3-0 719 8 8. Wheaton(lll.) 3-0 711 10 9. Wash, and Jefferson (Pa.) 4-0 636 11 10.

St. John Fisher (N.Y.) 3-1 579 14 11. Hardin-Simmons(Tx.) 4-0 571 12 12. Cortland State (N.Y.) 3-0 538 13 13. Trinity (Texas) 3-0 439 16 14.

Millsaps (Miss.) 4-0 431 17 1 5. Wisconsin-Eau Claire 3-1 404 15 16. St. John's (Minn.) 3-1 343 18 17. Redlands (Calif.) 2-0 272 19 18.

Wesley (Del.) 1-1 257 20 19. Case Western (Ohio) 3-0 250 22 20. Wartburg (Iowa) 3-1 185 23 21. Delaware Valley (Pa.) 2-1 179 22. Willamette (Ore.) 4-0 154 23.

Salisbury (Md.) 3-1 144 6 24. Illinois Wesleyan 3-0 139 24 25. Central (Iowa) 2-1 118 25 Contact staff writer Sam Carchidi at 215-854-5181 or scarchidiphillynews.com. ing." "Guys coming in like Theo Ratliff and Donyell Marshall, guys like that veterans keep the chemistry going," Dalembert said. "We still keep the core players from last year, the core guys, but we make additions of veterans coming and then we're going to be a force." Notes.

Dalembert said he wants to be an all-star this season. On that topic, Iguodala said: "That's a very good thing. That means he's going to have to work hard. He understands what he has to do to get there. Night in and night out, he has a goal." Jared Reiner, a late addition to the training-camp roster, played with power forward Reggie Evans at Iowa.

"I have lots of old bruises from Reggie," Reiner said. "Reggie has this drive in him. He's always been a guy you want on your team." Since the team has added Elton Brand, many have questioned where Evans fits in the Sixers' puzzle. Cheeks said that Brand will cut into many players' minutes, but "the way Evans plays, he's still going to play. And the way he plays is still going to benefit us." Cheeks said he does not have a handle on rookie forward-center Marreese Speights, but he hopes that will change in the next day or two as the Sixers scrimmage more.

Contact staff writer Kate Fagan at 856-779-3844 or kfaganphillynews.com. missed. But he was cited by police on Sept. 21 and faces up to 180 days in jail. Tennis Serena Williams was upset by China's Li Na, 0-6, 6-1, 6-4, in the second round of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany.

It will cost Williams her No. 1 ranking. Swiss star Roger Federer withdrew from next week's Stockholm Open, saying he needs to rest before starting his quest to reclaim the top spot in the world rankings. Hockey In Bern, Switzerland, Ryan Callahan scored with 20 seconds remaining to give the New York Rangers a 4-3 win over European champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the first game between NHL and Russian teams in 17 years. Noteworthy Rusty Wallace, who retired after the 2005 season, refuted a report by his brother Kenny that he is considering a return to NASCAR's top level.

World-record holder Paula Radcliffe of Britain will defend her title in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 2. Full-Court Press The Inquirer will make you feel right at home at Sixers training camp at Penn State this week. Check out staff writer Kate Fagan's daily chat at 1 p.m., her daily video report at http:www.philly.comphilly sportssixers and her Deep Sixer blog at http:www.philly.comphilly blogsdeep-sixer reem Rush, who afterward hobbled to center court with ice applied to his right hamstring. Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said these were "typical training camp" aches and pains.

"We did a lot of running today," Cheeks said. "A couple of guys had hamstrings and whatnot, but that's what training camp is about. You're going to get hurt a little bit, your back is going to hurt, your hamstring is going to hurt. So the more we keep running, the stiffness will pan out and get better." Cheeks added, jokingly, "It's the reason why I'm coaching, because I can't do that anymore." Still, the general consensus from Day 2 is that progress has been made toward cohesion. The Sixers added six players this summer.

Center Samuel Dalembert called the workouts "amaz- Colleges Kellen Moore threw for two touchdowns and D.J. Harper rushed for two more to lead No. 17 Boise State (4-0, 1-0 Western Athletic Conference) to a 38-3 win over Louisiana Tech (2-2, 0-1) in Boise, Idaho. Arkansas defensive lineman Ernest Mitchell underwent arthroscopic knee surgery after an injury in last weekend's 52-10 loss to Texas. Coach Bobby Petrino said he wasn't sure how long Mitchell would be out.

