Fast Break
NHL
Maple Leafs fire Maurice
Paul Maurice was fired as coach of the Maple Leafs on Wednesday after Toronto failed to make the playoffs during his two years. More changes are expected.
“This is a start of a new era for the Maple Leafs,” interim general manager Cliff Fletcher said. “This is all part and parcel of that.”
The Leafs finished 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 36-35-11 record and missed a playoff spot by 11 points.
They are looking for a full-time GM after firing John Ferguson in January.
Also, assistant coach Randy Ladouceur was dismissed and assistant Dallas Eakins was offered a position elsewhere in the organization. Keith Acton will remain an assistant.
Women’s volleyball
UW will host NCAA regional
The University of Washington will be one of four regional sites for the 2008 NCAA Division I tournament in December, the committee announced.
Other sites are Moby Arena at Colorado State, Rec Hall at Penn State and Gregory Gymnasium at the University of Texas. All will be Dec. 12-13.
The finals will be at Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., on Dec. 18 and 20.
Golf
Timely shot for NC golfer
North Central junior Brian Green estimates he golfs “60 or so” rounds a year. Monday, he picked an apropos time for his first hole-in-one.
Green aced the 178-yard sixth hole at MeadowWood, helping him secure the 12th and final Greater Spokane League qualifying spot in today’s Regional 3A tournament at Horn Rapids Golf Course in Richland.
“I decided to hit a 7-iron and tried to swing easy and play to the green,” he said. “It took one bounce about 2 feet from the hole and went in.”
It took several seconds to get through his mind that the ball went in.
Green’s mother, Janet, said her golfer husband Eric has not made a hole-in-one and “is very jealous.”
“(Dad) congratulated me and said he hoped he could do it sometime,” Brian said.
Janet began driving Brian daily with a friend to play Sun Dance beginning in the sixth grade. He also plays with his father and grandfather, Keith.
“I thought golf was really cool,” said Brian, who shoots in the low to mid-80s. “It looked easy and at the same time was hard.”