Enquirer staff and wire reports

Hockey is back in North America, even if it's only for the 22 days of the World Cup.

Bill Guerin, Brian Rolston and Jordan Leopold scored goals and Brian Leetch had two assists as Team USA beat Canada 3-1 Monday in a World Cup exhibition game in Columbus.

"It's always big for any team to beat Canada," Guerin said.

The United States, which won the previous World Cup tournament in 1996, got off to a slow start but dominated the final two periods. Canada did not get off a shot in the first 12:22 of the third period.

"We're three days from skating around by ourselves and being on the beach," Leetch said. "You never know what to expect."

After three exhibition games - a rematch Wednesday night against Canada in Ottawa and back in Columbus against Russia at 7 p.m. Friday - the United States opens play Aug. 31 against Canada in Montreal.

The World Cup championship game is set for Sept. 14 in Toronto. That's the night before the NHL's collective bargaining agreement expires. A lockout that threatens next season is a distinct possibility.

FLAMES: Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff was awarded $2.95 million in arbitration. That's a raise of 270 percent over last season.

Stanley Cup goes AWOL - for awhile

The Stanley Cup spent Sunday night in luggage limbo.

The fabled trophy disappeared during an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Fort St. John, British Columbia, last weekend when Vancouver airline officials removed it from the plane because of weight restrictions.

Walter Neubrand, keeper of the Cup, was delivering the trophy to Jake Goertzen, head scout for the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

After a wait at the baggage claim, Air Canada agents checked the plane but there was no sign of the Cup or its special travel container. After a call to Vancouver, they learned the 35-pound Cup was sitting in the Vancouver airport 750 miles away.

An Air Canada spokeswoman said the Cup was held in a secured facility overnight and flown to Fort St. John early today.

Colleges

OHIO STATE: Ohio State University football player Reggie Arden was released from a Huntington, W.Va., hospital Monday after an apparent fight outside a bar that resulted in a Marshall player, defensive end Jonathan Goddard, being charged with misdemeanor battery on a police officer.

Arden, an Ironton, Ohio, resident, had a broken nose and severe swelling on the right side of his face.

Arden told police he was attacked because he was from Ohio State. Marshall and Ohio State play in Columbus Sept. 11.

OLE MISS GETS SMITH: Kentucky coach Tubby Smith's youngest son won't be playing for dad this season. Brian Smith, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound guard, has decided to enroll at Mississippi.

Smith averaged 12 points and six assists per game at Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, Va.

He is the third of Tubby Smith's sons to play in the SEC. G.G. Smith played for his dad at Georgia from 1996-99, and Saul Smith was a point guard Kentucky for his father from 1998-2001.

NBA

BRYANT CASE: Residents of Eagle County (Colo.) are a diverse lot - 23 percent Hispanic, 0.3 percent black. Forty-three percent of them are college graduates. Attorneys in the Kobe Bryant rape case would love to know what they are thinking.

Summonses went out last month ordering 999 potential jurors from the county to show up for duty Friday, with opening statements not expected until Sept. 7.

BLAZERS: Portland's Zach Randolph might face a criminal charge for misleading police officers investigating the shootings of three men on an Anderson, Ind., nightclub dance floor. His brother, Roger Randolph, faces preliminary charges of criminal recklessness for the Sunday shootings.

Soccer

CREW ADD DEFENDER: The Columbus Crew and defender Tony Sanneh have agreed to terms of a multi-year contract. The team was awaiting final international clearance from Sanneh's club in Germany, FC Nuremberg, to complete the deal.

He has play 40 games with the U.S. national team.

Golf

WOODS STILL NO. 1: Tiger Woods remained atop the world rankings for the 263rd consecutive week by finishing ahead of Vijay Singh in the NEC Invitational.

Woods tied for second. Singh tied for 32nd.