Rutgers senior cornerback Jason McCourty was named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame's Draddy Trophy. The award is for academic excellence among college football players. Notre Dame tight end Will Yeatman will be sentenced in South Bend, as a minor consuming alcohol. Prosecutors in February agreed to dismiss a criminal-recklessness charge after Yeatman agreed to plead guilty to drunken driving and reckless driving. If he had stayed out of trouble for a year, the drunken driving charge would have been dis- Sports in Brief Armstrong in urine dispute Note: Three points for victory, one point for tie.

x-clinched playoff spot TOMORROWS GAME San Jose at FC Dallas, 9 SATURDAYS GAMES Los Angeles at Columbus, 7:30 Toronto FC at New York, 7:30 CD ChivasUSA at DC. United, 7:30 Real Salt Lake at New England, 7:30 Houston at Colorado, 9:30 SUNDAYS GAME Chicago at Kansas City, 3 NHL Preseason LAST NIGHT'S RESULTS FLYERS 2, Washington 1 N.Y. Rangers 4, Metallurg 3 Detroit 4, Atlanta 1 New Jersey 3, N.Y. Islanders 0 Montreal 3, Boston 1 Minnesota 3, Buffalo 2 St. Louis 7, Toronto 3 Colorado 3, Dallas 1 Los Angeles at Anaheim Calgary at Vancouver MONDAYS RESULTS N.Y.

Rangers 8, SC Bernl Tampa Bay 3, HC Slovan 2, OT Montreal 2, Detroit 1 SO Minnesota 3, Chicago 2, OT Calgary 4, Edmonton 0 San Jose 4, Phoenix 3, OT Anaheim 2, Los Angeles 1 SO TODAYS GAMES Pittsburgh at Jokerit, 11:30 a.m. Ottawa at Frolunda, 1 Buffalo at Columbus, 7 Carolina at Nashville, 8 Chicago at Dallas, 8:30 San Jose at Vancouver, 1 0 TOMORROW'S GAMES FLYERS at Washington, 7 Minnesota at Columbus, 7. N.Y. Islanders at New Jersey, 7 Toronto at Detroit, 7:30 Nashville at Atlanta, 7:30 Chicago at Colorado, 9. Edmonton at Calgary, 9.

Phoenix at Anaheim, 1 0. Local Golf Philadelphia Publinks SENIOR-JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP At Wedgwood; par 72. Chris Hunger-Jim Gillespie 68 Jamie Shaffer-Floyd Shaffer 70 Eric Galm-Bob Wheeler 71 Dave Shields-Bill Erskine 71 Ari Flaisher-Mike Millar 72 Steve Passalagua-Joe Mejeski 72 PaulCornely-Jason Loehrs 72 Bob Fritz-Brian Fisher 73 AnsleyJessup-Ed Lewis 73 Alan Hasher-Scott Vasbinber 73 WNBA Playoffs Finals Bestoffive. SAN ANTONIO VS. DETROIT Game 1: Detroit 77-69 Game 2: Tomorrow at San Antonio, 7:30 Game 3: Sunday at Detroit, 4:30 Game 4: Monday at Detroit, 7:30 Game 5: Next Thursday at San Antonio, 7:30 Detroit leads series, 1-0.

if necessary. This Date In Sports 1950: Jim Hardy threw six touchdown passes, including five to Bob Shaw, when the Chicago Cardinals pound the Baltimore Colts, 55-1 3. 1970: Fourteen members of the Wichita State football team were killed in a plane crash in the Rocky Mountains. CAN-AM LEAGUE Atlantic City Surf: Acguired INF Anthony Granato and OF Joe Burke from Somerset (Atlantic) to complete Sept. 9 trades.

Basketball NBA San Antonio Spurs: Wigned Charles Gaines. Waived Brian Morrison. Sacramento Kings: Named Shareef Abdur-Rahim assistant coach. Football NFL League: Named Jeff Miller vice president of government relations and public policy. Dallas Cowboys: Signed WR Travis Wilson to the practice sguad.

