Mackey makes move into first at Iditarod

Two-time defending champion Lance Mackey moved from fourth to first place and was the first musher into the Rainy Pass checkpoint in Anchorage, Alaska, early in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

At midday Monday, Mackey was the only musher to have arrived at Rainy Pass after having negotiated one of the steepest parts of the 1,100-mile trail where it descends sharply into a gorge along Happy River.

Mackey, who had been two hours behind, moved in front of Canadian musher Sebastian Schnuelle, who earlier in the day had the lead. Schnuelle recently won the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race, a race nearly as long as the Iditarod.

College basketball

VCU earns berth

Eric Maynor had 25 points and eight assists and is heading back to the NCAA tournament after leading Virginia Commonwealth University (24-9) to a 71-50 victory against George Mason (22-10) in the Colonial Athletic Association championship game in Richmond, Va.

Larry Sanders added 18 points and set championship game records with 20 rebounds and seven blocks for the Rams.

•Siena nabs MAAC title: Kenny Hasbrouck shook off a nagging calf injury and a terrible first half to score 19 points in leading Siena (26-7) to defend its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament title with a 77-70 win over Niagara (26-8) in Albany, N.Y.

•Chattanooga earns bid: Keyron Sheard scored 18 points and Chattanooga (18-16) beat College of Charleston (26-8) 80-69 at Chattanooga, Tenn., to win the Southern Conference tournament.

NHL

Canadiens can coach

Guy Carbonneau was fired as coach of the struggling Montreal Canadiens, hockey’s most historic franchise that is in danger of missing the playoffs in its 100th season.

The timing of the move was a bit surprising because the Canadiens are currently in a playoff position and there are only 16 games left in the regular season.

General manager Bob Gainey, who handed over the coaching duties to Carbonneau three years ago, will return behind the bench when Montreal plays host to Edmonton today.

•Hurricanes blank Rangers: Cam Ward stopped 28 shots in his fifth shutout of the season and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 3-0 in Raleigh, N.C., to match a season high with their fourth straight victory.

•Senators sink Maple Leafs: Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley scored second-period goals, leading the Senators to a 2-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Ottawa.

NBA

Heat hush Bulls in 2OT

Dwyane Wade decided two overtimes were enough, in emphatic fashion.

Miami’s MVP candidate stole the ball from John Salmons with 4 seconds left, then made a running 3-pointer as time expired to lift the Heat to a wild 130-127 double-overtime win over the Chicago Bulls in Miami.

Wade – who finished with 48 points and 12 assists in 49 minutes, shooting 15 of 21 from the field – made a 3-pointer at the end of the first half, then again at the end of regulation.

•Hawks end Hornets’ streak: Joe Johnson scored 30 points and the Hawks beat New Orleans 89-79 in Atlanta, ending the Hornets’ season-best seven-game winning streak.

Pistons power past Magic: Richard Hamilton scored 29 points and had a career-high 14 assists as the Detroit Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 98-94 in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Detroit, already without Allen Iverson (back) for the sixth straight game, lost Rasheed Wallace to a calf injury late in the first quarter.

•Blazers blow out Lakers: Brandon Roy scored 27 points and the Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 111-94 at Portland in a game marred by Portland’s Rudy Fernandez being carried off the court on a stretcher after a hard foul.

Fernandez, a rookie from Spain, was hurt late in the third quarter when he was laid out by Trevor Ariza while going up for a shot. He was carried from the court on a stretcher with his neck in a brace.

•No luck for Celtics: The Boston Celtics will be missing five players when they play at the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

Coach Doc Rivers ruled out Rajon Rondo and Glen Davis after both sprained their right ankles over the weekend.

They join superstar Kevin Garnett, Brian Scalabrine and Tony Allen on the sidelines.

•Foye leaves game early: Minnesota guard Randy Foye was carried to the locker room in the fourth quarter of the Timberwolves’ 110-99 loss to Washington in Minneapolis, because of a sprained right ankle.

Football

Bucs linebacker stabbed

Authorities say the girlfriend of Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Geno Hayes stabbed him in the head and in the neck.

A Hillsborough County Sheriff’s spokeswoman says Hayes was taken to a Tampa, Fla., hospital by a friend Saturday. The 21-year-old former Florida State player was treated and later released.

Deputies arrested 19-year-old Shevelle Bagley on Saturday afternoon. The sheriff’s spokeswoman says Hayes and Bagley got into an argument, which led to Bagley grabbing a pair of scissors and stabbing Hayes in the head.