New Orleans Saints: Re-signed QB Joey Harrington. Waived TE Buck Ortega and re-signed him to the practice sguad. Ice hockey NHL FLYERS: Signed Luca Sbisa. Buffalo Sabres: Claimed LW Matt Ellis off waivers from Los Angeles. Chicago Blackhawks: Assigned Evan Brophey, Petri Kontiola and Pascal Pelletierto Rockford (AHL).

Minnesota Wild: Assigned LW Ryan Hamilton and LW Petr Kalusto Houston (AHL). Nashville Predators: Assigned Drew Maclntyre to Milwaukee (AHL). Pittsburgh Penguins: Traded the rights to Michal Sersen to Tampa Bay for a 2009 fifth-round draft pick. San Jose Sharks: Assigned Tom Cavanagh, Jason Demers, Thomas Greiss, LW Jamie McGinn, Michael Wilson and Steven Zalewski to Worcester (AHL). Vancouver Canucks: Assigned MarkCullen, LW Jason Jaffray and Jimmy Sharrow to Manitoba (AHL).

Lacrosse NLL Edmonton Rush: Signed Chris Levis to a two-year contract. Acguired Ryan McNish and a 2010 third-round draft pick from Calgary for a 2010 first-round draft pick. College Summit League: Named David Brauer director of media relations. Bowling Green: Named Louis Twigg men's assistant basketball coach. Chattanooga: Named Shaina Erwin Softball pitching coach.

Mount St. Vincent: Named Gerald Davis women's basketball coach. Rhode Island College: Named John Shannon men's assistant basketball coach. COMPILED BY THE INQUIRER STAFF The French anti-doping authority has a challenge for Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion who has said he will return to cycling. The organization proposed yesterday that Armstrong agree to retesting of his 1999 urine samples to see whether a French newspaper was right when it reported they contained traces of EPO, a banned blood-boosting hormone that enhances endurance.

"The 1998 and 1999 Tour de France samples have not been maintained properly, have been compromised in many ways, and even three years ago could not be tested to provide any meaningful results," Armstrong responded in a statement. "There is simply nothing that I can agree to that would provide any relevant evidence about 1999." A positive test from the samples could not lead to a ban that would thwart the 37-year-old's comeback. Women's basketball Katie Smith and Taj McWill-iams-Franklin led the Detroit Shock to a 77-69 win over the San Antonio Silver Stars in Game 1 of the WNBA finals. Smith scored 25 points and McWilliams-Franklin had 24. College scores Football LAST NIGHT'S RESULT Boise St.

38, Louisiana Tech 3 TUESDAY'S RESULT Middle Tennessee 14, Florida Atlantic 13 TONIGHT'S GAMES Pittsburgh at South Florida, 7:30 Memphis at Alabama-Birmingham, 8 Nicholls St. at Northern Iowa 7:30 Oregon St. at Utah, 9 Men's soccer Goucher2, Delaware Valley 1 La Salle 1 Bucknsll 1, tie Penn3, Villanova2 Queens College 2, Philadelphia Univ. 1 Richard Stockton 3, Rowan 1 Rutgers-Camden 1, College of N.J. 0 Swarthmore 4, Washisgton 1 Ursinus2, Haverford 1 West Chester 2, Shippensburg 0 Widener 1 Cabrini 1 Women's soccer Adelphi 4, Holy Family OAlbright 4, Alvernia 2 Baptist Bible 1 Cabrini 0 Gwynedd-Mercy3, Keystone 0 Kutztown 3, Philadelphia Univ.

0 Penn4, St. Joseph's 2 Rowan 2, Richard Stockton 0 Swarthmore 3, Washington 0 Ursinus2, Bryn-MawrO West Chester 2, Shippensburg 1 Widener 1, FDU-FlorhamO Women's tennis Holy Family 5, Chestnut Hill 0 Mt.St. Mary's 5, St. Joseph's 2 Rosemont 6, Keyston 2 Volleyball Haverford 3, Muhlenberg 1 Lebanon Valley 3, Widener 1 Penn State-York 3, Penn St. Abington 0 Swarthmore 3, Washington 0 Temple 3, Villanova 1 Field hockey Haverford 3, Muhlenberg 1 Penn State 3, Lafayette 0 Rowan 2, Stevens Tech 0.